PROOF that President Donald Trump knows that his handling of the coronavirus pandemic is hurting his chances of re-election came yesterday with his hounding of Dr Anthony Fauci.

Fauci, 79, is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

He has become the “sane” face of the US Government’s attempt to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 220,000 Americans.

After months of criticism from Trump, Fauci quietly let rip at the weekend, saying he was “absolutely not surprised” that the president had caught the virus.

He also criticised the infamous “superspreader” event at the White House, and was furious at the Trump campaign for using his words out of context in a recent political advert.

He said: “I do not and nor will I ever publicly endorse any political candidate.

“And here I am, they’re sticking me right in the middle of a campaign ad, which I thought was outrageous.

READ MORE: Donald Trump: 'Maybe I'll have to leave the country if Biden wins election'

“I was referring to something entirely different. I was referring to the gruelling work of the task force that, ‘God, we were knocking ourselves out seven days a week’.”

When asked if the steam started to come out of his ears after seeing the ad, Fauci replied: “It did, quite frankly. I got really ticked off.”

Trump then hit back with a blistering reply contained in communications with his campaign organisation, which journalists were allowed to listen to.

“Fauci is a disaster. If I listened to him, we’d have 500,000 deaths,” said Trump.

He went on: “People are saying, ‘Whatever. Just leave us alone’. They’re tired of it. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots.”

The president knows he cannot sack Fauci at this stage, saying that would be a “bomb” and added: “Fauci is a nice guy. He’s been here for 500 years.”

In the call, Trump said: “Today is the best single day I’ve ever felt in the campaign. When I felt great about my last campaign, it was the final two or three days, especially the final day. But we’re way up. We’re doing really well.”

He continued: “Let me give you the real truth: We’re going to win. We’re winning Arizona. We’re winning in Florida right now. Pennsylvania is even, but every stop I make I have 25,000 people – sometimes more, sometimes less.”

The opinion polls say differently. His Democrat opponent, Joe Biden, continues to lead the incumbent in almost all national polls by at least six points, often more, and polls in the swing states suggest Biden is at least even if not ahead.

Meanwhile, reports continue to flood in of Republican senate candidates distancing themselves from Trump. Several new outlets have reported that his staff have already been seeking alternative employment ahead of the election, which takes place two weeks today.