In the 'Corona Election,' Trump and Biden Clash Over Fauci's Dismissal

Trump "Wait until the election ends"... hints at dismissal
Biden "Vote for me and I will fire Trump"
Fauci "Biden views the COVID situation more seriously"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who rose to stardom in the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic, has emerged as a political issue in the final stages of the U.S. presidential election.

According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 2nd (local time), President Donald Trump hinted at firing Fauci at a campaign rally held in Miami, Florida, the day before, sparking controversy. When Trump supporters gathered at the rally shouted "Fire Fauci," President Trump said, "Don't tell anyone and just wait until after the election. Thanks for the advice," implying a dismissal after the election.

Earlier, Fauci had criticized the Trump administration's COVID-19 response in an interview with WP, becoming a target of Trump supporters. Fauci stated, "If COVID-19 prevention guidelines are not changed quickly, the U.S. will suffer great damage," and added, "Joe Biden is taking the current situation more seriously from a public health perspective," which led to criticism from Trump supporters accusing him of openly supporting Biden.

Biden, who has regularly criticized President Trump's COVID-19 measures, actively defended Fauci. During a drive-in rally held in Cleveland, Ohio, he said, "If you vote for me, I will hire Fauci and fire Trump."

Meanwhile, with early voting reaching record levels due to concerns over COVID-19, major U.S. broadcasters conducting election coverage are facing challenges with exit polls. Major networks such as CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC announced that they will release results reflecting early voting predictions as well, due to concerns that exit polls alone may not accurately reflect the vote count. However, unlike previous elections, exit polls are expected to have significantly lower predictive accuracy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.