In a significant move, U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), citing the agency’s alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global health crises.
The decision, announced hours after the president’s inauguration on Monday, was accompanied by strong criticism of the WHO.
The president accused the agency of succumbing to undue political influence from member states and burdening the U.S. with disproportionate financial obligations compared to countries like China.
“World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump declared.
The withdrawal, which will take effect in 12 months, includes halting all U.S. financial contributions to the organization.
The move is expected to jeopardize various WHO programmes, as experts within and outside the agency have warned.
Trump also signed an executive order instructing the cessation of negotiations on the WHO pandemic treaty during the withdrawal process.
U.S. personnel working with the WHO are to be recalled and reassigned, with the administration seeking alternative partners to assume critical WHO activities.
This is not Trump’s first confrontation with the global health body. In 2020, during his first term, he initiated efforts to leave the WHO, accusing it of aiding China in concealing the origins of COVID-19.
At the time, WHO denied the accusations and stated that it continued to pressure Beijing for data to determine whether the virus emerged from infected animals or was linked to laboratory research.
“World Health ripped us off,” Trump reiterated, emphasizing his administration’s commitment to ending what he described as an unfair relationship with the organization.
