Trump re-signed executive order to 'leave the World Health Organization'

On his first day in office, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring the U.S. to withdraw from the World Health Organization, the WHO.

President Trump took this action at an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office on the 20th local time, criticizing the WHO's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an executive order released by the White House, Trump noted that "the World Health Organization has failed to adequately respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and other global health crises in Wuhan, China, failed to implement urgently called reforms, and failed to demonstrate its independence from improper political influence in member states."

In particular, he criticized, "The WHO is unreasonably asking the United States for an amount that cannot be compared to other countries' levies," adding, "China has a population of 1.4 billion, which is three times that of the United States, but only 90% of the amount contributes to the WHO."

The decision would see the U.S. exit the World Health Organization within a year and halt all financial contributions, with the U.S. being the WHO's largest financial sponsor, contributing about 18% of the total fund.

President Trump withdrew from the WHO in July 2020, at the end of his first term in office, taking issue with this, but his successor, former President Joe Biden, withdrew it on January 20, 2021, the day of his inauguration.