Dr. Anthony Fauci’s newly released Covid-19 diary shows he was angered by Elon Musk’s public criticisms in December 2022 after Musk re-shared a post urging release of Fauci’s daughter’s emails. Fauci attached the post and wrote an expletive-laced reaction, calling the tweet “b*llshit.” The diary, released by Senator Rand Paul on July 25, also records Fauci’s blunt assessments of other political figures and coincides with a Senate hearing where he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times.
‘What B*llshit!’ — Fauci Condemns Elon Musk’s Online Attacks in Newly Released Covid Diary
Dr. Anthony Fauci griped about Elon Musk's "attacks" on him in his Covid-19 diary.
Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recently published Covid-19 diary entries show he was frustrated by public criticisms from Elon Musk in late 2022, after Musk re-shared a post calling for the release of Fauci’s daughter’s emails.
In a December 2022 entry, Fauci wrote that “many people in the press and outside are asking about and concerned about the attacks on me by Elon Musk,” and attached a screenshot of a post by right-wing influencer Laura Loomer. Fauci reacted angrily, writing, “Look at this tweet. What b*llshit!”
‘Hey Elon Musk, under your new ownership of Twitter, will Dr. Fauci's daughter's emails be released to the public so we can see how her father influenced her behavior at Twitter with regards to COVID? Talk about a major conflict of interest. Well known since 2015, by the way!’ — Laura Loomer (as screenshot referenced by Fauci)
The entry noted context: Musk had completed his acquisition of Twitter (now X) about two months earlier, and Fauci’s daughter, Ali Fauci, had worked at Twitter as a software engineer from 2014 to 2021. Fauci also logged a separate December 11, 2022 note saying, “All of a sudden, Elon Musk has started to viciously attack me with tweets on Twitter,” and referenced a meme Musk posted depicting Fauci with then-President Joe Biden and the caption, “Just one more lockdown, my king…”
On December 13, 2022, Fauci cited a Washington Post column by Greg Sargent headlined, “Musk's ugly attacks on Fauci show how right-wing info warfare works,” and noted Sargent’s view that liberal outrage may only signal Musk’s influence and that ignoring him was one suggested response.
Other Entries and Public Release
Fauci’s diary also contains blunt criticisms of other public figures: he called Florida Governor Ron DeSantis a “complete disgrace,” repeatedly criticized former President Donald Trump, and disparaged certain Fox News hosts as “stooges,” naming Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham.
The diary was released publicly by Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on July 25. Senator Paul later led a Senate hearing in which Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times while declining to answer questions on a wide range of topics, from allegations about Bill Gates and China to even trivial details such as the color of his tie.
Taken together, the entries underscore the heated and often personal nature of online debates around pandemic-era public health leaders, and document Fauci’s view that social platforms — especially after changes in ownership — amplified targeted criticisms of him.
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