FT, ‘Trump transition team wants to leave WHO on day one’

(Adnkronos) – Donald Trump’s transition team is pushing to get the United States out of the World Health Organization on the first day of the new administration. The Financial Times writes, citing members of the tycoon’s team, that they have talked about the intention to announce a withdrawal from the global health body on the occasion of the inauguration of the president-elect on 20 January. The exit would wipe out the WHO’s main source of funding. 

“America will leave a huge void in global health funding and leadership. I don’t see anyone filling the gap,” said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health at Georgetown Law, adding that the plan to withdraw “on day one” would be “catastrophic” for global health. The announcement of the United States’ intention to withdraw from the WHO comes after Trump’s appointment of several associates, such as vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, to top health roles in the next administration. However, Gostin said he was not sure Trump would prioritize an immediate withdrawal as much as some on his team would like. 

The United States is the WHO’s largest single donor, having donated approximately 16% of its total funding to the organization in 2022-2023. In 2020, Trump initiated the process to leave the WHO as Covid-19 spread, accusing the agency of being under the control of China. But the process was never completed and his successor Joe Biden had resumed relations with the agency on his first day in office in 2021.