Rush Limbaugh pushes conspiracy theory about Dr. Fauci warning that the U.S. has an unacceptably high level of COVID-19 cases

Limbaugh mocks Fauci: “Oh, on the other side of that door, at your polling place, could be the invisible monster just waiting to infect you, and wipe you out.”

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

From the September 3, 2020, edition of Premiere Networks’ The Rush Limbaugh Show

RUSH LIMBAUGH (HOST): Guess who’s back in the news, ladies and gentlemen? Dr. Fauci is back in the news. He is saying that the United States has an “unacceptably high level” of COVID-19 cases going into the fall.

Now, why all of a sudden is Dr. Fauci piping up? Let me explain it to you. They have to keep scaring you, so that you will not go vote. They are hellbent — you know, I’ve been urging people all week to flood your polling places on Election Day. Actually show up and vote.

It’s one of the — it may not make any sense to you. It may sound, “What difference does it make?” kind of thing. But I’m telling you, it’s the kind of thing, if you flood the zone, if you flood polling places, it is one of the greatest ways to combat election fraud. It skews with the exit polling they try to make with. But more than that, it will do great damage to their efforts to cheat.

And one of the ways they’re gonna try to cheat is to convince you not to show up and vote, by scaring you. “COVID-19 could be awaiting you in your polling place.” They have to keep scaring you, they have to do whatever they can to keep you from actually voting in person. That’s what Fauci is doing.

Later in the broadcast, Limbaugh continued:

From the September 3, 2020, edition of Premiere Networks’ The Rush Limbaugh Show

RUSH LIMBAUGH (HOST): They have to keep scaring you, folks, they're going to keep scaring you into not showing up to vote in person. They're going to try to get you to vote absentee.

And that's a pain in the butt. Have you ever done it? I mean, you got to prove ID, you have to do a number of things. It's not, it's not just, “Hey, I want to vote absentee, and do it.”

Now, voting by mail, that's easy as can be. You flood the zone, you don't have to furnish any ID, that's why the Democrats are pushing it. But they know, they know that they're at a distinct disadvantage if you, if our side shows up in person to vote.

…

So, Fauci comes out. “U.S. has unacceptably high level of COVID-19 cases going into the fall.”

“Oh, on the other side of that door, at your polling place, could be the invisible monster just waiting to infect you, and wipe you out. Don't take the chance.”

And they enlist Dr. Fauci.