FAUCI DIARY ARCHIVE — Tuesday, February 25, 2020
https://faucisdiary.com/diary/2020-02-25

Text below is verbatim from the released PDFs, with the original line breaks.
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DIARY ENTRY — Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Source: Tony's Diary Package, pp. 30–32 of 2026.07.24_Tonys-Diary-Package.pdf
Words: 657
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80,277/2705 Major concern ove other countries surging in cases – Italy,
South Korea, Iran. Stock Market staring to crash due to COVID-19. Supply chain
concerns.
1st patient evacuated from Diamond Princess to Lackland supposedly will come to NIH
since patient has since converted to virus positive.

Big explosion of media. On the usual CDC press briefing, Nancy Messonnier made the
comment that a pandemic and community spread in the USA is not a matter of IF, but a
matter of WHEN and we should prepare to do things like close schools and do telework.
This caused a firestorm of media frenzy around the world. The Stock Market tanked by
1000 points; the POTUS called up Azar asking what the hell is going on. I went into the
media to try to calm the waters (see press below). Also, the press was zinging the
POTUS and Larry Kudlow for saying right before Nancy made her statement that
everything is under control in the USA (which it is for now – 14 cases with no
community spread) while CDC officials (Messonnier) were saying that a USA outbreak
was inevitable. Also, zinging the POTUS who is saying that a vaccine is imminent

(soon). He is obviously confusing the initiation of a phase 1 trial and having a vaccine
ready.

PRESS: WTOP Radio; CBS Radio (NYC); FOX with Bret Baier; CNN Situation
Room with Wolf Bitzer; CNN International; CNN with Chris Cuomo; MSNBC;
BBC Radio x2

Feb.26, 2020 - 81,187/2768. Should be a big day with the POTUS back from India and
going to give a press conference this afternoon.

Big day today! POTUS returned from India and wanted to clear up the issue of Nancy
Messonnier’s statement that sent the Stock Market crashing. The Task force, particularly
Azar, me, Redfield, added Anne Schuchat, Mick M. met with Trump in the Oval
Office and updated him on coronavirus situation.

(Of note, we have 1st case of community acquired COVID-19 in a woman from Solano
County, CA who had no epidemiologic link to anyone weith COVID-19. This could be
the beginning of something bad)

After we briefed POTUS in the White House, we went into the Cabinet Room and the
other members of the Task Force briefed the POTUS a bit more. Then we went into the
White House press Room which was more packed than I had ever seen it. People
standing on chairs in the isles. POTUS made comments, then Azar, then Anne, then me
on vaccines and therapy. The POTUS stayed for a long time (45 minutes) answering
questions. He called Nancy Pelosi “Incompetent” in answer to a question For the most
part he was OK, but tended a little bit to underplay the situation. After that we went
back to the Oval Office with the POTUS to do a “post-mortem” on the press
conference. Everyone felt good about the presser.

There was much speculation that the POTUS would either get rid of AZAR or appoint a
Czar. The press was geared for that. However, POTUS asked VP Pence to do overall
coordination of the coronavirus effort. Clearly this was a compromise to not make Azar
look bad since he is friends with Pence and at the same time silence/satisfy those who
want a Czar and/or to get rid of Azar.

Another interesting twist was that they announced that Debbie Birx would be the new
“coronavirus coordinator” in the NSC. Apparently, she may have been fired from
PEPFAR where there was considerable discontent about her leadership style (very
dogmatic and inflexible)

Finally, we all adjourned to VP Pence’s office to discuss his new role in coordinating
coronavirus activities.

White House had us cancel all press briefing commitments since they wanted all the news
to be the POTUS. This led to the impression that I was being “muzzled” and led to a
real twitter forestorm

PRESS: CNN New Day with John Berman and Alisyn Camerota; FOX News;
CNBC Squawk Box;