The plan, which aligns with Trump’s longstanding criticism of the U.N. health agency, would mark a dramatic shift in U.S. global health policy and further isolate Washington from international efforts to battle pandemics.
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Critics warn that a US withdrawal from WHO could undermine global disease surveillance and emergency response systems. Image- AFP file
Members of Donald Trump’s presidential transition team are reportedly preparing for the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) on first day of his second term, according to health law expert Lawrence Gostin, who is familiar with the discussions.
”I have it on good authority that he plans to withdraw, probably on Day One or very early in his administration,” said Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health at Georgetown University in Washington and director of the WHO Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law.
The Financial Times was the first to report on the plans.
This move, which aligns with Trump’s long-standing criticism of the WHO, would mark a significant shift in U.S. global health policy, further distancing the country from international efforts to combat pandemics.
Trump has nominated several critics of the organization to top public health positions, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic who is up for the post of secretary of Health and Human Services, which oversees all major U.S. health agencies including the CDC and FDA.
Trump initiated the year-long withdrawal process from the WHO in 2020 but six months l