Newly released diary entries from Dr. Anthony Fauci offer a glimpse into his interactions with prominent media figures and his perspective on criticism he faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The documents reveal exchanges with journalists from ABC, CNN, and MSNBC, as well as his strong negative reactions to coverage from Fox News.
One entry from July 28, 2020, describes a text message exchange with ABC News host George Stephanopoulos. According to Fauci's diary, Stephanopoulos sent a message after an interview that day, stating, "Thank you, Tony. So impressive." The interview occurred after Fauci addressed criticism from then-President Donald Trump, who had retweeted posts labeling Fauci a "fraud." On-air, Fauci stated he did not read the critical tweets and would continue his work. In his diary, Fauci noted that Stephanopoulos asked him to respond to the criticism, which Fauci said he "blew it off." He also reflected on Trump's behavior, describing it as a "weird game" where the president appeared agreeable in person while retweeting attacks.
The diary entries also show Fauci seeking advice from MSNBC anchor Chuck Todd on June 10, 2021, regarding how to handle criticism from Fox News figures. Fauci wrote that Todd had texted him to ask his thoughts on a previous interview. Fauci described the conversation as "terrific" and sought Todd's advice on whether he should cease publicly defending himself against "slanderous attacks" to avoid drawing more attention to them. Fauci noted that Todd "completely agreed" that any response would serve as "fodder for their next show," and he characterized Todd as an "excellent journalist" and a "friend in understanding the difficult position that I am in."
Fauci expressed significant frustration with Fox News hosts, particularly Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity. He lamented their mocking of vaccination efforts, which he believed could lead to loss of life. Fauci also reported receiving harassment from "far-right congressmen and senators" who he said were cherry-picking his emails to suggest he had lied under oath about the NIH not conducting gain-of-function research at the Wuhan institute of virology. He described Carlson as "continu[ing] to attack me virtually every night," including claims that Fauci "created the virus." He referred to Carlson as a "total a**hole" in an August or October 2021 entry.
Beyond his criticisms, the diaries also document a self-professed "friendship" with CNN anchor Jake Tapper. Fauci noted that Tapper and his then-colleague Chris Cuomo had come to his "defense on their shows." Fauci visited the Tapper home in Washington D.C. at least twice and also exchanged jokes via text with CNN's Dana Bash. One entry details how he and Tapper exchanged texts after a 2020 interview to joke about a rival at Fox News.
Fauci's entries from March 2020 highlight his awareness of his public profile during the early stages of the crisis, noting a "Big front page article about me" in The Washington Post and an op-ed by Maureen Dowd in The New York Times. He wrote, "It is not hyoperbole [sic] to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable person [sic] in the world."
The diary entries continued until December 2022, the month Fauci retired from federal service. His final entries reflected on the intense animosity he faced from the "far, extreme right and Qanon," stating they "literally hate me."
The documents were released in anticipation of Fauci's testimony at a Senate hearing on the federal government's pandemic response. During the hearing, Fauci declined to answer questions related to the virus, invoking the Fifth Amendment.