Dr. Anthony Fauci has served under six presidents, but now Donald Trump suggests it’s the end of the line for the nation’s top infectious disease specialist.  The Associated Press reports:

Speaking at a campaign rally in Opa-locka, Florida, Trump expressed frustration that the surging cases of the virus that has killed more than 231,000 people in the United States this year remains prominent in the news, sparking chants of “Fire Fauci” from his supporters.

“Don’t tell anybody but let me wait until a little bit after the election,” Trump replied to thousands of supporters early Monday, adding he appreciated their “advice.”

It’s not exactly a good campaign strategy to threaten to fire someone that nearly two-thirds of Americans approve of. Ron Brownstein a senior editor at The Atlantic wrote, “In every way possible, from his signal he’ll fire Fauci, to attacks on govs, to how he holds his rallies without masks or social distancing, Trump is telling Americans that he has given up on protecting them from the virus. And that that’s what they can expect in a second term.”

Meanwhile, while Trump could sideline Fauci, experts say he actually can’t fire him. CNN reports:

Under federal law, Trump doesn’t have the power to directly fire Fauci, a career civil servant, and remove him from government. And while Trump could try ordering his political appointees to dismiss the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci could appeal — a time-consuming process.