Donald Trump Announces US Withdrawal From World Health Organisation
President Donald Trump announced Monday he is withdrawing the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO), in a significant move that drew criticism from public health experts on his first day back in the White House.
Trump has long been critical of the United Nations health agency, and his administration formally began a withdrawal from the WHO in July 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread. But four years ago, then-President Joe Biden halted the US exit from the body tasked with coordinating the international response to health emergencies in one of his first actions after taking over the White House.
he text of Monday’s executive order cites the “organisation’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states,” as reasons for the US withdrawal.
“That’s a big one,” Trump told an aide as he began to sign the executive order, pointing to his 2020 decision and his belief that the US was paying too much money to the organization compared to other countries. In 2020, Trump also consistently accused the organisation of aiding China in allegedly covering up the origins of COVID-19 and allowing its spread.
CNN has reached out to the WHO for comment.
