Anthony Fauci Is Not the Villain in This Story
This article defends Anthony Fauci's role during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that he was a scapegoat for the failures of the Trump administration. It highlights the disparity in COVID death rates between pro-Trump and pro-Biden counties.
Why it matters
It addresses the politicization of public health and the long-term consequences of misinformation on national health outcomes.
The doctor was thrust into his pandemic-leadership role because of Trump’s deadly dereliction of duty.
Allison Robbert / AP July 31, 2026, 3:17 PM ET Share Save The American right sacrificed its supporters to its COVID-era delusions and lies. Right-wing politicians and media influencers disparaged masking. They derided safety advice against indoor gatherings. They spread crazy lies about COVID vaccines once those became generally available. Many conservative Americans who made the mistake of trusting their political and media leaders paid with their life .
Pew Research Center compared the 20 percent of the U.S. population who lived in the country’s most pro-Trump counties with the 20 percent who lived in the most pro-Biden counties. The most pro-Trump counties suffered nearly 70,000 more COVID deaths than the most pro-Biden counties did.
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