Diary entries from Anthony Fauci, released by Republican Senator Rand Paul, reveal the former top US health official's growing disillusionment with Donald Trump during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. Fauci described Trump as “rambling”, “crazy”, “desperate”, “bumbling”, “incompetent”, “an idiot”, “a true embarrassment”, “totally nuts” and “truly an obnoxious adolescent”.
Challenging Interactions with Trump
From the earliest days of the crisis in 2020, Fauci noted challenging interactions with the publicity-fixated president. On 27 February 2020, he wrote of a surprise late-night call in which Trump “wanted to chat about the coronavirus situation in general”. For about 20-25 minutes, Fauci encouraged Trump not to underplay the seriousness, saying from a political standpoint that downplaying could hurt his re-election chances. “I thought that he heard what I said, but the next day, he again underplayed it,” Fauci wrote.
By 14 March, during the first Covid shutdowns, Fauci bemoaned Trump’s fixation on “the fluff of ratings and publicity. And so he wants us to do 2 press conferences/day – one in AM and one in PM … We now will have no time to do work.”
Trump's Desperation for Re-Election
On 22 May, Fauci wrote that Trump is “getting out of control in pushing to open up the country and get the economy back before election day. He is desparate [sic]. This is all about re-election.” That proved correct, as Fauci noted in October 2020: “As the [presidential] election nears, the cases increase and surges are inevitable as we enter cooler weather. Trump is on the campaign trail spewing nonsense. He is really out of control. A true embarrassment.” By March 2021, after watching Trump attempt to retain power despite electoral defeat, Fauci wrote: “He is truly an obnoxious adolescent.”
Fauci's diary entries also show he admitted to being a source for Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, who was writing a book on the early Covid response. In late May 2020, he wrote: “Had long conversation on ‘background’ with Bob Woodward … I provided him with some history of our response in early January and into February. Will tlak [sic] more with him tomorow [sic].”
Release by Rand Paul
The release was orchestrated by Rand Paul, the Republican senator from Kentucky, who has long voiced skepticism about the Covid-19 response Fauci led. Paul has accused Fauci of needlessly shutting down the country and covering up the supposed truth that the virus was human-made. Fauci has consistently said the virus originated in animal-to-human transmission, the generally accepted theory. The two men have clashed before; at a January 2022 hearing, Fauci told Paul that his attacks put him in danger, “kindl[ing] the crazies out there and I have threats upon my life, harassment of my family and my children with obscene phone calls because people are lying about me”. Fauci also charged: “You are making a catastrophic epidemic for your political gain.”
Paul and Fauci are set to square off again at a hearing on Wednesday, for which Fauci, 85, was compelled to appear. Paul has said he will “make sure Fauci answers for his dangerous decisions and the consequences they had for millions”.
Celebrity Encounters Noted
In the rightwing press, coverage of the diaries has focused on Fauci's notes about his rise to global fame, particularly meeting celebrities like Joan Baez, Julia Roberts, and Sean Penn. Fauci seemed proud of his newfound celebrity. On 13 July 2020, with his relationship with Trump rapidly souring, he wrote: “Major, Major show of support for me for multiple and varied sectors. Most peo[p]le expressing outrage that the trump administration woud [sic] be so bumbling and incompetent to try to discredit the most credible scientist in the world.”
