Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Former Trump Official Calls Dr. Fauci the ‘Father of the Virus’ in Unhinged Fox News Rant

Former Trump Official Calls Dr. Fauci the ‘Father of the Virus’ in Unhinged Fox News Rant
Susan Walsh-Pool/Getty Images

The administration of former President Donald Trump, in an effort to preserve the economy he credited himself with building, frequently rejected even the most basic safety guidelines from Trump's own health experts in the face of the pandemic that's gone on to kill over 500 thousand Americans.

Trump publicly skewered the effectiveness of mask-wearing, dismissed the need for temporary lockdowns, and shared pseudoscientific misinformation about potential treatments for the virus.


This often put Dr. Anthony Fauci—a career public health expert and head of Trump's virus task force—in the unenviable position of publicly contradicting Trump's rosy outlook on the threat posed by the virus to Americans across the country.

The same can be said for Fauci and Trump's Trade Director Peter Navarro, who eagerly endorsed calls to prematurely reopen non-essential businesses across the country.

With Fauci now serving as the top health advisor for President Joe Biden, Navarro appeared on Fox News to blame Fauci for the virus' creation.

Watch below.

Navarro told Rachel Campos-Duffy of the conservative Fox News network:

"Fauci's the father of the actual virus. This virus, according to Bob Redfield at the Centers for Disease Control, came from a Wuhan lab ... I call it the Fauci Virus now. If he wants to be the father of something, he's the father of the virus that's killed over half a million Americans."

The claim that the virus emerged from a virology lab in its place of origin—Wuhan, China—has been a pervasive claim among the right since the early days of the pandemic, though the World Health Organization has said that it's "highly unlikely."

Navarro cited former CDC director Robert Redfield as supposed confirmation of the theory. Redfield recently said in a CNN interview that it was his "point of view," but emphasized several times that this was his own speculation, not a confirmation of the theory's validity.

Navarro's comments were met with immediate backlash, with many blaming him for the wave of misinformation regarding the pandemic that's been frequently broadcast from networks like Fox.





People were astounded that, until only recently, Navarro was in a position of power.




As the United States scrambles to administer as many vaccines as possible, health workers are being met with skepticism and outright refusal thanks to disinformation like Navarro's, which Fox News gleefully amplifies.

If vaccines can't outpace the spread of the virus—which has seen an alarming rise in the past two weeks—the virus will keep mutating and new variants will keep emerging. Unmitigated, it's a near-inevitability a variant will emerge that renders the millions of vaccines delivered in the U.S. ineffective.

More from People/donald-trump

Elon Musk; Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Omar Havana/Getty Images

Musk Vows To Defeat Any Republican Who Voted For Trump's Budget Bill As Feud Heats Back Up

Billionaire Elon Musk reignited his feud with President Donald Trump, making it known that he still vehemently opposes the president's One Big Beautiful Bill—and will work to unseat any Republicans who've supported it.

The bill, the centerpiece of Trump's domestic agenda, passed the Senate after a marathon voting session despite concerns its tax cuts would balloon the national debt and devastate health care and food assistance programs. The bill will return to the House for a final vote before heading to Trump’s desk.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charlize Theron; Lauren Sanchez & Jeff Bezos
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; Arnold Jerocki/FilmMagic

Charlize Theron Just Threw Some Epic Shade At All The Celebs Who Attended Jeff Bezos' Wedding

Oscar-winner, action star, and philanthropist Charlize Theron had some choice words over the weekend about billionaire Jeff Bezos' 3-day Venice extravaganza wedding to Lauren Sanchez.

Known for her roles in Mad Max: Fury Road, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Atomic Blonde, the actor has always been politically outspoken, calling out fellow celebrities and some politicians for their actions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kim Kardashian
Ernesto Ruscio/GC Images

Kim Kardashian Roasted After Seemingly Awkward Photo Fail At Jeff Bezos' Wedding Goes Viral

Kim Kardashian may be the queen of the social media snap, but she's getting roasted online for her latest attempt at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's wedding in Venice.

From the elaborate trappings and guest list to the weeks of angry protests by Venetians furious that a Trump-funding technofascist and his celebrity sycophants were taking over their city for days on end, the wedding was nothing short of a spectacle.

Keep ReadingShow less
Abby Phillip; Donald Trump
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images; Hu Yousong/Xinhua via Getty Images

CNN's Abby Phillip Shares Classy Clapback After Trump Lashes Out At Her On Social Media

During the first term of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, his relationship with the press was probably best described as volatile. He had his favorites—the ones that stroked his ego—and the ones he called "enemies of the people."

CNN has definitely been on Trump’s hit list for years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Brandon Gill; Zohran Mamdani
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images

MAGA Rep. Ripped For Racist Reaction To Mamdani Eating Rice With His Hands In Campaign Video

Texas Republican Representative Brandon Gill is facing harsh criticism after he told New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to "go back to the Third World" after Mamdani shared a video of himself eating rice and lentils with his hands and talking about how his upbringing in Uganda and South Africa shaped his understanding of the Palestinian struggle.

At one point during his meal, Mamdani, who was raised in an Indian family, said:

Keep ReadingShow less