Washington, D.C.,Dec 24: Former President Donald Trump’s transition team is preparing to formally withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the first day of his new administration, following a plan first initiated in 2020. Sources close to the transition said the announcement could coincide with Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025.
The United States is the WHO’s largest donor, contributing 16% of its funding for the 2022-23 period. A U.S. departure would create a significant void in the global health body’s financial support, raising concerns about its ability to manage future health crises, including potential pandemics.
Trump’s initial decision to withdraw from the WHO, announced in 2020, was driven by his administration’s belief that the organization had become overly influenced by China. In a statement at the time, the Trump administration accused the WHO of failing to adequately respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and other global health crises, arguing that it had not adopted the necessary reforms and lacked independence from the Chinese Communist Party.
The proposed withdrawal would reverse a key decision made by President Joe Biden, who rejoined the WHO on his first day in office in 2021, signaling a shift in U.S. foreign policy toward global health cooperation.
If the U.S. pulls out of the WHO, analysts warn that European countries will likely be unable to compensate for the financial gap left by the U.S., which has provided the organization with billions of dollars in funding.
“America is going to leave a huge vacuum in global health financing and leadership,” said Lawrence Gostin, a global health law professor at Georgetown University. “I see no one that is going to fill the breach.” Gostin called the potential decision “catastrophic” for the WHO’s ability to address public health emergencies, told Reuters.
Ashish Jha, former Covid response coordinator under the Biden administration, echoed these concerns. He warned that U.S. disengagement would harm global health surveillance and preparedness for future pandemics, stressing that without active participation in institutions like the WHO, the U.S. would have no “ears to the ground” when the next outbreak occurs.
“If you’re not engaged in these institutions, you do not have ears to the ground when the next outbreak happens,” Jha told The Financial Times.
Despite the potential fallout, there is a debate within Trump’s camp about how best to approach the WHO. Some advisers advocate for reforming the organization from within, rather than withdrawing entirely. However, those pushing for a complete break with the WHO appear to have the upper hand, making it likely that the U.S. will proceed with the withdrawal as planned.
The potential decision to exit the WHO marks a significant step in Trump’s broader foreign policy agenda, which has focused on reducing U.S. involvement in multilateral organizations that he perceives as ineffective or biased.
