Dr. Anthony Fauci has disclosed an astonishing exchange with former President Donald Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic in his upcoming memoir On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service. According to Fauci, Trump once questioned the necessity of getting a flu shot if he didn’t have the flu. This revelation has sparked widespread backlash on social media.
An anti-Trump Twitter account, @RepublicansagainstTrump, posted a video with the caption, “Trump told Dr. Fauci that he didn’t understand why he would have to get a flu shot if he didn’t have the flu. What a moron.” Netizens quickly expressed their disbelief and disappointment. One user, @TheWarMonitor, quipped, “I don’t think he’s ever lived in a place that most of us call Earth.” Another @MarkoSilberhand, slammed, “Donald Trump was, is, and always will be the stupidest, most incompetent guy to ever get into the White House…#NeverAgainTrump!”
Meanwhile, a user, @AMK_PhD, accused both Trump and Fauci of being “criminals,” alleging, “Fauci gave China the tech to bioengineer SARS2,” while “Trump wanted to use COVID-19 to install himself as a dictator.” Another user, @populistrevolt2, offered a more conspiratorial take, suggesting that Fauci revealed this information to influence voters ahead of the November elections, writing, “Lies and nonsense…He knows he is in the crosshairs under a 2nd Trump term.”
In his memoir, Fauci details more about Trump’s unpredictable behavior during the pandemic. He recounts how Trump would “announce that he loved me and then scream at me on the phone.” Fauci alleges that the former president accused him of costing the U.S. economy “one trillion fucking dollars,” according to The New Republic.
Additionally, he cites Trump’s support for unproven treatments—such as bleach to kill the virus—and the constant pressure he placed on officials to prematurely reopen the country. One particular incident stands out: Fauci’s recollection of “the first experience [of] the brunt of the president’s rage.”
On June 3, 2020, Trump reportedly called Fauci and began “screaming” over Fauci’s suggestion that immunity to coronaviruses typically lasts six months to a year, implying the need for booster shots. Despite explaining that this was common for illnesses like the flu, “the president was irate, saying that I could not keep doing this to him.
He said he loved me, but the country was in trouble, and I was making it worse,” Fauci stated, according to Yahoo! News. As Fauci prepares to promote his book, which launched on June 18, he is likely to face continued vitriol from those who still harbor resentment towards him for his role in the pandemic response.