By Janet Ekstract NEW YORK – Despite President Donald Trump’s brilliant inaugural speech, some of his decisions made on his first day in office, could be construed as rash by analysts and experts. Public health experts are criticizing one immediate move in an executive order issued by Trump to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO) an organization he has been particularly critical of. Trump formally began the withdrawal process from WHO in July 2020 but four years ago with President Biden in the White House, the process was stopped. Monday’s executive order reads in part that the “organization’s mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, 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.” These are reasons stated for the withdrawal from WHO but the major reason is that in terms of economics, Trump said the U.S. was overfunding WHO compared to other countries. Trump in 2020, had also accused WHO of allegedly along with China, covering up the origins of Covid-19 and allowing its spread.
WHO has not yet commented on the executive order but in 2020, lawmakers among both Republicans and Democrats had been critical of the international health organization. Despite the criticism, a number of lawmakers at that time, denounced Trump’s decision with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi labeling it “an act of true senselessness.” Meanwhile, in a CNN interview on Monday, former White House Covid-19 response coordinator during the Biden administration Dr. Ashish Jha called Trump’s current decision a “strategic error,” and said “WHO is a pretty essential organization – and with America’s withdrawal, it creates a political vacuum that only one country can fill – and that is China.” In his interview, Jha said he foresees China stepping up as a major funder without U.S. leadership and funding, which Jha said “gives China more political influence around the world.”
Meanwhile, other experts are weighing in on Trump’s decision. In a post on X, a Georgetown University public health law professor Lawrence Gostin wrote that Trump pulling of WHO is “the most momentous of all” of his executive actions taken on Monday. As Gostin added “It’s a cataclysmic presidential decision. Withdrawal is a grievous wound to world health, but a still deeper wound to the US.” Gostin, who is also the O’Neill Chair in Global Health Law at Georgetown Law said in a later post that Trump’s action is “riddled with legal & factual errors.” Gostin further explained “Trump isn’t waiting a year as Congress required. He’s unraveling US engagement & funding now. That’s unlawful & a grave strategic error.” Jha warned that a withdrawal from WHO not only weakens it as an international organization because WHO heavily relies on US staff and expertise, especially when it comes to tracking global influenza. This executive action means that the U.S secretary of state and the director of the Office of Management and Budget will “pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support or resources” for the WHO. Legally, it takes a year to fully withdraw from WHO and there is still an obligation for the US to fund the organization for a year but as Jha pointed out to CNN –“But who’s going to enforce the obligation? Is Donald Trump going to be cowed by global norms around these things?”
