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As Trump finalises the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization, individual states are already pushing back, signalling early resistance to the decision.
Anyone who is well informed about world affairs knows about the World Health Organization, and the powerhouse that it is.
The organisation was founded shortly after World War II, since which it has been instrumental in setting standards and responding to global health crises. It led the eradication of smallpox, developed Ebola vaccines, spearheaded COVID-19 reforms, and just two years ago helped seven countries eliminate diseases like leprosy and trachoma.
For all it has done, it has become a central authority on international public health by enforcing norms like the International Health Regulations and fostering collaboration amid the globalisation of diseases.
Its 194 member states come together to implement decisions, advise policies, and prepare agendas. Their efforts come together and shape international priorities like pandemic response and disease eradication.
Despite its many accomplishments, however, President Trump has finally bookended his public reticence against the WHO by publicly disassociating from the organisation, even as states such as Illinois and New York have moved to retain their own working relationships with the body
A brief timeline
Trumpโs wish for the US to leave the renowned organisation isnโt new. Efforts to do so have been laid out since his first term in the Oval Office. In April 2020, he halted US funding to the WHO. 3 months later, he notified the United Nations of his intent to withdraw, starting a one-year process which was to be effective July 6, 2021.
The one-year withdrawal process stems from a condition set by the US Congress when the nationโs membership was approved in 1948. As the WHO constitution lacks a formal withdrawal clause, US domestic legislation governs the 12-month notice period.
In 2021, when Joe Biden took office, he immediately sought to reverse Trumpโs mandate. Nonetheless, on the first day of Trumpโs second term in 2025, he signed an executive order to restart the withdrawal process, leaving the US officially outside the WHO as of January 22.
Trumpโs logic
So, why was he so hard on leaving the organisation? For starters, China.
Rooted in events from early 2020, during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, Trump accused the WHO of mishandling investigations into the virus. He argued that it had severely mismanaged and covered up the pandemicโs spread, preventing vital information sharing, especially regarding the virusโs origins tied to Wuhan.
This was reemphasised when he signed the executive order last year, blaming the WHO for failing to investigate lab leak theories aggressively.
He further criticised China for exerting a disproportionate amount of influence in WHO leadership and decisions. For context, the US contributed between 15% and 22% of the organisationโs budget, amounting to around $1 billion in 2022-2023 alone. This contrasts with Chinaโs contribution of only 1% to 2%.
Trump viewed this as unfair, with China paying less but shaping narratives, while the US bore the bulk of the cost without similar control within the body. Yet, amid the US departure, China pledged to provide an additional $500 million to the WHO over the next five years.
