'Dr Fauci's predictions are worse than his pitching': President snaps back at Dr Fauci after he accused Trump campaign of 'harassment' and taking his words 'out of context' in misleading election ad

President Donald Trump attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday amid a row over campaign ads as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs joined the battle with a complaint about being used in one 'without consent.'

Fauci was one of the many targets of Trump's ire in an early morning tweet storm where the president also went after Democratic rival Joe Biden and Fox News' Chris Wallace, who moderated the first presidential debate.

But Trump's attack on Fauci came after the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases called on the president's campaign to take down an ad featuring the COVID expert appearing to endorse Trump.

In his attack, President Trump slammed Fauci's pitching arm, a reference to the doctor's flubbing a pitch during the Washington Nationals' opening game, and appeared to mock his medical advice. 

'Actually, Tony's pitching arm is far more accurate than his prognostications. 'No problem, no masks'. WHO no longer likes Lockdowns - just came out against. Trump was right. We saved 2,000,000 USA lives!!!,' Trump tweeted.

President Donald Trump attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci amid a row over campaign ads

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley joined Dr. Anthony Fauci in objecting to his image used in a campaign ad for President Trump's re-election

The president has argued his decision to limit some travel from China - and later expand those travel restrictions - helped defy a prediction that up to 2 million people could die from COVID. One model predicted 2.2 million Americans could die from the disease. The death toll currently sets at more than 215,000 Americans.

Trump also picked the fight as voters give him low remarks for his handling of the pandemic and Fauci, along with other medical experts, questioned the president's decision to start holding campaign rallies again in the wake of his diagnosis with the virus.

Trump's ire came the morning after his return to the campaign trail. He held his first rally since his COVID diagnosis on Monday night in Sanford, Florida. 

The president has had an up-and-down relationship with Fauci. He needs the doctor's medical expertise to give him credibility during the pandemic but he and his administration also side lined Fauci when their focus turned to reopening the country and jump starting the economy.

But Fauci isn't the only expert and trusted public figure to complain about the Trump campaign co opting their image to benefit the president's bid for a second term. 

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley also let it be known he objects to being used in a Trump campaign ad.

The Trump campaign is running an online ad featuring an image of Milley, Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Mark Esper in the White House Situation Room watching the raid on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Oct. 29, 2019.

'President Trump wants you to request your ballot,' the ad says.

But the campaign did have Milley's consent to use him image in the ad.

'This photo, like many others, was not used with Milley' knowledge or consent,' a defense official told Politico.

The military has strict rules that forbid uniformed service members from participating in political campaigns. And Milley has stressed the military's role in upholding the constitution amid questions about whether Trump would accept the election results if he loses.  

Fauci, meanwhile, has called on the Trump campaign to remove the ad that shows him praising the president, calling it 'really unfortunate and really disappointing'.

He also warned the president's campaign not to use his words again. 

An ad from Trump's campaign notes that 'President Trump is recovering from the coronavirus, and so is America.'  

A few moments later, Fauci is then shown saying: 'I can't imagine that anybody could be doing more,' creating the impression he is referring to Trump and, therefore, giving his blessing to the president's handling of the pandemic.

Fauci was angered by the 30-second campaign ad, which began airing after Trump was released from the hospital on October 5. 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley objected to use of this image in the Situation Room from the October 2019 raid on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; featured from left to right are National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, Vice President Mike Pence, President Trump, Defense Secretary  Mark Esper, and Milley

Dr Anthony Fauci appeared on CNN on Monday night to discuss the Trump advert

He stopped short, however, of threatening to resign.

'It's so clear that I'm not a political person,' said Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, in an interview with CNN on Monday.

'And I have never - either directly or indirectly - endorsed a political candidate,' he said. 'And to take a completely out of context statement and put it in which is obviously a political campaign ad, I thought was really very disappointing.'

Immediately before Dr. Fauci is seen speaking in the advert, it states: 'Together we rose to meet the challenge, protecting our seniors, getting them life-saving drugs in record time, sparing no expense. President Trump tackled the virus head on, as leaders should.' 

The ad goes on to urge Americans to 'live carefully, but not afraid,' in an apparent reference to Trump's message last week, telling people not to be scared of the virus. 

Dr Anthony Fauci on Sunday spoke out against a new 30-second campaign ad that includes a clip of the doctor appearing to praise Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic 

Trump responded to Fauci's remarks in a tweet saying the ad includes 'Dr Fauci's own words'

Fauci on Sunday noted his words in the ad were taken out of context from a statement he made in March.  

'In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate,' he said in a statement to CNN.

'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.' 

Asked by CNN on Monday what his response would be, if the Trump campaign issued a second video featuring him, he replied: 'That would be terrible.'

He added: 'I hope they don't do that because that would be kind of playing a game that we don't want to play.' 

But Fauci denied that his remarks were a veiled threat to quit.

'Not a chance,' he told The Daily Beast when asked.

'Not in my wildest freakin' dreams did I ever think about quitting.' 

But he did accuse the Trump campaign of harassment. 

'By doing this against my will they are, in effect, harassing me,' Fauci said. 

'Since campaign ads are about getting votes, their harassment of me might have the opposite effect of turning some voters off.'

Trump defended the ad, tweeting on Sunday: 'They are indeed Dr Fauci's own words.' 

And Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said: 'These are Dr Fauci's own words. The video is from a nationally broadcast television interview in which Dr. Fauci was praising the work of the Trump Administration. The words spoken are accurate, and directly from Dr Fauci's mouth.'