Trump Administration Plans to Pull U.S. Out of WHO on Inauguration Day
Washington DC – The incoming administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump plans to formally announce the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) on his last day in office, experts have revealed, warning of catastrophic global health implications.
Trump’s transition team has informed experts of their intention to declare the U.S. exit from the WHO on January 20, the day the former president steps down and President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated. This move would leave the WHO without its largest financial backer, potentially crippling its crisis response capabilities in global health.
" America leaving creates a huge vacuum in global health financing and leadership. I don’t see anyone who can fill that void," said Lawrence Gostin, a professor and director of the World Health Organization Research at Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. Though Gostin is unsure if Trump’s team attaches the same importance to immediate U.S. withdrawal as some believe.
The U.S. provided 16% of the WHO’s 2022 and 2023 budget.
In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump proposed withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO, accusing it of being overly influenced by China. However, the process was not completed, and President-elect Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential elections, signaled a desire to restore U.S.-WHO relations.
Neither the Trump administration nor the WHO commented on the potential U.S. exit to the Financial Times.
