Obama called Trump an ‘idiot’ and Don Jr a ‘f****** moron’ in call to Fauci, diaries reveal

Obama described Trump an ‘idiot’ and Don Jr a ‘f****** moron’ in call to Fauci, diaries reveal Former President Obama reportedly apologized for using crude language during the call, but continued his blunt criticism of the Trumps - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Former President Barack Obama privately unleashed a profanity-laced critique of President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to newly released diary entries kept by Dr. Anthony Fauci. A November 2021 entry in the more than 1,000 pages of typo-filled diaries released over the weekend by Senator Rand Paul, Fauci said he received a supportive call from Obama as he faced "crazy things that the far-right Republicans" were saying about Fauci's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The attacks included Donald Trump Jr. selling T-shirts and sweatshirts with the slogan "Fauci Kills Puppies," tied to accusations that Fauci's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases had funded cruel research involving beagle puppieshe. “I told President Obama about the crazy things that the far-right Republicans were doing including the fact that Donald Trump, Jr. had on his website the sale of sweatshirts and T-shirts to collect money for his campaign and on the T-shirts and sweatshirts it said “Fauci kills puppies,” Fauci wrote on page 914 of the released files. “Obama said That Donald Trump junior is “A f****** moron”. He apologized for using crude language but then went on to say that Donald Trump was a hopeless idiot who was a pathologic liar.” The puppy controversy stemmed from a study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases that reported that National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases -funded research included experiments in which puppies were exposed to sand flies while their heads were confined in mesh cages. The journal later issued a correction to the paper in October 2021. Fauci rant the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades from 1984 to 2022. Obama also allegedly voiced his frustrations to Fauci about Republicans not publicly standing up for the doctor against what he viewed as false and damaging accusations. “He [Obama] was very upset that none of the moderate Republicans were actually speaking out on my behalf and were distancing themselves from all of this terrible slanderous behavior against me,” Fauci wrote. “It was a great conversation that lasted for 25 minutes and he said that if he hears anything about movement in this direction, he will get back to me. It indeed was an incredibly memorable phone call,” Fauci concluded the entry. The Independent has contacted the White House and the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama for comment. Fauci’s pandemic diary, spanning 2019 to 2022, was discovered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on government servers before being handed over to Senate Republicans. The release has reignited debate over Fauci’s role during the pandemic, with entries revealing his private thoughts on his sudden rise to fame and his experience leading the nation’s COVID-19 response. Fauci documented that his relationship with Trump grew increasingly strained during the pandemic. While they initially worked together closely as part of the White House response team, Fauci’s entries stated growing frustration over Trump’s public comments, which he viewed as rambling and at times inconsistent with public health guidance. For instance, he called Trump an “obnoxious adolescent” in a March 29, 2021 entry. After the diaries were released, Fauci, who had previously received a pardon from former President Joe Biden, testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about the origins of the coronavirus. During the three-hour hearing Wednesday, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times and accused Paul of being focused on pursuing a criminal case against him. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments