Biden Campaign Press Release - Donald Trump's Closing Message: Mock Biden for Trusting Science, Call Public Health Experts "Idiots"

President Trump's refusal to listen to scientists and his self-defeating denial has left the United States the hardest hit country in the world from coronavirus. Now, eight months into the pandemic -- with nearly 220,000 American lives lost, more than 8 million infected, and millions out of work -- Trump's closing message in the final days of the 2020 race is to publicly mock Joe Biden for trusting science and to call Dr. Fauci, the leading public health official on COVID-19, a "disaster" and other public health officials "idiots."

Trump is mocking Biden for listening to science. Science. The best tool we have to keep Americans safe, while Trump's reckless and negligent leadership threatens to put more lives at risk.

• New York Times, 10/18/20: "Trump mocks Biden for listening to scientists." [...] "President Trump — who hamstrung the White House coronavirus task force, peddled dubious Covid-19 cures and publicly downplayed the threat of the disease — accused Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Sunday of leaning too heavily on the scientific community for setting pandemic policy."
• NBC, 10/18/20: Trump mocks Biden for trusting scientists while Biden slams Trump for Covid-19 'lie'
• Axios, 10/18/20: "Trump says if Biden's elected, "he'll listen to the scientists"
• Associated Press, 10/19/20: Trump: Biden will 'listen to the scientists' if elected
• Business Insider, 10/19/20: "Trump attacked Biden by saying his opponent would 'listen to the scientists' in dealing with COVID-19"

When he's not undermining the importance of science itself, he's undermining our nation's top scientists.

• Washington Post, Philip Rucker: "Trump's message two weeks out, based on call with staff: - Dr. Fauci is a "disaster" who is a "bomb" every time he's on TV - Other health officials are "idiots" - Americans no longer care about the pandemic and just think "whatever" - News reports are "fake""
• New York Times, Maggie Haberman: "Trump says every time Fauci goes on TV it's a "bomb," but it's a 'bigger bomb if you fire him.'"
• Politico, Gabby Orr: "!!! @realDonaldTrump SLAMS Fauci on phone call with campaign: 'People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots... He's been here for 500 years. He's like this wonderful sage telling us how... Fauci's a disaster.'"
• The Atlantic, Edward-Isaac Dovere: "The president is in private attacking the health expert that his campaign featured in an ad backing him up, and whom he recently said he liked."
• Politico, Alex Isenstadt: "Trump calls Fauci a 'disaster'"
• Washington Post, Glen Kessler: "Let's get this straight. Trump trashes Fauci in a phone call with his campaign staff but insists on using an out-of-context clip of Fauci appearing to praise him? Ever shameless."