Fox’s Bill Hemmer Reads Fauci’s Diary Insults Directly to Gov Ron DeSantis: ‘Badge Of Honor’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) took a victory lap over his state’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic when confronted with insults about him penned by Dr. Anthony Fauci in his pandemic-era journal.

Fauci’s diary was made public after it was discovered on National Institutes of Health servers and handed over to Senate Republicans.

Fox News’s Bill Hemmer read entries directly to DeSantis on Monday’s America’s Newsroom.

“You took a very contraryian position during Covid, and that was well-known,” Hemmer began. “With the restaurants, bars, keeping schools open, keeping your state open — not initially, but a few weeks into it.”

“On the diaries, August 2021, ‘Besides being a total jerk he is causing…people to die in his home state,'” Hemmer read Fauci’s words about DeSantis. “Four days later, ‘Governor DeSantis is a complete disgrace.'”

“I’m sure insults don’t bother you, but what did you make of how he presented his version of what happened?” Hemmer asked.

“Well, to the contrary. I think those are badges of honor to have him attacking me. And he was also doing it publicly, Bill,” DeSantis said, continuing:

I remember early in Covid I did an order to mandate schools be open. He was attacking us. He would come down to Florida and do hits on local news saying that we were doing it wrong. He wanted to impose mandates on people at the local level. I blocked those governments from doing it. And, you remember he would attack Florida for having our beaches open, for example, or Memorial Day parties that people were doing. That’s what happens in Florida — people go out and enjoy the scenery. But yet he was very quiet when you had those George Floyd protests. He wasn’t talking about those people being locked down. He was very mute about it. So, to me it was clear pretty early on within probably a couple of months that he was practicing political science rather than evidence-based medicine.

On the contrary, ABC News reported in 2020 that Fauci warned protesters about their “risky” actions, and urged people to stay home or wear a mask.

“In an interview with ABC News’ ‘Powerhouse Politics’ podcast, Fauci said he understands the urge people have to participate in the political process but that the safest bet is to avoid congregating in large groups,” the report said.

“It’s a danger to the people who are trying to control the demonstration,” [Fauci] said of the recent protests over the death of George Floyd. “And it’s a danger to the people who are demonstrating. So at the end of the day, it is a risky procedure.”

When asked whether his advice also applies to Trump’s plans to resume campaign rallies next week, Fauci said yes: “I am consistent. I stick by what I say.”

Watch the clip above via America’s Newsroom on Fox News.

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