Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has released over a thousand pages of diary entries from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief White House medical adviser, offering a personal glimpse into his experience during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The entries, published over the weekend, reveal Fauci's acute awareness of his media profile and the tensions it created within the Trump administration.
In a March 22, 2020 entry, Fauci wrote, "Press is going wild with me. Front page in Washington Post yesterday and Op Ed by Maureen Dowd in NY Times today about me and my relationship with the POTUS." He noted a profile by Peter Nicholas in The Atlantic and described his efforts to navigate media appearances while staying grounded in science, even as President Trump promoted unproven therapies.
By May 21, 2020, Fauci acknowledged his heightened fame. "Big front page article about me appeared in the Washington Post. Very flattering. The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable. It is not hyperbole to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable people in the world," he wrote.
However, the attention also sparked friction with the White House. In a May 23, 2020 entry, Fauci noted, "Apparently the WH is very upset that I am being profiled and it looks like I am putting down the POTUS and becoming a star that outshines him. The press is playing into this as is the tweet storm. Very stressful!!" This dynamic echoes broader tensions that have been scrutinized in subsequent hearings, such as the heated exchanges seen in Senate hearings on COVID failures.
The diaries also reveal Fauci's correspondence with celebrities, including singer Barbra Streisand, who praised his "constant guidance, patience and reassurance." They maintained contact, with Streisand seeking medical advice on COVID-19 boosters for herself and her husband, actor James Brolin.
As the pandemic wore on, Fauci became a target of political vitriol. In his final diary entry from December 2022, he wrote, "It is clear (I have not been reporting it every day) that the far, extreme right and Qanon literally hate me." After retiring from federal service, Fauci testified before the House in 2024, becoming emotional as he described credible death threats against himself and his family, which led to protective services.
The release of these diaries comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Fauci's role in the pandemic response, with critics like Paul arguing for greater transparency. The entries provide a rare, unvarnished look at how the doctor processed his sudden fame and the pressures of serving in a polarized political environment, a theme that resonates with broader debates about trust in public health officials.
