Trump’s first step: US withdraws from WHO and stops fighting COVID-19
21 January 09:17
US President Donald Trump has signed a decree to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). The document, signed on January 20, 2025, provides for the immediate cessation of funding for the organization and the recall of all American employees and contractors, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
The document states that the decision to withdraw is due to the poor management of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global health crises. The United States also accuses the WHO of failing to implement the necessary reforms and demonstrate independence from the political influence of its member states.
Separately, the decree emphasizes the unfair distribution of the financial burden among member states. In particular, it is noted that China, with a population of 1.4 billion people (three times the population of the United States), pays almost 90% less in contributions to the organization.
According to the decree, the US Secretary of State must immediately notify the UN Secretary-General and the WHO leadership of the country’s withdrawal from the organization. The US also suspends all negotiations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement and amendments to the International Health Regulations.
The document provides for the creation of alternative mechanisms for protecting public health and strengthening biosecurity within the framework of the US National Security Council. The Administration is instructed to identify reliable and transparent American and international partners as soon as possible to take over the functions previously performed by the WHO.
The order reverses the Biden administration’s previous decision of January 20, 2021, to return the United States to the WHO and revokes the January 25, 2021, executive order to mobilize the US government to fight COVID-19.
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Donald Trump and COVID-19
At the end of 2019, the vast majority of countries in the world, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, began to fight the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, which was called a pandemic. Many governments have imposed severe restrictions, including lockdowns, mandatory masks, social distancing, compulsory vaccination, and restrictions on the unvaccinated. These measures have had a significant impact on people’s daily lives, restricting their rights and freedoms.
Donald Trump, who was President of the United States until January 20, 2021, was skeptical of these activities and called the virus itself “Chinese.” However, restrictive measures in the United States took place during his presidency, although they peaked in 2021, including significant restrictions on social life for those who refused to be vaccinated, under Biden’s presidency.
Over time, official reports and studies began to appear that questioned the effectiveness and necessity of many of these measures. For example, in October 2024, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce released a report criticizing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for spending $911 million on a campaign to promote COVID-19 vaccinations. The report states that HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disseminated information that exaggerated the risks of the virus to children and the effectiveness of vaccines. The report states that the Biden administration and the CDC have effectively intimidated US citizens without evidence to make the unvaccinated believe that getting vaccinated is the only way to return to normal life.
Donald Trump, no longer president, has consistently criticized such measures. He especially criticized the World Health Organization as the coordinator of this policy.
It is also worth noting that on January 20, 2025, a few hours before the end of his presidential term, US President Joe Biden preemptively pardoned a number of officials, protecting them from any future prosecution. Among them was the former White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is considered the “godfather” of the American policy of restricting people’s rights and freedoms during the fight against COVID-19.