Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed back Monday against scathing assessments written by Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic, describing the former top federal health official’s private journal entries as “badges of honor.”
The governor’s comments came during an appearance on FOX News following revelations from Fauci’s August 2021 diaries. In those entries, Fauci wrote that DeSantis was “a total jerk” who was “causing people to die in his home state,” adding four days later that the governor was a “complete disgrace.”
Responding to the excerpts, DeSantis said the writings validated his early skepticism toward federal pandemic guidance. He argued that Fauci used informal power and media coverage to encourage severe restrictions on communities across the country.
“I think those are badges of honor, to have him attacking me,” DeSantis said during the interview. “The diaries, I think, really validate what I saw early on. This is a guy who was drinking his own Kool-Aid. He was venerated by the media.”
DeSantis highlighted several controversial decisions made in Florida, including keeping beaches open, blocking local government mandates, and issuing an executive order requiring public schools to offer in-person learning. He noted that while parents retained the option for virtual schooling, his administration prioritized physical classroom access despite lawsuits from teachers’ unions and pushback from federal officials.
During the segment, host Bill Hemmer noted that Fauci’s diary entries also acknowledged DeSantis was correct about a specific viral cluster.
Hemmer pointed out that Fauci had written DeSantis was “a Trumper and a real problem,” while citing a July 2022 podcast clip where Fauci stated he personally “didn’t recommend locking anything down” and that official recommendations came directly from the CDC.
DeSantis disputed Fauci’s statement, claiming the diary entries showed Fauci taking credit for school closures in states like New York and California.
The governor also criticized federal guidance during the 2021 Delta variant surge, contrasting federal isolation warnings with Florida’s rollout of state-sponsored monoclonal antibody treatment clinics. DeSantis argued that early federal policies shifted away from evidence-based medicine, adding that Florida’s open-economy approach prevented broader long-term harm to businesses and students.
READ: Trump Endorses Byron Donalds For Florida Governor, Backs Key State GOP Leaders
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