US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order initiating the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The order, issued on Monday, marks Trump’s latest controversial move following his return to the presidency.
The executive order cited multiple reasons for the withdrawal, including the WHO’s alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, failure to implement necessary reforms, and perceived political influence from member states.
“The US is withdrawing due to the organization’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,” the order stated.
The order also criticized the WHO’s funding model, claiming it imposed “unfairly onerous payments” on the US, which are disproportionate compared to contributions from other countries, such as China.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with the organization’s conduct.
“World Health ripped us off; everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” he said.
This is the second time Trump has moved to pull the US out of the global health body. In 2020, during his first term, Trump heavily criticized the WHO for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing the organization of favoring China. While he initiated the withdrawal process at the time, President Joe Biden reversed the decision upon assuming office.
The US has long been the largest contributor to the WHO, providing nearly one-fifth of its budget in 2023. The withdrawal means the US will officially leave the organization in 12 months.
