The debate over COVID-19’s origins—and the government’s handling of the pandemic—isn’t fading quietly.
Appearing Thursday on Fox Business’ Mornings with Maria, Trump adviser Peter Navarro launched a sweeping attack on former White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, arguing that the public has been misled for years about both the virus and the government’s response.
Navarro opened by criticizing what he sees as Fauci’s public reputation.
“American people need to decanonize ‘Saint Fauci.'”
He went on to accuse Fauci of funding gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, asserting that the research ultimately led to the creation of the virus. Those allegations have long been the subject of public and political debate, with Fauci repeatedly denying that he funded research that created SARS-CoV-2.
Navarro argued:
“He basically gave money to the Wuhan lab for the express purpose of using gain-of-function research… How did that go, Anthony?”
He also accused Fauci of helping shape early public messaging after the outbreak by encouraging scientists to reject the lab-leak hypothesis.
“When that thing leaked from the lab, he conducted a misinformation campaign… to insist that it wasn’t from the lab.”
Navarro framed those actions as part of a broader effort to shield Fauci from scrutiny, claiming media organizations helped elevate his public image while placing blame for the pandemic elsewhere.
The interview then shifted to former President Joe Biden’s pardon of Fauci issued near the end of his administration. Host Maria Bartiromo questioned whether the pardon was legitimate, prompting Navarro to respond emphatically:
“It’s not legitimate!”
He also argued that civil litigation could still be pursued regardless of any federal pardon.
Pressed about what should happen next, Navarro called for Fauci to testify publicly.
“We get Fauci on the stand!”
He suggested investigators should also examine communications involving scientists and journalists who dismissed the lab-leak theory during the early stages of the pandemic. Perhaps the strongest language came near the end of the interview, when Navarro directly addressed Fauci.
“Come clean… Quit hiding behind your money and your laurels… Come clean.”
Navarro also reflected on the personal toll the pandemic had on families, describing how restrictions prevented him from seeing his mother and recalling elderly Americans isolated from loved ones during lockdowns.
Those experiences, he argued, continue to fuel public anger years after the height of the pandemic.
Fauci played God.
He funded the Wuhan lab research, buried the lab leak, and the media covered for him, shifting the blame to President Trump.
Congress get off your ass and subpoena him. pic.twitter.com/2gNU7QCJa7
— Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) June 25, 2026
