Anthony Fauci’s private diary is raising fresh questions about what he really did and did not recommend during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Fauci repeatedly denied in public that he personally pushed lockdowns, newly revealed diary entries suggest a very different story.
In a March 15, 2020, entry marked “BIG DAY!” in red letters, Fauci wrote that he spoke with then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and “convinced him” to close city schools based on what he had been saying publicly. Fauci also wrote that he had a similar conversation with California officials, saying Gov. Gavin Newsom’s team decided to close schools, bars and restaurants after hearing his TV appearances.
Fauci's private diary. March 2020.
March 21 — "deaths 9800":
"Big front page article about me appeared in the Washington Post. Very flattering."
"my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable"
"It is not hyperbole to say that today I am the most… pic.twitter.com/6kbU5Mjq9G
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) July 26, 2026
That private account clashes with the public version Fauci gave years later. In an October 2022 interview with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, Fauci said, “I had nothing to do [with it]!” when asked about claims that he helped shut schools down. He later told The Hill that he “didn't recommend locking anything down,” a claim that appears to conflict with his own notes.
The diary entries also describe Fauci pressing for broader lockdowns. On March 15, 2020, he wrote that he told de Blasio to close bars and restaurants in New York City. Five days later, he said he advised the mayor to move ahead with a citywide shelter-in-place order and that he would try to speak with Cuomo as well.
Fauci’s notes show similar support for restrictions in Los Angeles County later in the pandemic. In a November 28, 2020, entry, he wrote that he agreed to support a 3-week shutdown request from Mark Ghaly, who was worried hospitals would be overrun in LA County. Fauci later told a podcast audience in 2022 that he did not recommend locking anything down.
Dear Diary,
Today I shut down NYC and all California.
Tony pic.twitter.com/gTxqaCXbHT
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) July 26, 2026
The documents also captured Fauci’s relationship with President Donald Trump during the crisis. On March 29, 2020, Fauci wrote that a meeting with Trump ended in what he considered a good outcome because the administration agreed to extend mitigation measures for 30 days instead of ending them too early. In another entry, he described Trump as “incorrigible,” underscoring the friction inside the White House.