President Donald Trump stated that he may reconsider the US’s exit from the World Health Organization, days after announcing the country’s departure from the global health agency. This decision was based on his belief that the WHO mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.
Trump made the comments at a rally in Las Vegas, saying that “maybe we would consider doing it again, I don’t know. Maybe we would. They would have to clean it up.” The US is scheduled to leave the WHO on January 22, 2026.
The US is the largest financial contributor to the WHO, providing approximately 18% of the organization’s overall funding. The WHO’s two-year budget for 2024-2025 is $6.8 billion. Trump expressed dissatisfaction that the US is financially supporting the WHO to a greater extent than China, despite China having a larger population.
Furthermore, Trump announced that he is asking Saudi Arabia to invest around $1 trillion in the US, up from the $600 billion the kingdom has pledged to invest in expanded trade and investment with the US over the next four years.
