Fauci lied about gain-of-function. It cost us dearly. Thankfully, President Trump is ending gain-of-function research in the USA. Promises made. Promises kept.
| Claim | Result | Source Reference | Source Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fauci lied about gain-of-function. | rejected | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/29/repeated-claim-that-fauci-lied-congress-about-gain-of-function-research/ | But Cotton claimed NIH admitted that it had funded gain-of-function research. That’s wrong. No such admission appears in the letter, and NIH officials continue to insist that the EcoHealth work using NIH funds did not constitute gain-of-function research. |
| Fauci lied about gain-of-function. | inconclusive | https://reason.com/2024/06/04/anthony-fauci-gives-misleading-evasive-answers-about-nih-funded-research-at-wuhan-lab/ | |
| It cost us dearly. | inconclusive | https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/23/opinion/sunday/debate-trump-biden-.html | |
| It cost us dearly. | verified | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2023/09/20/trump-visiting-eastern-iowa-as-campaign-plans-increased-stops/70892177007/ | This issue cost us unnecessarily but dearly in the midterms," he said. "It cost us dearly, really, and unnecessarily." |
| President Trump is ending gain-of-function research in the USA. | rejected | https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/us/politics/trump-executive-order-restricts-gain-of-function-research-on-pathogens.html | The first Trump administration lifted that ban in 2017 and instituted a new procedure to review possibly dangerous research. |
| President Trump is ending gain-of-function research in the USA. | verified | https://reason.com/2025/01/24/trump-reportedly-preparing-an-executive-order-banning-federal-funding-of-gain-of-function-research/ | The Trump administration is reportedly preparing an executive order curtailing funding of "gain-of-function" research on pandemic pathogens, in what would seem to be an effort to prevent the next pandemic from spilling out of a federally funded laboratory. |
| Promises made. Promises kept. | rejected | https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/video/promises-made-promises-kept-1463321155607?featureFlag=true | President Trump has a record of making big policy promises, and when he can't deliver, he places the blame elsewhere. |
| Promises made. Promises kept. | rejected | https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/promises-made-promises-kept-evaluating-president-trump-after-year-one-1120054339541 | IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. |
🤖 Conclusion [25/100]: The statement contains several parts, most of which are not well supported by available evidence. The strongest refutations are for the claims that Fauci lied about gain-of-function research and that Trump ended such research in the USA. Fauci's testimony has not been proven to be false, as multiple authoritative sources clarify that the NIH-funded research did not meet the formal US definition of 'gain-of-function,' and no definitive evidence of Fauci lying exists. The claim that Trump has definitively ended gain-of-function research is also rejected, as his administration actually lifted a previous ban in 2017, and only reports of preparing new restrictions exist as of 2025, not confirmed actions. Claims that these issues 'cost us dearly' are mostly speculative or politically charged without clear documentation, and the 'promises made, promises kept' refrain is contradicted by sources noting gaps between rhetoric and delivery. Given all this, the statement rates as mostly untruthful (score: 25/100), with minor basis in ongoing policy discussions but failing on the main factual claims.