On Monday, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO).
This decision marks a significant move, severing ties with the UN’s public health agency on his first day in office.
Trump has been a vocal critic of the WHO for years, and his administration had already initiated the formal withdrawal process in July 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading globally.
The decision to cut ties with the WHO aligns with Trump’s consistent disapproval of the agency’s handling of the pandemic and its relationship with China.
The executive order cites several reasons for the US withdrawal, including the WHO’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged from Wuhan, China, its failure to adopt essential reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from political influence.
“That’s a big one,” Trump remarked to an aide as he signed the executive order, emphasizing his belief that the US had been contributing too much money to the organization compared to other nations.
The order also notes that the WHO continues to demand “unfairly onerous payments” from the US.
This decision marks a dramatic shift in US global health policy, isolating Washington further from international efforts to combat pandemics. Trump’s withdrawal from the WHO signals his administration’s intention to focus on domestic health issues, rather than contributing to international organizations.
Trump has also nominated several critics of the WHO to key public health positions. Notably, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a well-known vaccine sceptic, was nominated for the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services, overseeing major US health agencies like the CDC and FDA.
Trump initiated the year-long process to withdraw from the WHO in 2020, but his successor, President Joe Biden, reversed the decision shortly after taking office.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the WHO for its handling of the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and its failure to hold China accountable for the virus’s spread.
He has often described the WHO as a “puppet” of Beijing, further justifying his decision to redirect US contributions toward domestic health initiatives.
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