Former President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on Dr. Anthony Fauci Wednesday morning, hours before the infectious disease expert faced the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump accused Fauci of pushing "crazy" ideas during the COVID-19 pandemic and claimed credit for overriding his advice on key policies.
"Many more people died of Covid under the Biden Administration than under the Trump Administration," Trump wrote, defending his record. He highlighted Operation Warp Speed as a "spectacular success" and said he overruled Fauci on the vaccine development effort. "His ideas were CRAZY!" Trump declared, adding that he had consistently argued the virus originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a theory Fauci long resisted.
The former president noted he had inherited Fauci from previous administrations and accused him of making "too many bad calls, like on MASKS." Trump claimed he prevented a nationwide shutdown that Fauci wanted, instead letting governors decide—a move he said favored Republican-led states. "Fauci was largely taken out of play, and then along came Sleepy Joe Biden, who made Fauci a 'King!'" Trump wrote.
Trump also said he advised Biden against retaining Fauci, but the former president gave him "vast destructive power." The attack came as Fauci testified under a subpoena from Republicans investigating the origins of COVID-19 and alleged cover-ups. Fauci pleaded the Fifth during Tuesday's closed-door deposition, drawing sharp criticism from GOP members.
Senator Rand Paul, the committee chair and a longtime Fauci critic, released over 1,000 pages of Fauci's personal diary entries ahead of the hearing. The documents detail Fauci's real-time pandemic response, including his belief that the virus jumped from animals to humans and that a Wuhan wet market amplified the outbreak, not the lab. Paul has pushed the lab leak theory, accusing Fauci of misleading the public.
Fauci's diary entries also reveal frustration with Trump's communication style, calling him "very rambling and disorganized" during press briefings. The former adviser took credit for state lockdowns, a stance that continues to fuel conservative criticism. Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci before leaving office, shielding him from potential prosecution by the Trump administration.
The hearing marks another chapter in the bitter feud between Trump and Fauci, who served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases under multiple presidents. Their clashes over masks, lockdowns, and pandemic policy defined much of the federal response in 2020. Fauci's testimony on COVID origins is expected to draw intense scrutiny from both parties.
Trump's post also attacked Biden's handling of the pandemic, claiming more deaths occurred under his watch. Recent polls show Trump's approval ratings slipping amid ongoing political battles. The former president's broadside underscores how COVID-19 remains a potent political weapon as the 2024 campaign heats up.
Fauci's appearance before the Senate panel comes amid broader GOP investigations into the pandemic's origins and the federal response. Comer has warned that Biden's pardon doesn't shield Fauci's testimony, signaling continued legal and political pressure on the former adviser.
