Top US infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci says President Donald Trump's campaign team should take down an advertisement that Dr Fauci says is being used out of context.
Asked in an interview on CNN if the ad should be removed, Dr Fauci said, "I think so".
He said the ad was "unfortunate and really disappointing".
The ad, released last week, discusses Mr Trump's effort to recover from COVID-19, as well as his administration's work to address the coronavirus pandemic.
The 30-second spot uses older remarks from Dr Fauci in a way that suggests he was praising the president.
President Donald Trump and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci, pictured at a press briefing in March. Source: AAP
"I can't imagine that anybody could be doing more," the ad shows Dr Fauci saying.
But those remarks are from March, where Dr Fauci, who has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, was discussing the broader effort, including by the White House coronavirus task force.
"In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate," Dr Fauci said in a statement on Sunday.
"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."
Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh insisted the words from Dr Fauci were "accurate and directly from Dr Fauci's mouth".
"As Dr Fauci recently testified in the Senate, President Trump took the virus seriously from the beginning, acted quickly and saved lives," Mr Murtaugh's statement added.
Dr Fauci and Mr Trump have not always agreed on how to handle the pandemic, which has infected nearly 7.7 million people in the United States, killing more than 214,000.
Opinion polls show most voters disapprove of the president's handling of the crisis.
On Friday, Dr Fauci described a 26 September White House event, after which several attendees including Mr Trump, tested positive, as a "superspreader event".
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