Former National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins appeared at an anti-Trump rally where he led protesters in song, a moment captured on video and shared on social media Friday.

Collins, who served as NIH director from 2009 until his retirement in December 2021, joined a “Stand Up for Science” protest, which aired on C-SPAN2.

During the event, Collins encouraged protesters to sing along as he attempted to teach them the lyrics.

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“You got that, so it’s all the good people, but the second line, part of this family, the last line, we’re joined together by this noble dream. Do that with me,” Collins said before beginning the song.

Disgraced former NIH Director Francis Collins — who famously lied about the COVID lab leak, gain of function research, and tried to censor debate about COVID restrictions — is currently singing a song at an anti-Trump “science” rally at the Lincoln Memorial. pic.twitter.com/BEGs4321HR

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 7, 2025

Collins, a holdover from the Obama administration, was a key figure in the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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His tenure at the NIH was marked by controversy, particularly regarding his handling of scientific dissent and federal funding of research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China.

During his time as NIH director, Collins oversaw grants through EcoHealth Alliance that funded “gain of function” research at the WIV, the lab suspected by some experts to be the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Collins repeatedly declined to publicly answer questions about the research conducted at WIV, even as scrutiny over the lab’s role in the outbreak intensified.

In addition to the funding controversy, Collins came under fire for his response to The Great Barrington Declaration, a document authored in October 2020 by epidemiologists Dr. Martin Kulldorff, Dr. Sunetra Gupta, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.

The declaration criticized broad lockdown policies and instead advocated for “focused protection” of the most vulnerable populations.

Collins addressed the document in an Oct. 8, 2020, email to Dr. Anthony Fauci, calling for an immediate rebuttal.

“This proposal from the three fringe epidemiologists who met with the [Health] Secretary seems to be getting a lot of attention – and even a co-signature from Nobel Prize winner Mike Leavitt at Stanford,” Collins wrote to Fauci.

“There needs to be a quick and devastating published take down of its premises. I don’t see anything like that online yet – is it underway?”

1) @RCInvestigates released my investigation of Francis Collins & Tony Fauci’s harassment against @DrJBhattacharya. After Bhattacharya published the Great Barrington Declaration, Collins requested a “quick and devastating” takedown.

WashPost’s @JoelAchenbach was his boy pic.twitter.com/cOrb7Dmphf

— Paul D. Thacker (@thackerpd) March 6, 2025

Collins also made headlines for advocating government action against what he called misinformation.

He previously stated that individuals responsible for spreading what he deemed false information should be “tracked down” and face “some kind of justice.”

Following his retirement from the NIH, Collins has continued to be vocal on public health issues.

His singing at the anti-Trump rally was not the first time he displayed his musical talents in a public setting.

In December 2021, Collins performed a parody of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, who was inaugurated in January 2025, has taken a different approach to NIH leadership.

On Jan. 20, Trump nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya—one of the authors of The Great Barrington Declaration and a recipient of the Bradley Prize in May 2024—to serve as the next NIH director.

JUST IN: Donald Trump nominates Dr. Fauci critic Jay Bhattacharya to Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Bhattacharya reportedly met with RFK Jr. this week and impressed him with his vision to overhaul the NIH.

According to the Washington Post, Bhattacharya has… pic.twitter.com/gifPf3vQJZ

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 27, 2024

Collins’ participation in the protest underscores his continued engagement in public debates over science, policy, and the legacy of the pandemic response.

His past actions, particularly regarding COVID-19 policy and research funding, remain a point of contention among critics and supporters alike.