{"id":7075,"date":"2026-08-06T12:30:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T12:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=7075"},"modified":"2026-08-06T12:30:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T12:30:07","slug":"why-making-anthony-fauci-the-enemy-will-harm-us-public-health-for-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=7075","title":{"rendered":"Why making Anthony Fauci the enemy will harm US public health for years"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"0afe16f4-e233-4267-a15b-267fb3098875\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A man holding his head while looking down\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/410e1d5d9d2862166d6d8670bdcabf091434217d\/701_10_3469_2776\/master\/3469.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.10723551455754\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Dr Anthony Fauci at a Senate hearing on 29 July 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Allison Robbert\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"0afe16f4-e233-4267-a15b-267fb3098875\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Dr Anthony Fauci at a Senate hearing on 29 July 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Allison Robbert\/AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<div class=\"dcr-19hyiet\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1iguxsh\"><a href=\"\/tone\/analysis\" class=\"dcr-e5rynu\">Analysis<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Why making Anthony Fauci the enemy will harm US public health for years<\/h1>\n<div class=\"dcr-1ofjv3s\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ogy8bq\"><a rel=\"author\" data-link-name=\"auto tag link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/profile\/melody-schreiber\">Melody Schreiber<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1vosmfz\">\n<p>Republicans are trying to scapegoat the infectious disease expert, even as they have gutted healthcare amid outbreaks of measles, cyclosporiasis and Ebola<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Katie Miller, an erstwhile <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Trump administration<\/a> official and wife of Stephen Miller, once relied on Dr Anthony Fauci to get through Covid. Now, she\u2019s calling for his imprisonment \u2013 a reversal that illuminates the politicization of Fauci and of public health writ large, a trend that could have major repercussions for America\u2019s preparedness for future crises.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/us-senate\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">US Senate<\/a> committee will vote on Thursday morning over whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after the physician and former public health official invoked his fifth amendment rights during a Senate hearing last week focused on Fauci\u2019s actions during the Covid pandemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The invocation of the worst days of the Covid pandemic come as midterms loom and the administration struggles to address several infectious outbreaks, including cyclosporiasis and Ebola.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Rand Paul, a senator, released contemporaneous notes that Fauci took during his time in public office, which Paul called Fauci\u2019s diary, that reveal the confusion and fear of the time and illuminate the private episodes of a man who became known as America\u2019s doctor.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"78c4e0f3-a146-421d-a6bf-878c8462a01f\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-4 | 4\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2026\/aug\/04\/anthony-fauci-katie-miller-maga-hypocrite\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Asking Anthony Fauci for medical advice then calling for him to be jailed? Katie Miller is the latest Maga hypocrite | Arwa Mahdawi<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cBy focusing entirely on one human being and by calling him all sorts of names, including \u2018evil\u2019, and by calling for him to be jailed, it abdicates Republicans\u2019 own responsibility in the US response to the pandemic, which was under President Trump,\u201d said Gavin Yamey, director of the Center for Policy Impact in Global Health at Duke University. \u201cI think that this is all aimed at riling up the base ahead of the midterms and at washing their hands of any culpability themselves in the mass death event of Covid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">And it comes after substantial cuts to the public health infrastructure; misinformation has spread at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/28\/trump-rfk-jr-cutting-vaccines\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">highest levels of the government<\/a>, and growing outbreaks of measles, whooping cough, cyclosporiasis, Ebola, and more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThis is an extraordinarily good way to distract people from the very deliberate destruction of the US public health system,\u201d Yamey said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Like most Americans, Miller turned to Fauci for advice during the pandemic. As communications director for then-vice president Mike Pence, she was involved in the White House Covid-19 response. Fauci, who served as the director of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Disease (Niaid), was also the chief medical adviser to seven presidents over three decades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Fauci described Miller warmly, writing that she was \u201cgreat (tough, smart, but great)\u201d on 25 March 2020, and that they \u201claugh at each other\u201d in the situation room on 6 May 2020.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">When Miller tested positive for Covid, Fauci called to check on her several times a day. \u201cShe is very anxious about getting very ill since she is 10 weeks pregnant. Tonight she had an anxiety reaction. I calmed her over the phone,\u201d Fauci wrote on 9 May 2020. Later, Fauci wrote that he had directly contacted Miller\u2019s pediatricians to discuss the baby\u2019s care.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">It is perhaps not surprising that Miller would turn to Fauci, as many others in the country also relied on his advice and insight during a deeply uncertain and terrifying time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">But her actions contrast with the intensity and speed at which Covid was politicized \u2013 and the extent to which Fauci would draw conservatives\u2019 ire, even years later.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In February and March 2020, Miller was reassessing communications from the Covid taskforce, and Fauci was told to stand down on media appearances until he received clearance again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThat\u2019s the episode that got tagged \u2018muzzling Fauci\u2019,\u201d said C\u00e9line Gounder, editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News and a member of the Covid transition team under Biden.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Soon after \u201cdeciding how much of Dr Fauci the public gets\u201d, Miller was getting regular check-ins from Fauci on her own health, Gounder pointed out. \u201cThe same expertise: she\u2019s rationing public access, but it\u2019s available to her in private.