Fauci's Diary Reveals Critical Private Views of Trump Amid Pandemic

Newly released diary entries from Dr. Anthony Fauci offer a candid, and often critical, glimpse into his private communications with then-President Donald Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic. The documents, totaling 1141 pages, were published by Senator Rand Paul ahead of Fauci's testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

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I thought he heard what I said, but the next day he was again downplaying the situation.

The entries reveal Fauci's starkly negative private assessments of Trump. He repeatedly labeled the president as "lying," "crazy," "an idiot," and a "complete embarrassment." These private thoughts contrast sharply with the public image of cooperation between the two figures during the crisis.

Fauci's notes also detail his efforts to influence Trump's public messaging on the virus. In one entry, Fauci recounts a late-night call where he spent 20-25 minutes trying to convince Trump not to downplay the severity of the situation. Fauci warned that underestimating the virus could be perceived as a cover-up and negatively impact Trump's re-election prospects. He advised Trump that acknowledging potential serious problems would be seen as honesty by the public.

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I spent about 20–25 minutes trying to convince him [Trump] not to downplay the seriousness of the situation, because if the situation got worse, it would look like he was covering it all up.

Despite these attempts at persuasion, Fauci expressed frustration that Trump continued to downplay the situation the following day. Fauci also noted Trump's obsession with "ratings and publicity," including his desire for two press conferences daily. The release of these private records comes as Senator Paul, a vocal critic of Fauci's pandemic response and a proponent of the lab-leak theory for the virus's origin, prepares to question the former NIAID director.

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He was 'lying,' 'crazy,' 'desperate,' 'awkward,' 'incompetent,' 'an idiot,' 'a real embarrassment,' 'totally nuts,' and 'a real obnoxious teenager.'