United States: immunologist and critic of Trump, doctor Fauci targeted by the alt-right

Worried about the economic repercussions, President Donald Trump is not very firm in the face of the health crisis linked to the Covid-19. It is therefore towards another prominent personality that Americans have turned. Since his appointment by the government to head the White House task force, eminent immunologist Anthony Fauci has become a figure in the fight against coronavirus in the United States.

Every evening, the 79-year-old doctor, who is also director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, informs his fellow citizens of the development of the situation, giving information which sometimes contradicts that of the president.

In early March, for example, Donald Trump said that a vaccine would be available within four months. An announcement instantly denied by Doctor Fauci. "As I told you, Mr. President, it will take a year to a year and a half before distributing an effective and safe vaccine," he then corrected.

Again on March 20, during a press conference given by the American president, the immunologist had let out a grimace of disapproval. The video of the doctor then hiding his face in his hand did not take long to go around social networks.

You can spot the exact moment he died inside pic.twitter.com/griTrntI5s

Conspiracy theses and relentlessness of the alt-right

While some have made him a hero against medical disinformation from the White House, Anthony Fauci has also been the subject of many conspiratorial reactions, accusing him of being part of an anti-Trump cabal, reported the New York Times, Saturday March 28. Fanciful claims, fueled by supporters of the American president, while Doctor Fauci has seduced a large audience by his desire to correct the lies and minimizations of Donald Trump concerning the coronavirus pandemic.

The New York Times took care to analyze several messages conveyed on Anthony Fauci. For the most part, these messages came from Twitter and Facebook accounts massively relaying the hashtag #FauciFraud, also fueled by statements from conservative figures, and from the American alt-right.

A relentlessness also present on YouTube. Conspiracy theory videos regarding Anthony Fauci garnered hundreds of thousands of views during the week, said the New York Times, which also noted accusing Facebook posts shared hundreds of times.

Twitter is no exception. An anti-Fauci tweet said on Tuesday, "Sorry Liberals, but we don't trust Dr. Anthony Fauci."

Sorry liberals but we don't trust Dr. Anthony Fauci ... He and Dr. Birx are globalist scientists and wants to study this Wuhan Virus for decades. That's how they get wealthy. They are still making money from the 1980's AIDS.

"Conspiracy theories can kill"

The torrent of insults and lies aimed at discrediting Doctor Fauci is, according to the New York Times, an example of hyper-partisan information that has led to a shift in the way of thinking of Americans.

In recent years, right-wing supporters of Donald Trump have regularly vilified those whom they saw as opposing him.

Anthony Fauci has distinguished himself since the 1980s in the fight against several viruses, like AIDS or Ebola. He is one of the world's leading experts on infectious diseases.

In the past, the Trump administration has repeatedly shown its refusal to rely on scientific expertise, particularly on issues relating to climate change. "Disinformation campaigns during a pandemic, however, pose a unique danger: they can sow distrust of public health officials when advice and information remain crucial," said University of the Ethics Professor Whitney Phillip from Syracuse, interviewed by the New York Times. He added: "What this case will show is that conspiracy theories can kill."

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