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">By April 2020, the pandemic was already being heavily politicized. The administration released plans for states to reopen, and President Trump posted a series of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/tech\/security\/trump-s-liberate-tweets-extremists-see-call-arms-n1186561\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">tweets<\/a> encouraging supporters to \u201cLIBERATE\u201d blue states such as Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In late April, nearly half of Republicans (47%) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/journalism\/2021\/02\/22\/republicans-views-on-covid-19-shifted-over-course-of-2020-democrats-hardly-budged\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">surveyed<\/a> by Pew Research Center said the pandemic was \u201cmade a bigger deal than it really is\u201d. By June, that figure was 63%, and it rose to 66% in September. Republican attention to pandemic coverage went from 48% in March to 43% in late April to 35% by early June, while Democrats did not see any such changes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Spring 2020 looked similar across America; schools, for instance, were closed at about the same rate in red and blue states. But that changed by the fall, when \u201clocal partisanship predicted which districts would remain remote better than local Covid incidence did\u201d, Gounder said. Those decisions were made not by Fauci, as he\u2019s been accused, but by about 13,349 public school districts, she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.celinegounder.com\/p\/fauci-diary-what-it-actually-says?open=false#%C2%A7whos-responsible-for-closing-schools\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">pointed out<\/a> in her newsletter, Underlying Conditions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThe more interesting story to me is who had private access to federal scientific expertise, what that access was worth in 2020, and what those same people have said about that expertise since,\u201d Gounder said. She also pointed to early access to experimental treatments for Covid for Trump and his inner circle, nearly two months before they were available to the public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cA president publicly minimized a virus he was privately treated for with a drug the public couldn\u2019t get,\u201d Gounder said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Even after conservatives began publicly opposing his recommendations, the Millers still turned to Fauci for support.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Fauci recounted speaking with Miller multiple times in October 2020, after her husband tested positive for Covid and she was traveling. \u201cSpoke to her at Houston airport and after she landed,\u201d he wrote on 6 October 2020.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cAm on phone frequently with Katie and Stephen,\u201d Fauci wrote on 31 December 2020.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Katie has since come out forcefully against Fauci.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">On the Covid taskforce, \u201cFauci cared more about virtue signaling than science,\u201d Miller <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KatieMiller\/status\/1971982699100549146\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">wrote<\/a> in September 2025 in an apparent reference to wearing a face mask.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In June, she <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KatieMiller\/status\/2067923756635361290\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> \u201che should be in jail\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">After Fauci\u2019s notes were made public, Miller claimed Fauci <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KatieMiller\/status\/2081768940200439850\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">used<\/a> the pandemic to \u201cmaximize his popularity\u201d, and she <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KatieMiller\/status\/2081549172549816611\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">endorsed<\/a> calls to prosecute him. She <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/health-science\/redacted-fauci-diary-entries-katie-miller-stephen\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told<\/a> Notus she kept Fauci close so that he \u201cdid not leak against me or my husband\u201d, though she didn\u2019t specify what Fauci might leak.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"5775553d-b75d-4c93-93eb-dfb248c3b328\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-28 | 28\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/28\/trump-administration-fauci-scientists\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Trump administration needs to stop \u2018public harassment\u2019 of Fauci and scientists, open letter says<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cDr. Fauci was neither my friend nor my doctor, but a work colleague who weaponized my pregnancy and child for his gain to aggrandize himself,\u201d Miller <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KatieMiller\/status\/2082889823442853905\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">posted<\/a> on Thursday, adding that \u201cthis man should be in prison\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Fauci has led the US through epidemics and pandemics over the decades: anthrax attacks in 2001, HIV, Sars, Ebola, Covid-19, and more, and he co-authored one of the most esteemed internal medicine textbooks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cWe lose a lot when we see Republicans vilify Tony Fauci,\u201d Yamey said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The US wasn\u2019t unsafe because of Fauci\u2019s leadership, Gounder said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t safe to leave home because a novel airborne virus was circulating in a population with no immunity, no vaccine, and no treatment.\u201d And the Trump administration\u2019s politicization and mismanagement \u201craised the toll\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The trials facing Fauci make it less likely that others will step forward to guide public health, now or during a crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">There were 1,499 harassment events across 583 local health departments between March 2020 and January 2021, and 222 officials left the field because of the targeting, Gounder pointed out. Some 71% of the public health workforce reported at least one symptom of burnout and 20% reported near-constant symptoms in a 2024 <a href=\"https:\/\/debeaumont.org\/news\/2025\/ph-wins-2024-findings-and-tools-for-action\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Three senior CDC leaders resigned last August over politicization of the agency, and one was fired for refusing to \u201crubber stamp\u201d Robert F Kennedy Jr\u2019s anti-vaccine policies. The same month, a man fired more than 180 rounds into the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) campus because of misinformation about the Covid vaccine. He killed a police officer, David Rose.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cIf you\u2019re 40 and choosing between US government service and industry, that\u2019s now part of the math, not just the vast differences in compensation,\u201d Gounder said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Yamey said he worries \u201cthat\u2019s going to put future public health leaders off\u201d. And there is an overwhelming amount of work to be done in addressing current public health crises and decades of repair to come.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cBut we will get there,\u201d Yamey said. \u201cWe will all roll up our sleeves and build back, and hopefully build back better.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/anthony-fauci\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Anthony Fauci<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/series\/trump-administration-briefing\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Trump administration briefing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/coronavirus-outbreak\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Coronavirus<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/healthcare\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US healthcare<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-senate\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US Senate<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/science\/infectiousdiseases\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Infectious diseases<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/analysis\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">analysis<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Why%20making%20Anthony%20Fauci%20the%20enemy%20will%20harm%20US%20public%20health%20for%20years&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/06\/anthony-fauci-republicans-harm-public-health?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Faug%2F06%2Fanthony-fauci-republicans-harm-public-health&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/aug\/06\/anthony-fauci-republicans-harm-public-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr Anthony Fauci at a Senate hearing on 29 July 2026. Photograph: Allison Robbert\/AP View image in fullscreen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":7077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7075"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7078,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7075\/revisions\/7078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}