Trump had been a long-time critic of international organizations, but his frustration with WHO peaked during the COVID-19 crisis. He saw the WHO as a failing institution, particularly in its handling of the pandemic’s early days.
🔹 1. Accusations of Favoring China
Trump accused the WHO of being too close to China, failing to challenge its lack of transparency regarding the origins of COVID-19.
- The first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, but Trump believed China had delayed sharing critical information with the world.
- He pointed fingers at WHO for not taking strong action against China’s secrecy and for initially downplaying human-to-human transmission, which delayed global preparedness.
🔹 2. “America Pays More, Gets Less” – The Funding Dispute
Trump was also angry about the unequal financial contributions to WHO.
- The U.S. was WHO’s largest donor, contributing $400–500 million annually, while China contributed only $40 million.
- Despite this, Trump felt that WHO was favoring China over the U.S. and not using American funding effectively.
🔹 3. WHO’s Alleged Mishandling of COVID-19
The Trump administration believed WHO failed to contain the pandemic in time.
- The WHO only declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020, despite earlier warnings.
- The official pandemic declaration did not come until March 11, 2020, by which time the virus had already spread globally.
- Trump viewed this delayed response as catastrophic, causing unnecessary deaths and economic collapse.
🔹 4. “America First” – A Pattern of Global Withdrawals
Trump had always pushed an “America First” policy, where the U.S. reduced involvement in global agreements and organizations that he believed were not benefiting the country.
Leaving WHO was seen as part of this broader strategy—to reduce U.S. dependency on international bodies.
He had previously withdrawn from the Paris Climate Accord and the Iran Nuclear Deal.
