Nicki Minaj has renewed her years-old criticism of Anthony Fauci following his contentious appearance before a U.S. Senate committee.
In a lengthy post on X, the rapper blamed the former federal infectious-disease official for widespread suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic and imagined him eventually losing his ability to speak and requiring a feeding tube.
The comments came two days after Fauci repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination while testifying under subpoena before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Minaj Imagined a Grim Future for Fauci
“Feeding tubes will be his portion,” Minaj began her July 31 post. She predicted that Fauci would lose the ability to speak and said only then would he experience what she described as the collective suffering of people affected by the pandemic.
Minaj specifically referenced newborns, children, pregnant women, older adults and people who continue to experience long-term health consequences. She also argued that the pandemic damaged public confidence in government and allowed dishonest people to profit from taxpayers.
Minaj accompanied the post with an apparent AI-generated image depicting Fauci writing in a diary. The image referenced more than 1,000 pages of his pandemic-era journal entries that Sen. Rand Paul released before the hearing.
Fauci Invoked the Fifth More Than 100 Times
Fauci appeared before the Republican-led committee on July 29 after Paul subpoenaed him to answer questions about the federal pandemic response, the origins of COVID-19 and research funded by the National Institutes of Health. He declined to answer more than 100 times, repeatedly citing the Fifth Amendment.
In an opening statement, Fauci accused Paul of having an “obvious obsession” with prosecuting him and said the hearing appeared designed to obtain testimony that could be used against him. “The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, ‘behind bars,’” Fauci said.
His attorney, David Schertler, called the proceeding politically motivated and described the accusations against Fauci as false. Democratic senators similarly characterized the hearing as an attempt to entrap him, while Republicans accused Fauci of misleading Congress and the public.
Biden’s Pardon Does Not Automatically Resolve the Dispute
Paul argued that Fauci should not be permitted to remain silent because former President Joe Biden granted him a broad preemptive pardon before leaving office in January 2025.
The pardon covers any federal offenses Fauci may have committed or participated in between January 1, 2014, and the date it was issued. That protection does not cover conduct occurring afterward, including any potential offense connected to his 2026 testimony.
Legal experts told Reuters that courts have not resolved whether a person who received a presidential pardon can still invoke the Fifth Amendment when questioned about conduct covered by that pardon. That constitutional issue could become important if lawmakers pursue a criminal contempt case.
Paul announced that the committee would vote on whether to hold Fauci in contempt. A criminal referral would still require additional congressional action, review by the Justice Department and approval from a federal grand jury. No criminal charge had been filed against Fauci when Minaj published her post.
The Diaries Revived Old Arguments About the Pandemic
Paul released more than 1,000 pages from a diary Fauci maintained during the pandemic, arguing that the entries reveal differences between his private observations and public statements.
A review by The Associated Press found that several subjects highlighted by Fauci’s critics including early uncertainty about how the virus emerged, were also addressed in his public comments, interviews and 2024 memoir. The entries show that scientists considered a possible laboratory-related origin early in the pandemic while also investigating animal transmission.
The precise origin of SARS-CoV-2 remains unresolved. Scientific and intelligence assessments have differed over whether animal transmission or a laboratory-related incident is more likely, and the available evidence has not produced a universally accepted conclusion.
Minaj and Fauci First Clashed Over Vaccines in 2021
Minaj and Fauci became publicly linked in September 2021 after she shared an unverified story involving her cousin’s friend in Trinidad. She claimed the man developed swollen testicles and became impotent after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, prompting his fiancée to cancel their wedding.
When CNN asked Fauci whether the available vaccines were known to cause reproductive problems, he responded that there was no evidence supporting such a connection. He also urged Minaj to “think twice” before sharing an unverified medical claim with millions of followers.
Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said officials spent time investigating the allegation but found no reported case matching Minaj’s description. He publicly characterized the claim as false.
Current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance states that COVID-19 vaccines are not associated with fertility problems in women or men. The agency also says studies involving more than 1 million pregnant women have not found increased risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, birth defects or premature delivery from vaccination.