Fauci's newly released COVID diaries reveal bizarre fixation on fame as pandemic deaths mounted

Newly released diary entries reveal that as COVID-19 deaths mounted around the world, former White House COVID advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci became increasingly fixated on his newfound celebrity. Released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., the journals chronicle Fauci's day-to-day role during the COVID-19 crisis through conversations with President Donald Trump, governors and world leaders, media appearances, and his personal observations as the pandemic unfolded. A surprising recurring theme throughout the diaries is Fauci's growing awareness of his own public profile during the most intense months of the pandemic. On April 7, 2020, after recording the latest pandemic developments, Fauci wrote: "Press still hot and heavy about me. Multiple stories per day directly or indirectly involving me." By May 21, after recording the latest pandemic figures -- nearly 98,000 global deaths and more than 27,000 U.S. deaths -- Fauci wrote that his "national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable" and that it was "not hyperbole" to say he was "the most famous and talked about person in the country." The diaries also document Fauci's growing frustration with the Trump White House. On July 2, 2020, after warning that the country could be entering an "exponential" increase in COVID-19 cases, Fauci wrote, "POTUS and his people have essentially dropped out and do not even recognize that an outbreak is ongoing." He also complained that the White House was denying requests for him to appear on major television programs. Taken together, the entries offer an unusually personal account of Fauci's role during one of the most consequential public health crises in modern U.S. history.