President Donald Trump announced on Monday (January 20) that the United States would withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). The decision, made on his first day back in the White House, has drawn criticism from public health experts. An executive order Trump signed cited the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, its failure to implement necessary reforms, and its perceived political influence as reasons for the withdrawal.
“World Health ripped us off; everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump said after signing the order.
Trump has previously criticized the WHO, accusing it of aiding China in covering up the origins of COVID-19. His administration initially began the withdrawal process in July 2020, but then-President Joe Biden halted it. Trump’s executive order calls for suspending funding and resources for the WHO, although the withdrawal process takes a year.
The decision has sparked debate among lawmakers, with some expressing concern over the impact on global health and US leadership in international health matters. Others, including Dr. Ashish Jha, who was the White House COVID-19 response coordinator during the Biden administration, called Trump’s decision a “strategic error” that will give China more power and influence on the global stage.
“WHO is a pretty essential organization — and with America’s withdrawal, it creates a political vacuum that only one country can fill — and that is China,” Jha said in an interview with CNN.
The WHO said that it hopes the US, which is the top donor to the organization, will reconsider the decision.
“We hope that the United States will reconsider, and we really hope that there will be constructive dialogue for the benefit of everyone, for Americans but also for people around the world,” WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarević told reporters in Geneva.
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