President Trump Halts WHO Funding Citing Mismanagement Of Pandemic

President Donald Trump has put an end to the $400-500 million funding the United States provides to the World Health Organization, pending further reviews.

What Happened

Speaking at the daily White House coronavirus briefing, Trump accused the WHO of mismanaging the COVID-19 pandemic.

“So much death has been caused by their mistakes,” remarked the president. Trump clarified that the administration would continue to engage with the international organization.

Trump lambasted the WHO for opposing travel restrictions from China and other nations, even as the pandemic spread worldwide. Lavishing praise on his own timely action, the President remarked, “Fortunately, I was not convinced and suspended travel from China saving untold numbers of lives.” 

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Why It Matters 

The WHO was founded on April 7, 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

The U.S. is the largest donor to the specialized agency of the United Nations. WHO utilizes the money for headquarters operations, regions, or specific program areas, according to its website.

Trump had threatened to cut the agency's funding earlier this month, calling it China-centric. The president had then remarked, “We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it and we're going to see.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly 2 million people globally and killed 126,681. The United States is the worst-hit country with 609,240 infections and 26,033 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Photo Credit: Public domain image via Wikimedia.