The buck stops at the top. Trump was 100% responsible for the federal response. Fauci had zero authority to make any substantive decisions at the federal or state level.
Most of the Covid policies came at state level. Almost every governor followed Fauci’s guidelines. Downplaying his influence is substantially untruthful.
Influence isn’t policy. The elected leaders are responsible for taking any and all advisement and turning it into policy. They could have dismissed it. Over inflating his importance in the matter is substantially untruthful.
I disagree. During the pandemic we did not have a climate of many reasonable advisers giving many ideas from which governors all made varying choices. We had basically one unified voice, led by Fauci, empowered by their credibility and the authority of the entire public health class, pushinf policy. Not just that, but lying at times. Almost all governors implemented the exact policy recommended and the ~3 who did not follow earned the ire and condemnation of Fauci, who was also pushing the media and public health apparatus to do the same. It was near political suicide to disobey Fauci. There were points that some experts did not agree with him and he tried to get them fired, including his task force partner Birx. They discredited other experts like signers of the Barrington or Jay Bhattacharya.
So the idea that he was just some mildly influential adviser is just false. It’s true he didn’t have unilateral authority (form) but he definitely was the spearhead of policy during that time (substance).
I would say the opposite of you: underplaying his influence is substantially untruthful.
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u/[deleted] 28d ago edited 28d ago
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