The Latest: Biden defends Fauci against Trump firing threat

ByThe Associated Press

November 2, 2020, 2:14 PM

• 3 min read

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WASHINGTON — The Latest on the presidential campaign (all times local):

9:05 a.m.

Joe Biden is defending Dr. Anthony Fauci after President Donald Trump suggested he’d dismiss the nation’s top infectious disease expert after Election Day.

The Democratic presidential nominee tweeted Monday: “We need a president who actually listens to experts like Dr. Fauci.”

Biden has sought to keep the presidential campaign focused on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 231,000 people in the U.S. Trump has used the race’s final hours to accuse Biden of wanting to force the country back into a lockdown to slow the spread of the virus.

During a rally that started late Sunday in Opa-locka, Florida, the Republican president expressed frustration that the surging virus cases remain prominent in the news, sparking chants of “Fire Fauci” from his supporters.

Trump replied, “Don’t tell anybody, but let me wait until a little bit after the election.”

Biden is traveling to Ohio and Pennsylvania on Monday, trying to keep open multiple pathways to an Electoral College victory. Trump plans a whirlwind five rallies, from the battlegrounds of North Carolina to Wisconsin.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE:

President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden have one last chance to make their case to voters in critical battleground states on Monday. The Republican president’s final day has him sprinting through five rallies, from North Carolina to Wisconsin. Biden is devoting most of his time to Pennsylvania.

Read more:

— Trump threatens to fire Fauci in rift with disease expert

— Legal armies ready if cloudy election outcome heads to court

— 2020 Watch: Will loser of the election accept the result?

— Expect a lot more of the same if Trump wins a 2nd term

— Biden looks to restore, expand Obama administration policies

— AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s errant final pitches on virus, energy

— 6 questions going into the presidential election

— AP Explains: The election result may be delayed. That’s OK.

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON:

8:55 a.m.

President Donald Trump’s press secretary says Trump expects to spend election night at the White House watching results roll in.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” on Monday where the president planned to celebrate. She said Trump and some aides “will be together … at the White House” for election night.

Trump’s campaign had planned a traditional campaign party at his Washington, D.C., hotel. But Trump said last week that he was considering other options, including staying at the White House, because the District of Columbia’s coronavirus protocols would restrict the size of the gathering.

The Trump campaign last month pushed out fundraising emails in the Republican president’s name offering donors the chance to enter a drawing “to join Team Trump at the Election Night Party” in his “favorite hotel,” in Washington, suggesting he would use his hotel as the backdrop for reacting to election results.