'Ripped us off': Trump signs executive order to withdraw from WHO for second time

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday directing the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), citing the organization's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and China's influence over the body.
The move comes as the second time Trump has sought to sever ties with the WHO, with the first attempt being reversed under former president Joe Biden's administration.
Speaking at the White House hours after his inauguration, Trump stated, "World Health ripped us off," emphasizing that the United States was paying far more to the UN body compared to China.
The United States, being the largest donor to the Geneva-based organization, provides substantial financial support crucial to the WHO's operations, and its withdrawal is expected to trigger a significant restructuring of the institution and potentially disrupt global health initiatives further.

Trump's executive order directed agencies to "pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO" and to "identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO."
The administration also announced plans to review and rescind Biden's 2024 US Global Health Security Strategy, designed to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats, "as soon as practicable."
The timing of the US withdrawal coincides with mounting fears over the pandemic potential of the current bird flu outbreak (H5N1), which has infected dozens and claimed one life in the United States.
Meanwhile, WHO member states have been negotiating the world's first treaty on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response since late 2021, negotiations that will now proceed without US participation.
The global health body stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in funding following Trump's order.
This marks Trump's second attempt to withdraw the US from the WHO. In July 2020, he sent a letter to WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus notifying him of the US intention to withdraw within a year, accusing the WHO of helping China mislead the world about the spread of Covid-19. However, after Trump's defeat in the 2020 election, President Joe Biden reversed the decision upon taking office in January 2021.
The Executive Order also calls for establishing directorates and coordinating mechanisms within the National Security Council apparatus as Trump deems necessary and appropriate to safeguard public health and fortify biosecurity.