Rumors of America’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
Given his four-year experience in office, the name “Donald Trump” is associated with “non-commitment” and “deal-breaking.” The US president-elect will enter the White House for the second time in the next few weeks, while observers are concerned that this policy will continue in his second administration.
Recently, a group of experts from the World Health Organization announced that the Trump team is trying to withdraw from the World Health Organization on the first day of his new administration; an issue that has caused concern among the organization’s officials, the public, and many world officials.
In a report, the Financial Times, while referring to this news, reminded that the United States is the largest financial donor to the World Health Organization and provided nearly 16% of its budget in 2022-2023. Tensions in US relations with the World Health Organization began after Trump introduced Robert F. Kennedy, one of the prominent anti-vaccine figures, as his cabinet secretary for health.
This is not the first time there have been whispers about the US withdrawing from the global body. Trump also began withdrawing from the WHO in 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic spread, accusing the organization of being dominated by China. But the process never ended.
At the time, Trump said during a press conference announcing the US’s formal withdrawal from the organization: “Because they have failed to make the necessary reforms, we will be terminating our relationship with the WHO today.” Trump accused the UN agency of being biased towards China and said: “The organization has not told the truth about what happened at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China.” Leaving the WHO in the coronavirus crisis has drawn criticism from even the closest US allies. For example, German Health Minister Jens Spahn criticized the US decision to sever ties with the organization, calling it “disappointing” and a “setback for global health.”
The World Health Organization is not the only victim of Trump’s reneging on commitments. Since taking office in January 2017, he has reneged on many of America’s obligations in the field of foreign relations.