Trump spreads #FireFauci hashtag on Twitter as pandemic continues

Enlarge / US President Donald Trump and Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, hold a press briefing with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force on April 5, 2020, in Washington, DC. (credit: Getty Images | Sarah Silbiger)

President Donald Trump yesterday retweeted a Republican politician's call to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci from his post as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Trump's decision to spread the anti-Fauci tweet came hours after Fauci, in an interview with CNN, said it's "obvious" that the United States could have saved lives by imposing social-distancing measures in February as health experts recommended.

DeAnna Lorraine, a Republican who failed in a primary bid for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's congressional seat in California's 12th district last month, wrote yesterday that it's "Time to #FireFauci" in a tweet criticizing Fauci for his CNN interview. Less than an hour later, Trump posted a quote-retweet of Lorraine's #FireFauci call. "Sorry Fake News, it's all on tape. I banned China long before people spoke up," Trump wrote. (Trump was referring to a travel ban.)

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