US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The newly appointed US President approved the document after arriving back at the White House, saying, “Oh, it’s huge.” It was one of dozens of executive actions he signed on his first day in office.

This is the second time that Trump has ordered America out of WHO.

Trump was critical of how the international body handled COVID-19 and initiated the process of withdrawing from the Geneva-based organization during the pandemic. President Joe Biden later reversed that decision.

Taking this executive action on day one makes it more likely that the US will formally leave the global agency.

“They wanted us back very badly, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said in the Oval Office, referring to WHO. He perhaps hinted that America might eventually come back.

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The order said the U.S. was “blatant because of the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from inappropriate behavior.” “Retreating.” “Political influence of WHO member states”.

The executive order also said the withdrawal was the result of “unreasonably large payments” made by the US to WHO, which is part of the United Nations.

When Trump was first in office, he criticized the organization for being overly “China-centric” in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump accused the WHO of being biased towards China in how it issued guidance during the outbreak.

The US remains the WHO’s largest funder under the Biden administration and will contribute about a fifth of the agency’s budget in 2023.

The organisation’s annual budget is $6.8bn (£5.5bn).

It’s possible the funding could disappear almost immediately, and it’s unclear whether other countries will step in to fill the gap. The US withdrawal could impact WHO’s ability to respond to emergencies like the Ebola outbreak, or MPOX – let alone another COVID-19-style pandemic.

Public health experts have suggested that there could be other consequences for Americans’ health if progress in fighting infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS is reversed.

Ashish Jha, who formerly served as Covid-19 response coordinator under President Biden, previously warned that quitting would “not only harm the health of people around the world, but also undermine American leadership and scientific prowess.” There will be loss also”.

Lawrence Gostin, a global public health expert and Georgetown University professor, said, “This is a devastating presidential decision. Withdrawal is a serious wound to world health, but an even deeper wound to the US.”

There are also concerns that America’s withdrawal could ultimately open the door to more Chinese influence over the global body, not less.

The benefits of this move are minimal, but some argue that it could lead to further improvements in the way WHO works, meaning it would better meet the public health needs of people around the world.

If that happens, it could be enough to get the US back involved. However, the tone of the language coming from Washington suggests that this second attempt by President Trump to pull the US out of the international health body will not be reconsidered.

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