Trump’s transition team seeks to pull US out of WHO ‘on day one'

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is reportedly planning to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) on his first day in office, according to the Financial Times, citing concerns raised by public health experts about the potential global repercussions.

“America is going to leave a huge vacuum in global health financing and leadership. I see no one that is going to fill the breach,” one expert warned, as quoted in the report.

The United States is the largest donor to the WHO, providing approximately 16% of its funding for the 2022-2023 period, according to the Financial Times.

Trump previously severed ties with the WHO in 2020 during his first term, accusing the UN public health agency of failing to adequately address the initial spread of COVID-19.

The president-elect recently announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine skeptic, as his nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.