Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the coronavirus White House task force, on Wednesday said the White House’s efforts to discredit him amid the pandemic were “nonsense,” “completely wrong” and ultimately hurt President Donald Trump.
Fauci’s comments follow a memo leaked to reporters by the Trump administration containing a list of comments made by Fauci in an effort to damage his reputation and an op-ed written by trade adviser Peter Navarro claiming that Fauci has “been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on.”
Fauci fired back in a series of interviews with the Atlantic this week.
“Ultimately, it hurts the president to do that,” Fauci said of the memo. “When the staff lets out something like that and the entire scientific and press community push back on it, it ultimately hurts the president.”
“I cannot figure out in my wildest dreams why they would want to do that,” Fauci told The Atlantic. “I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do, because it’s only reflecting negatively on them.
“I can’t explain Peter Navarro,” he added. “He’s in a world by himself.”
Additionally, two senior-level White House sources told ABC News that Fauci has at times been referred to among Trump aides as “Dr. Gloom and Doom.”
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.