U.S President Donald Trump has issued an executive order setting the pace for the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Oooh, that’s a big one,” the newly inaugurated US president commented upon returning to the White House and approving the document. On his first day in office, he signed scores of executive acts, including this one.
Trump has now ordered the US to leave the WHO for the second time.
Trump started the process of withdrawing from the Geneva-based organization during the epidemic because he was unhappy with how the international organization handled COVID-19. Later, President Joe Biden changed his mind.

Carrying out this executive action on day one makes it more likely the US will formally leave the global agency.
“They wanted us back so badly so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said in the Oval Office, referring to the WHO, perhaps hinting the US might return eventually.
The order stated that the United States was 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 executive order also claimed that the US’s “unfairly onerous payments” to the United Nations agency WHO were the cause of the withdrawal.
Trump criticized the group for being overly “China-centric” in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic when he was still in government the first time.
Trump charged that the WHO’s counsel during the outbreak was skewed in favor of China.

The United States remained the greatest donor to the World Health Organization under the Biden administration, contributing about one-fifth of its budget in 2023. The yearly budget of the organization is $6.8 billion (£5.5 billion).
Trump’s decision to leave the WHO has drawn criticism from public health professionals, who caution that there may be negative health effects for Americans.
According to others, the action would undo the gains made in the fight against infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria.