WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newly released diary entries show Dr. Anthony Fauci becoming increasingly critical of President Donald Trump during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul released the journal before Fauci’s scheduled testimony Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Paul has accused Fauci of misleading the public about pandemic policies and the virus’s origins.
The entries show Fauci privately describing Trump as “rambling,” “desperate,” “incompetent” and “a true embarrassment.” In February 2020, Fauci wrote that he urged Trump not to minimize the emerging threat because doing so could damage public trust and his reelection prospects. Fauci said Trump resumed downplaying the virus the following day.
By May, Fauci believed Trump was pushing to reopen the country primarily to improve his political position. Later entries criticized the president’s campaign rhetoric, pandemic management and efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election.
The journals also document Fauci’s growing celebrity and private conversations with journalist Bob Woodward. Conservative coverage has emphasized those passages and Fauci’s contacts with prominent entertainers.
Paul says the diaries reveal differences between Fauci’s private views and public statements. Fauci has consistently rejected Paul’s accusations that he concealed evidence about COVID-19’s origins.
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