Fauci Says Misleading Trump Ad is ‘Harassment’, But Rules Out Resigning: ‘Not in My Wildest Freakin Dreams’

Dr. Anthony Fauci accused the Trump campaign of “in effect harassing me” after it misleadingly quoted him out of context in an 2020 election ad praising the president’s coronavirus response.

According to an interview with The Daily Beast, the nation’s top infectious disease expert hit back at President Donald Trump’s re-election team for including him in the ad and for refusing to take it down after he publicly lodged his objections.

But Fauci also summarily dismissed the idea that he might resign if the campaign continues to use the ad.

“Not in my wildest freakin dreams,” he told the Daily Beast, “did I ever think about quitting.”

Fauci then elaborated on his comments to CNN earlier on Monday, in which he warned its refusal could ignite a backlash against Trump.

“By doing this against my will, they are in effect harassing me,” Fauci said, per the story. “Since campaign ads are about getting votes, their harassment of me might have the opposite effect of turning some voters off.”