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Donald Trump’s transition team is pushing for the US to withdraw from the World Health Organization on the first day of the new administration, according to experts who warn of the “catastrophic” effect it would have on global health.
Members of Trump’s team have told experts they intend to announce their withdrawal from the global health body on inauguration of the newly elected president on January 20. A departure 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 financing and leadership. I don’t see anyone filling the hole,” said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health at Georgetown Law, adding that a “day one” withdrawal plan would be “catastrophic” for global health.
The battle over US-WHO relations comes after Trump nominated several allies, such as vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedyfor top healthcare jobs in the next administration. However, Gostin said he wasn’t sure Trump would make an immediate withdrawal as high a priority as some on his team.
USA is WHO the largest individual donorproviding about 16 percent of its funds in the period 2022-23.
In 2020, Trump began the process of leaving the WHO as Covid-19 spread, accusing the agency of being controlled by China. But the process was never completed by his successor, Joe Biden restart relationships with the agency on the first day in the office in 2021.
Experts have been told that some in Trump’s team want to move much faster this time after starting the process immediately.
Ashish Jha, Biden’s former White House Covid response coordinator and dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, said the transition team wants Trump withdraw on the first day because of the “symbolism” of reversing Biden’s move on Inauguration Day.
“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 on day one that they are out,” he said.
He added that some in the team wanted to stay with the organization and try to reform it, but another group that believed in cutting ties was winning the argument.
Bodies such as WHO they are key to global cooperation to develop and distribute vaccines as well as other treatments during health emergencies, Jha said.
“If you are not engaged in these institutions, you will not have your ears to the ground when the next epidemic occurs,” he warned.
Gostin said there will be “very bad years for the WHO, where it will struggle to respond to health emergencies and will have to significantly reduce its 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. “That would not be a smart move because pulling out would leave the lead to China,” he said.
Trump’s transition team did not directly comment on the potential withdrawal. One person familiar with the plans told the Financial Times: “The same WHO we left in the first administration? It seems we couldn’t care less what they have to say.”
The WHO did not comment. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the body’s director-general, said this month that it was a “unique organization” that hoped to partner with US policymakers.
“For our part, we are ready to work together,” he said. “I believe that American leaders understand that the United States cannot be safe if the rest of the world is not safe.”
