Trump Lashes Out At Fauci, Calls Him An 'Idiot' In A Campaign Staff Phone Call

President Trump on Monday lashed out at Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, calling him an idiot in a conversation with his campaign staff that included reporters.

“People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots,” Trump said. “Anytime he goes on television” there’s a “bomb,” Trump told his staff. He added that if he fired Fauci it would be a “bigger bomb.”

During the conversation, Trump argued that “if we listened to [Fauci]” there would be 700,000 to 800,000 American deaths, Politico and other outlets reported.

Differences between Fauci and Trump are nothing new. Most notably, Fauci said he is "absolutely not" surprised Trump contracted COVID-19 after seeing the president surrounded by people not wearing face masks.

"I was worried that he was going to get sick when I saw him in a completely precarious situation of crowded -- no separation between people, and almost nobody wearing a mask," Fauci said in a "60 Minutes" interview.

"When I saw that on TV, I said, 'Oh my goodness. Nothing good can come out of that, that's got to be a problem,'" he continued.

"And then, sure enough, it turned out to be a super spreader event."

Fauci was referencing the Rose Garden event where Trump announced Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his pick to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. At least 12 people have tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the Sept. 26 event.

The ceremony was held outdoors and many attendees were tested before being allowed in. However, photos and videos of the event showed few people wearing masks and little social distancing.

The Trump campaign also aired a 30-second ad that praises the president’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and includes a clip of Fauci saying, “I can’t imagine that anybody could be doing more.”

However, in an interview with CNN, Fauci said his words were taken out of context.

"In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate. The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement I made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials," Fauci said.

Trump was quick to respond and mocked Fauci in a tweet.

Trump’s mention of the World Health Organization appears to reference a statement made last week by Dr. David Nabarro, a COVID-19 special envoy for the WHO. Nabarro urged countries to not use lockdowns as the primary source to control the virus.

The U.S. implemented lockdown orders earlier this year while Trump declined to issue a nationwide quarantine and left it to state leaders to announce their own restrictions.

Trump did announce a ban on travel from China in January. But his travel restrictions came after the coronavirus had already begun rampaging across China and Italy. Additionally, Trump’s travel ban included exemptions that reportedly allowed nearly 40,000 people to enter the U.S. on direct flights from China, the New York Times reported.