U.S. taxpayer funds were used to fund gain-of-function research that led to the coronavirus epidemic at the direction of Anthony Fauci.
Posted by The Charlie Kirk Show, Checked
- Sources
- 5 contradict1 support3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The Charlie Kirk ShowJul 30, 2026
The sources confirm NIH (under Fauci's NIAID) funded a Wuhan Institute of Virology project through EcoHealth Alliance, but fact-checkers (PolitiFact, FactCheck.org, Snopes) found no evidence that this gain-of-function research caused the pandemic, and rated the Fauci-funded-creation claim False or Unproven.
What was said
… was a guy who damaged this country in deep and profound ways, especially kids, deprived them of education, shut down businesses, got people in the military fired, got people in private businesses fired, bragged about that, lied to the American people, and worst of all, basically, we now know that it was the U.S. Taxpayer, at his direction, that funded the gain of function research that led to the coronavirus epidemic. So we helped fund that through him, and this guy couldn't even bother to look at the people he hurt and couldn't even muster up an apology. It was a disgrace. …
The Charlie Kirk Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. PolitiFact rated the claim that COVID-19 was created with research funded by Fauci as False, and found no evidence the virus was bioengineered or made in a lab.[1]
Contradicts. FactCheck.org found no evidence linking the novel coronavirus to a lab, calling lab-escape claims speculation, and Snopes rated the claim that Fauci's funding caused the pandemic Unproven.[2][3]
Contradicts. A 2026 AP report says there is no new scientific evidence supporting the lab-leak theory, and a GOP-led subcommittee in 2024 found no evidence linking Fauci to wrongdoing.[4][7]
Supports. The NIH funded a project at the Wuhan lab through EcoHealth Alliance, with about $598,500 paid to the lab, so the funding element is documented.[1][8]
Context. Whether the Wuhan work counted as gain-of-function research is disputed; Fauci testified that NIH did not fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, and the 2026 ODNI release asserts the opposite without new public evidence.[5][6][9]
Sources
9 sources: 4 fact-checkers, 2 primary, 3 not rated
- 1No, Dr. Anthony Fauci did not fund research tied to COVID-19 ...politifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 2Fauci and Paul, Round 2 - FactCheck.orgfactcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 3Did Fauci Fund ‘Gain of Function’ Research, Thereby Causing Pandemic?snopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 4Fauci repeatedly invokes the Fifth Amendment in a contentious Senate committee hearingapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 5Comer & Jordan Press Fauci About Taxpayer-Funded, Controversial ...oversight.house.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 6Fauci Funded Wuhan Lab Research That Sparked COVIDodni.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 7Fauci repeatedly invokes the Fifth Amendment in a contentious Senate committee hearingkrgv.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 8Fact-check: Did Dr. Fauci fund research that created COVID-19?statesman.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 9In COVID Origins Storm, Fauci Denies US Funded Controversial Study in Wuhanscience.thewire.in · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The COVID-19 virus was made in a lab in Wuhan.False
- COVID-19 was an experimental bioweapon created in a laboratory in Wuhan.False
- COVID-19 was created in a lab in China.False
- The Wuhan Institute of Virology is run by a general and its experiments were approved by a general using military budget funds.Mixed