After Fauci's explosive Senate hearing, Trump says he 'respects' Biden's pardon
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Wednesday, July 29, said that he "respects" former President Joe Biden's decision to pardon former NIH director Dr Anthony Fauci, striking an unexpected tone after the former top US infectious disease official invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times during a contentious Senate hearing.
Trump criticized Fauci's role during the pandemic and said he frequently disagreed with his recommendations. However, when asked whether the Justice Department should revisit Biden's pre-emptive pardon, the 80-year-old said he respected the constitutional authority behind presidential clemency.
Trump says reversing Fauci's pardon would face legal hurdles
While acknowledging questions surrounding the use of the autopen, Trump emphasized the sweeping constitutional authority presidents have to issue pardons rather than criticizing Biden's decision.
Q: “Do you think that the DOJ should reopen the investigation to the autopen specifically pertaining to Fauci?”
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) July 29, 2026
Trump: “The most powerful thing the president has, they say, is the power of pardon, so he was pardoned by Biden, and I respect that.” pic.twitter.com/Nbo4u7zCb9
"The only thing you can really think about is the autopen because the most powerful thing the president has, they say, is the power of pardon, so he was pardoned by Biden, and I respect that. I know how powerful it is. It's a very powerful, they say it's literally the most powerful thing a president has," Trump said.
He added that overturning a presidential pardon would likely require substantial evidence.
"I can't tell you what the law is. I've heard that you have to have a lot of proof. You need to have letters, you also need to have all sorts of things... other than that, the power of pardon is very powerful," the Republican leader noted.
Trump says he 'inherited' Fauci, argues he had more influence under Biden
Trump also weighed in on Fauci's Senate testimony, saying he watched the hearing and arguing the longtime public health official was already entrenched in the federal government when he took office.
"I inherited Fauci. He was here from the 1980s, so I had him for a period of time, and I disagreed with him on a lot," Trump said.
.@POTUS: "I inherited Fauci. He was here from the 1980s, so I had him for a period of time, and I disagreed with him on a lot. I would've had to close down the whole country if I listened to him. I went the federalist way, which is basically let the governors decide it." pic.twitter.com/kvJWOw3wIr
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 29, 2026
The president maintained that he rejected Fauci's recommendations for a nationwide shutdown, instead allowing governors to determine Covid-19 restrictions in their own states. Trump argued that Republican-led states generally performed better than Democratic-led states during the pandemic.
He also accused Fauci of sending mixed messages on mask guidance, saying, "Fauci wanted to have nobody wearing masks if you remember, and then everyone had to wear five masks, as many masks as you could get."
Trump concluded by saying Fauci "made a lot of mistakes" and claimed the longtime public health official "wasn't a big factor for me" but "was a very big factor for Biden."
Trump's comments marked a rare instance in which he publicly defended one of Biden's most closely scrutinized clemency decisions, even as congressional Republicans continue investigating Fauci's actions during the pandemic.
