Faucis Private Journal: Trump Out of Control Pushing to Reopen for Reelection [5I47t71iPqB]
Newly released private journal entries from Dr. Anthony Fauci confirm that in May 2020 he believed President Donald Trump was 'getting out of control and pushing to open up the country' for his reelection bid. The handwritten note, dated May 22, 2020, was among several entries obtained by Senator Rand Paul and released via HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It captures Fauci’s real-time alarm as Trump pressed states to lift COVID-19 restrictions despite rising case numbers. Until now, Fauci had publicly acknowledged only that there were tensions with the White House; the journal provides direct evidence that, in private, he saw the push to reopen as politically motivated. The disclosure comes ahead of Fauci’s scheduled Senate testimony, where he will face questions from lawmakers. The journals also reveal Fauci was surprisingly open to the lab leak theory about the virus’s origin and expressed personal amazement at his own global celebrity during the pandemic. Those additional details, reported by Axios, add complexity to Fauci’s public health persona. The release has reignited debate over politicization of the pandemic response. Fauci’s May 22 entry aligns with a pivotal moment: that week, Trump had tweeted 'LIBERATE' states and encouraged protests against stay-at-home orders, while Fauci warned against premature reopening. The journals’ emergence is likely to be a focal point in the Senate hearing, where Fauci will be pressed on his private assessments of the administration’s actions. The hearing date has not been announced. Fauci’s journals, spanning multiple years, were obtained through a request by Senator Paul to HHS. The release marks the first time such private contemporaneous notes have been made public, offering an unvarnished glimpse into the decision-making tensions that shaped the U.S. pandemic response.