Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free
Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world
Donald Trump’s transition team is pushing to pull the US out of the World Health Organization on the first day of the new administration, according to experts who warn of its “catastrophic” impact on global health.
Members of Trump’s team have told experts of their intention to announce a withdrawal from the global health body in presidency at the January 20 inauguration. Leaving would remove the WHO’s biggest source of funding, harming its ability to respond to public health crises such as the coronavirus pandemic.
“America will leave a huge vacuum in global health finance and leadership. I don’t see anyone filling the breach,” said Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health at Georgetown Law, adding that the plan to -withdrawal “on the first day” would be “catastrophic” for the health of the world.
The clash in US relations with the WHO comes after Trump has chosen several allies, such as vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedyfor top health jobs in the next administration. Still, Gostin said he’s not sure Trump would place as high a priority on an immediate withdrawal as some on his team.
The US is the WHO largest single donorwhich provides about 16 percent of its funding in 2022-23.
In 2020, Trump began the process of leaving the WHO as Covid-19 spread, accusing the agency of being under Chinese control. But the process was not completed and his successor, Joe Biden relations are restarted with the agency on its first day in office in 2021.
Experts said some in Trump’s team wanted to move faster this time after starting the process so quickly.
Ashish Jha, Biden’s former White House Covid response co-ordinator and dean of the school of public health at Brown University, said the transition team wanted. Trump to withdraw on the first day because of the “symbolism” of reversing his own pace on the day of Biden’s inauguration.
“There are many people who will be part of the inner circle of the administration who do not trust the WHO and want to symbolically show a day without them,” he said.
He added that some of the team wanted to stay in the organization and push to reform it, but another group that believed in cutting ties won the argument.
The bodies are like WHO key to global cooperation in vaccine development and distribution as well as other treatments during health emergencies, Jha said.
“If you don’t join these institutions, you won’t have your ears on the ground when the next explosion happens,” he warned.
Gostin said there will be “very years for the WHO where it will struggle to respond to health emergencies and will have to reduce scientific staff.”
He warned that if the US leaves the WHO, European countries are unlikely to increase funding and China may try to exert more influence. “This is not a wise move because withdrawing would cede leadership to China,” he said.
The Trump transition team did not directly comment on the potential withdrawal. A person familiar with the plans told the Financial Times: “The same WHO we left behind in the first administration? We don’t seem to care much about what they have to say.”
The WHO did not comment. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the body’s director-general, said this month that it was an “unique organization” that hoped to engage with US policymakers.
“From our side, we are ready to cooperate,” he said. “I believe that US leaders understand that the US cannot be safe unless the rest of the world is safe.”