{"id":7814,"date":"2026-07-30T17:12:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T17:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814"},"modified":"2026-07-30T17:12:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T17:12:49","slug":"why-the-gops-anti-fauci-crusade-is-awkward-for-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814","title":{"rendered":"Why the GOP\u2019s anti-Fauci crusade is awkward for Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

\n President Donald Trump usually doesn\u2019t need any invitation to demonize and even push for criminal investigations of people he doesn\u2019t like. But he\u2019s been conspicuously absent from Republicans\u2019 and MAGA\u2019s crusade against Dr. Anthony Fauci.\n <\/p>

Read more Trump says he\u2019s open to temporarily withdrawing Blanche nomination amid GOP resistance<\/a><\/p>\n

\n One possible explanation: All of this is a bit awkward for the president.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump not only worked willingly alongside Fauci for months during the Covid pandemic, but also has said some pretty nice things about him. Trump even gave Fauci a presidential commendation on his way out of office in 2021 \u2014 after Fauci did many of the supposedly horrible things Republicans now accuse him of.\n <\/p>\n

\n Republicans have increasingly accused Fauci, who repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment in Senate testimony Wednesday, of not just illegal behavior, but even crimes against humanity.\n <\/p>\n

\n Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida on Wednesday referred to Fauci as \u201cDr. \u2018Mengele\u2019 Fauci\u201d \u2014 referring to the infamous Nazi doctor who performed gruesome experiments on concentration-camp prisoners. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama claimed Fauci \u201ckilled or had something to do with killing nine million people,\u201d drawing the Fox Business Network host interviewing him to note that this claim lacked proof.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s far from the only claim against Fauci that lacks proof. The central one is that he lied about the US government funding potentially dangerous \u201cgain-of-function\u201d research in Wuhan, China, which some have suggested might have contributed to the coronavirus outbreak, though it\u2019s never been proven.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump would typically be all over these kinds of allegations, if for no other reason than that it really animates his base. But when asked about the situation on Wednesday, Trump was remarkably muted.\n <\/p>\n

\n During an appearance on Fox News before Fauci pleaded the Fifth, Trump was asked about new disclosures from Fauci\u2019s diaries, which conservative media have pitched as damning.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump basically shrugged.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cHe was a much bigger player in the Biden administration,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI grew tired of him. He was \u2014 you remember that, you know he wanted to close everything down.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n After Fauci pleaded the Fifth and sparked outrage among some Republicans \u2014 who called for him to be held in contempt of Congress \u2014 Trump downplayed Fauci\u2019s role in decision-making during the pandemic.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI inherited Fauci,\u201d Trump said at a White House event Wednesday afternoon. Trump added that Fauci \u201cmade a lot of mistakes and he wasn\u2019t a big factor for me.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n
\n\n
\n
\"President<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\nPresident Donald Trump and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, during the daily briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, on April 13, 2020.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Alex Wong\/Getty Images\/File<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n Trump even shrugged off Fauci pleading the Fifth, simply noting he was probably advised to do so by his lawyers. Contrast that with Republicans like Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who said that \u201cno honest person pleads the Fifth.\u201d (The president himself, of course, has invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 400 times in a single deposition.)\n <\/p>\n

\n And this tracks with how Trump has talked about Fauci for years. While he\u2019s occasionally criticized Fauci\u2019s advice, he\u2019s also praised him as a man and downplayed his significance. He certainly hasn\u2019t joined in the most speculative theories, despite his propensity for conspiracies.\n <\/p>\n

\n Indeed, before Wednesday, the last time Trump expounded on Fauci at length, according to the Factbase archive of Trump\u2019s public comments, was more than two years ago.\n <\/p>\n

\n During an appearance on the \u201cAll In\u201d podcast, a host asked Trump about Fauci supposedly covering up the government\u2019s role in gain-of-function research.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump instead said he canceled a research grant related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology during his first term because it amounted to \u201cpaying money to China.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n And when asked twice if Fauci had lied to him about the origins of Covid, Trump punted both times.\n <\/p>

Read more White House nominee for CDC director advances to full Senate vote<\/a><\/p>\n

\n When right-wing podcaster Tim Pool asked him the month prior about Elon Musk\u2019s \u201cProsecute Fauci\u201d post on social media, Trump instead talked about canceling the research grant and downplayed Fauci\u2019s importance in his administration.\n <\/p>\n

\n During the 2024 presidential primaries, Trump occasionally tried to link Fauci to his opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. But otherwise, it wasn\u2019t even a campaign issue for him.\n <\/p>\n

