Trump Tries to Discredit Fauci’s COVID Role, Says He ‘Wasn’t Big in My Admin,’ But Biden ‘Made Him King’

Former President Donald Trump attempted to downplay Dr. Anthony Fauci's significant role in the Trump administration's COVID management ahead of Fauci's June 3 hearing before the US House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, trying to skirt the blame on his opponent, Democrat President Joe Biden.

In an interview with podcaster Tim Pool, per Washington Examiner, Trump stated, “Fauci wasn’t a big player in my administration like he was after I left. And Biden made him the king of everything… Fauci was not the big player with me and, in fact, I did things that he didn’t want to do.” Dr. Fauci was nominated to the White House Coronavirus Task Force, established by the Trump administration, after serving as the longstanding director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

That Trump didn't always heed Dr. Fauci's recommendations could be accurate. However, it is a brazen distortion by Trump to suggest Dr. Fauci wasn't a "big player" in how the government handled the pandemic, per Snope. Dr. Fauci was a main attraction at several news conferences with Trump in his prominent capacity as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Dr. Fauci was described by the then-President as one of the “best” and “most talented people on Earth,” per UnHerd. Trump dismissed demands to terminate the doctor as his initial popularity declined and Republicans rebuffed him. Trump actually defended Dr. Fauci, calling the physician a “wonderful guy.” Towards the end of Trump's presidency, Fauci received a presidential commendation from him on January 19, 2021, for the doctor's “exceptional efforts” on COVID-19.

Dr. Fauci had a hands-on role in directly influencing the Trump administration's pandemic policy. In April 2020, for instance, the then-president publicly suggested that Americans wear cloth masks, and Dr. Fauci had a key role in developing and advocating for this policy. Furthermore, while serving on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Dr. Fauci had a significant influence on the formulation of the former president's formal instructions for states to follow when reopening after a lockdown.

Trump also gave Dr. Fauci a prominent role in his "Operation Warp Speed" initiative, which launched the Covid-19 vaccine's development efforts. It makes sense that government leaders who made bad judgments during the pandemic would wish to avoid being held accountable for their errors, but it appears strange that Trump would blatantly deny having any involvement with Dr. Fauci in light of the overwhelming body of evidence.

Dr. Fauci has grown into one of the most reviled figures by Trump supporters, with many blaming him for the pandemic based on a slew of incorrect or misleading statements, per NBC News. On the right, it has become commonplace to call for the physician to be prosecuted for vague crimes. A hearing titled "Investigating the Origins of COVID-19" was convened by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic to get information regarding the virus's place of origin.