David Frum Looks at COVID Deaths in ‘Red America’ and Asserts Fauci Is Not the Villain Here

Anthony Fauci, who pleaded the Fifth Amendment 111 times on Wednesday after receiving a blanket pardon from President Joe Biden, is most definitely the villain here. David Frum doesn't think so, though. Frum encourages everyone to look at the COVID-19 death tolls in "Red America" and realize that the villains were those conservatives who told people not to mask and not to vaccinate.

The 20% who lived in the most pro-Trump places suffered 70,000 more COVID deaths than the 20% in the most pro-Biden places. Red America obeyed those who told them not to mask, not to vaccinate. They died for it. No, Fauci is not the villain here. https://t.co/7hxuP9yOfi
— David Frum (@davidfrum) August 1, 2026

Frum writes for The Atlantic:

The American right sacrificed its supporters to its COVID-era delusions and lies. Right-wing politicians and media influencers disparaged masking. They derided safety advice against indoor gatherings. They spread crazy lies about COVID vaccines once those became generally available. Many conservative Americans who made the mistake of trusting their political and media leaders paid with their life.
Pew Research Center compared the 20 percent of the U.S. population who lived in the country’s most pro-Trump counties with the 20 percent who lived in the most pro-Biden counties. The most pro-Trump counties suffered nearly 70,000 more COVID deaths than the most pro-Biden counties did.

Hmm… is there any other possible reason that pro-Trump counties suffered more COVID deaths than they refused to wear masks and get the vaccine and boosters?

Older demographic. That’s the only metric and you know it. Covid affected old people.
— Swith (@Sofakingnxtlevl) August 1, 2026

They were also older you idiot. Older people were disproportionately affected. Get some common sense. Wise old people vote Republican. Young foolish people vote Democrat. That’s how it works
— The Unsilent Opposition (@DefiSuperman) August 1, 2026

Dr. Leana Wen eventually admitted on CNN that the cloth masks we'd all be mandated to wear were "little more than facial decoration." And President Biden tested positive for COVID for, what, three times, even though he'd been vaccinated and boosted and was double-masking for a time when that was a thing.

Fauci is indeed the villain in all this.

They told us that supporting Black Lives Matter in the streets was more important than fear of Covid. You will not be able to rewrite this time in history.
— Sue (@SusanK1717) August 1, 2026

BLM protests were OK because racism was a public health crisis too.

You must not have watched Fauci.

Nothing was based in science.

Nothing was based off clinical studies.

His public statements were 100% opposite that of his private statements.

At what point will you think for yourself?
— John Doe (@RealJohnDoeX) August 1, 2026

Considering the fact that he funded the creation of the virus and then lied about it and its origin most definitely makes him the villain here.
— Buckeye Mike (@Buckeye__Mike) August 1, 2026

Fauci is the villain because he lied repeatedly to the American people. He also facilitated the shutdown of our economy and the closing of our schools, neither of which was warranted and both harmed innumerable lives.
— Mr. Jones (@Jonesy108369) August 1, 2026

Fauci paid a Chinese lab to engineer a deadly contagious virus and expected them to manage it properly. He is responsible for the death of millions.
— geologistsrs (@rrrosejr) August 1, 2026

Has Frum read Fauci's diary? Because it was clearly written by a villain.

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Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.

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