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President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the US is withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO), a significant move that drew criticism from public health experts. The decision reverses one taken by his predecessor, Joe Biden, in 2020 when the US began the process of exiting the organization.
The Trump administration has long been critical of the WHO, with Trump accusing the organization of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic, failing to adopt urgently needed reforms, and being unable to demonstrate independence from the influence of WHO member states. The text of the executive order cites these reasons as the basis for the US withdrawal.
Trump signed the executive order, saying, “That’s a big one,” and pointing to his 2020 decision and his belief that the US was paying too much money to the organization compared to other countries. Critics, including lawmakers and public health experts, have denounced the decision, calling it an “act of true senselessness” and a “strategic error.”
Dr. Ashish Jha, a former White House COVID-19 response coordinator, warned that China may fill the void left by the US withdrawal, giving it more political influence around the world. Lawrence Gostin, a public health law professor at Georgetown University, called the decision a “cataclysmic presidential decision” and a “grievous wound to world health.”
The US withdrawal from the WHO will take a year to complete, but Trump’s executive order calls for the cessation of US funding, support, and resources to the organization. However, experts like Dr. Jha and Professor Gostin are warning that the decision is unlawful and a grave strategic error.
