Former President Barack Obama privately expressed strong criticism of former President Donald Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr., during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to diary entries recently released from Dr. Anthony Fauci, who served as chief medical adviser under the Biden administration from 2021 to 2022.

The journal entries reveal that Obama disparaged Trump as a “hopeless idiot” and a “pathologic liar,” while referring to Donald Trump Jr. as “a fucking moron,” though he apologized for the language. These remarks came in response to information Fauci shared with Obama regarding actions by far-right Republicans amid the pandemic.

One specific point of contention involved Donald Trump Jr.’s sale of T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing the slogan “Fauci Kills Puppies,” which were reportedly used to raise funds for his campaign. This slogan referred to baseless allegations that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which Fauci directed for many years, had financed research involving beagle puppies.

The entries, part of a broader release of Fauci’s private diaries and notes, shed light on the tensions and frustrations between prominent public figures during a contentious period marked by public health challenges and political polarization. The documents provide a window into behind-the-scenes conversations, illustrating the divisive nature of the discourse surrounding the pandemic and the individuals central to the U.S. response.