On 20 January 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order announcing that the US would withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). On his first official day back in office, the president cited the “organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic . . . and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states,” as well as disproportionate financial contributions compared to other countries as reasons for the withdrawal.
The World Health Organization, comprising 194 member states, promotes global health and safety through data collection, coordinated responses to health emergencies, and setting international health standards, among other roles.
This is not the first time President Trump has issued a withdrawal from the World Health Organization. In 2020, his administration announced a similar withdrawal, but it was ultimately rescinded by his successor President Joseph Biden.