Jake Tapper’s Text to Fauci Critically Comments on Laura Ingraham’s Intelligence

Fresh revelations from Anthony Fauci’s diaries provide an intriguing glimpse into his exchanges during the pandemic. In a moment of levity, CNN’s Jake Tapper reportedly texted Fauci to poke fun at Laura Ingraham’s analytical skills following Fauci’s appearance on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle on April 16, 2020. During the show, host Ingraham questioned the necessity of lockdowns before a vaccine was available, comparing COVID-19 to other viruses such as HIV. Fauci, however, publicly dismissed these views as ‘misleading.’ Entries from his diary, now public thanks to Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, reveal a text from Tapper mocking Ingraham: ‘Tapper (CNN) texted me saying sarcastically, “Hard to believe Paura [sic] Ingraham went to Dartmouth, isn’t it. All of us alumni are very proud,”‘ Fauci noted in his self-written accounts. Recalling the interview, he labeled it ‘my Laura Ingraham hit.’ Just days before, on April 14, Tapper had reached out to Fauci via phone, checking to see if their recent interview stirred any issues for him. By May, Fauci expressed appreciation for Tapper and then-CNN star Chris Cuomo for their support on air.

Fauci chronicled a segment helmed by Tapper in May, emphasizing the Trump administration’s inadequate response to the pandemic, noting that ‘I came out relatively well.’ On July 1, Fauci described having dinner at the home of Jake and Jen Tapper in Washington D.C., referring to them as a ‘terrific couple’ and noting a budding friendship. A follow-up call from Tapper, Fauci recalled, emerged later that July, sparked by Tapper’s frustration with then-President Trump’s critiques on Twitter regarding an interview on delayed COVID-19 testing kits.

Reminiscing about Tapper’s reaction, Fauci remembered, ‘Jake was really pissed at the craziness of it all,’ particularly after Trump accused Fauci and other health experts of ‘lying’ about the pandemic management. Their rapport was further solidified with another dinner on October 20, where Fauci noted Tapper’s firm belief that Trump’s actions were irrational. ‘Relaxed, good time. Jake clearly believes that Trump is totally nuts,’ Fauci documented. The diary goes on to uncover Fauci’s growing awareness and astonishment at his rising fame.

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In March 2020, right as the crisis was tightening its grip, Fauci was startled by the velocity of his newfound limelight. ‘Press is going wild with me. Front page in Washington [sic] Post yesterday and Op Ed by Maureen Dowd in NY Times today about me and my relationship with the POTUS. Profile by Peter Nicholas on me in The Atlantic,’ he noted with a touch of disbelief. As time went on, Fauci couldn’t help but observe the intensifying media focus. ‘Big front page article about me appeared in the Washington Post. Very flattering,’ he mused in May.

Remarking on his unexpected celebrity status, Fauci commented, ‘It is not hyoperbole[sic] to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable person [sic] in the world.’ Just two days later, he recounted sensing tension emanating from the White House, as officials there were reportedly displeased by his media prominence. ‘Apparently the WH is very upset that I am being profiled and it looks like I am putting down the POTUS and becoming a star that outshines him. The press is playing into this as is the tweet storm. Very stressful!!’ he reflected. With his diary now a public document, these entries surface just ahead of his expected testimony at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday.

The diary entries last until December 2022, where Fauci complained, ‘It is clear (I have not been reporting it every day) that the far, extreme right and Qanon literally hate me.’ He retired from federal work that month. Dr Fauci, 85, has not been convicted of or proven to have committed any crimes. The emergence of COVID-19 in late 2019 is the subject of two main theories – one being a laboratory-related incident and the other natural zoonotic transmission. Paul has previously accused Fauci of dodging a previous commitment to testify and providing funding for laboratories in China where workers manipulate viruses to make them more deadly or infectious.