Donald Trump, Joe Biden try to line up by Fauci as they court voters

President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are both looking to harness credibility of America's best-kwn infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, as y make ir case to American voters.

Trump is quoting him out of context, doctor says.

Biden, for his part, is erly promising to seek Fauci's vice if elected.

Overall, it's an uncomfortable season for Fauci, who's been studiously apolitical over a five-dece career in public health. doctor is calling out Trump campaign for taking one of his quotes and popping it into a campaign to suggest Fauci is in president's corner.

Biden is taking every opportunity to associate himself with doctor's positions.

A Kaiser Family Foundation poll in September showed 68% of Americans have a great deal or a fair amount of trust in Fauci to provide reliable information on coronavirus.

Trump's reelection campaign began airing an last week that includes a snippet from a March interview in which Fauci says, “I can't imagine that … anybody could be doing more” to contain virus. It sounds as if doctor is praising president, but Fauci says he was speaking more generally of federal government response.

Biden has treated Fauci's opinion over course of pandemic as gospel, urging goverrs to “listen to Dr Fauci” as y weigh loosening COVID-19 restrictions in ir states. He also promises to ask Fauci, longtime he of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, to stay on as a coronavirus task force viser if he wins next month's election.

His running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, at last week's vice presidential debate said she would wait for guidance from Fauci before deciding wher it's safe to take a vaccine once one becomes available.

“ fact that both candidates are grasping at Dr Fauci is revealing,” said Steven Webster, an Indiana University political scientist. “It sort of serves as a microcosm of where we're at in American politics: Americans at eir side of political divide can look at same thing and come away with vastly different interpretations of it.” Dr Deborah Birx, he of White House coronavirus task force, told Associated Press in an interview Monday that “public health is t a political issue and I think Dr Fauci and I both stay very much tered to our very core values in bringing a mess of public health and frankly a mess of hope that we kw what to do to control this virus. This has never been a political mess." attempt by Trump to claim Fauci's approval has clearly rankled doctor.

“In my nearly five deces of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate,” Fauci said in a statement on Sunday. “ comments attributed to me without my permission in GOP campaign were taken out of context from a bro statement I me months ago about efforts of federal public health officials.” Fauci told CNN on Monday that campaign should take down , calling it “really unfortunate and really disappointing that y did that.” He also bristled when asked in a July interview with New York Times wher Biden campaign h been in touch with him. “,” Fauci replied. “I mean I think y kw better. That I'm in a sensitive position.” Trump campaign refuses to take down its , stressing that comments are Fauci's “own words.” “ words spoken are accurate, and directly from Dr Fauci's mouth,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Erin Perrine.

Biden, at a campaign event in Toledo, ted irony that Trump was claiming praise from epidemiologist just days after Fauci called out a September 26 Rose Garden where Trump anunced his choice for Supreme Court. Several who attended anuncement, including Trump, later tested positive for coronavirus.

“Dr Fauci referred to president's anuncement to Supreme Court in Rose Garden as a super spreer event,” Biden said “And how is he responding? He's running a national , quoting Dr Fauci out of context.” Trump's embrace of Fauci in last lap of campaign comes as latest twist in an up-and-down relationship. Though Fauci often took pains to avoid appearing to criticise president, his disapproval of president's handling of pandemic has slipped through from time to time.

In April, Fauci set off Trump by saying that more lives could have been saved if US government h acted more quickly. “If we h right from very beginning shut everything down, it may have been a little different,” he said.

Later that day, Trump retweeted a call to #FireFauci, raising questions about wher Fauci's job was in jeopardy. following day, Fauci took podium at briefing to say he h used “wrong choice of words.” In July, Fauci, in a podcast interview, contricted Trump's claim that US was doing a great job in stemming virus. “As a country, when you compare us to or countries, I don't think you can say we're doing great,” Fauci said. “I mean, we're just t.” Trump later said Fauci h “me a lot of mistakes.” White House aides even circulated anti-Fauci talking points to reporters, a list of moments when y said Fauci's opinion h been off base.

Fauci did comment that he “absolutely” would be willing to stay on next year regardless of how election turns out.

“I'm t gonna walk away from this outbreak matter who's president,” he told CNBC. 

(Im: AP)