Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke November 2, 2023

Dr. Anthony Fauci exists, contrary to social media claims

If Your Time is short

  • This claim is unfounded.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, advised both Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden on the COVID-19 pandemic.

In all, he was an advisor to seven presidents — Republicans and Democrats — and their administrations on domestic and global health issues.  

But is he "fake"? A recent Instagram post claims as much. And not just figuratively speaking. 

"Dr. Fauci doesn’t exist!" an Oct. 31 Instagram post says. "Fauci was not on Larry King Live during the ‘AIDS’ epidemic."

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Sign up for PolitiFact texts

First, we found two appearances Fauci made on CNN’s "Larry King Live" during the AIDS epidemic

In August 1992, he was the guest on an episode titled "Latest Medical Dilemma — A New Strain of AIDS." 

In December 1993, he was on an episode titled "AIDS — The Risks of ‘Casual Contact.’"

Featured Fact-check

Second, claims that Fauci doesn’t exist are unfounded. Such a cover-up would require the complicity of seven presidential administrations, dozens of reporters who have interviewed him over the years, colleagues at the National Institutes of Health — of which the National Institute of Allergy Infectious Diseases is a part — and his high school basketball team. He was team captain in the 1950s.

Such a conspiracy would also stretch back decades, to before Fauci was a public figure and a pandemic-era bogeyman for some Americans. 

We rate claims Fauci is a fictional person Pants on Fire!

PolitiFact news researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. 

 

Our Sources

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Ciara O'Rourke

Dr. Anthony Fauci exists, contrary to social media claims

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up