\n Looking back to late in Trump\u2019s first term and the months after, Trump would occasionally talk about how he liked Fauci personally, even if he didn\u2019t rely on his advice.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI like Dr. Fauci,\u201d Trump said in July 2021. \u201cI actually get along with him great. But they said, \u2018Why didn\u2019t you fire him?\u2019 I said, no, he was good. He\u2019d recommend something, I\u2019d do the opposite, and we always turned out to be right.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI get along very well with Anthony,\u201d Trump said in October 2020.\n <\/p>\n

\n During a May 2021 interview on Candace Owens\u2019s podcast, Trump even seemed to ask for some of the credit Fauci was being given for the Covid vaccine, saying, \u201cThey praised Fauci. And yet, Fauci worked for me.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n In between these comments, Trump gave Fauci a presidential commendation. In doing so, the White House credited Fauci and dozens of others \u201cfor their exceptional efforts on\u202fOperation Warp Speed.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n It all illustrates why the GOP\u2019s sudden Fauci focus might be problematic for Trump.\n <\/p>\n

\n This was a guy who was front and center for the Trump administration for months during the pandemic. While he and Trump certainly tussled publicly, Trump never seemed inclined to go for a full break. That happens occasionally with Trump when it comes to certain people; it seems like someone is a likely target for his typical demonization campaigns, but he pulls his punches.\n <\/p>\n

\n And if Fauci indeed helped kill millions of people \u2014 a completely unfounded allegation, to be sure \u2014 Trump would have played a major role in enabling him. He would even have given him an award after much of that supposed damage was done.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s a lot like how the GOP\u2019s anti-vaccine fervor was so tough for Trump, in that he played a major role in creating the Covid vaccine.\n <\/p>\n

\n Even aside from that, Trump might be skeptical there is all that much to be gained politically from this.\n <\/p>\n

\n A poll last year showed Fauci, after all. And Trump barely mentioned him on the 2024 campaign trail, even as much of the conservative base remained apoplectic over Covid lockdowns.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s unclear if the GOP will indeed feature Fauci during the home stretch of the 2026 campaign. At the very least, it could help them inject some enthusiasm into a dejected base.\n <\/p>\n

\n But to do so, they probably need some help from Trump. And he doesn\u2019t seem overly keen.\n <\/p>

Read more CNN Poll: A third of Democrats now identify as democratic socialists<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump has been conspicuously absent from Republicans\u2019 and MAGA\u2019s crusade against Dr. Anthony Fauci.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy the GOP\u2019s anti-Fauci crusade is awkward for Trump - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why the GOP\u2019s anti-Fauci crusade is awkward for Trump - Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"President Donald Trump has been conspicuously absent from Republicans\u2019 and MAGA\u2019s crusade against Dr. Anthony Fauci.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-30T17:12:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5866940c18ce322e3d9427f326881503.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\"},\"headline\":\"Why the GOP\u2019s anti-Fauci crusade is awkward for Trump\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-30T17:12:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814\"},\"wordCount\":1157,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/572f2cb36992d0982551ef338ae3c866.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814\",\"name\":\"Why the GOP\u2019s anti-Fauci crusade is awkward for Trump - Relocation Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/572f2cb36992d0982551ef338ae3c866.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-30T17:12:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/572f2cb36992d0982551ef338ae3c866.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/572f2cb36992d0982551ef338ae3c866.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=7814#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why the GOP\u2019s anti-Fauci crusade is awkward for Trump\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Relocation Times\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why the GOP\u2019s anti-Fauci crusade is awkward for Trump - Relocation Times","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why the GOP\u2019s anti-Fauci crusade is awkward for Trump - Relocation Times","og_description":"President Donald Trump has been conspicuously absent from Republicans\u2019 and MAGA\u2019s crusade against Dr. Anthony Fauci.","og_url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814","og_site_name":"Relocation Times","article_published_time":"2026-07-30T17:12:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":768,"height":512,"url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5866940c18ce322e3d9427f326881503.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be"},"headline":"Why the GOP\u2019s anti-Fauci crusade is awkward for Trump","datePublished":"2026-07-30T17:12:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814"},"wordCount":1157,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/572f2cb36992d0982551ef338ae3c866.jpg","articleSection":["Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814","name":"Why the GOP\u2019s anti-Fauci crusade is awkward for Trump - Relocation Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/572f2cb36992d0982551ef338ae3c866.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-30T17:12:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/572f2cb36992d0982551ef338ae3c866.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/572f2cb36992d0982551ef338ae3c866.jpg","width":800,"height":450},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7814#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why the GOP\u2019s anti-Fauci crusade is awkward for Trump"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/","name":"Relocation Times","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/relocationtimess.com"],"url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}