President Donald Trump began the process of withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) with an executive order, as he had indicated on his first day in office. Public health experts and scientists are concerned that international solidarity to prepare for the next pandemic will be seriously undermined, as it is expected to take at least a year to fully withdraw. There are also forecasts that the highly pathogenic avian influenza spreading in the U.S. could become a new test case for U.S. health.
The U.S. White House stated on the 20th (local time) that President Trump signed an executive order for the U.S. to withdraw from the WHO just eight hours after taking the oath of office. President Trump noted that the reason for the U.S. withdrawal was that "the WHO has responded poorly to the COVID-19 pandemic and has not implemented urgently needed reforms." He also claimed that "the WHO allows China to bear a low expense while unfairly passing the burdensome expense onto the U.S."
The U.S. withdrawal from the WHO was somewhat anticipated after President Trump successfully won re-election last year. During the presidential campaign, he publicly stated that he would prioritize withdrawing from the WHO if he were elected. In July 2020, President Trump also pushed to withdraw funding and membership from the WHO, alleging that it was covering up China's role as the origin of COVID-19. However, this did not lead to an actual withdrawal as President Trump failed to win re-election in the subsequent U.S. presidential election held that year.
◇The U.S. bears one-fifth of the costs…WHO will inevitably be impacted
Experts generally believe that President Trump's previous attempts to withdraw from the WHO were driven by a need for a scapegoat to cover his failures in handling COVID-19. Some experts view his current intention to withdraw again as an extension of this.
President Trump and the conservative camp have continuously raised concerns about the WHO's handling of the pandemic and vaccine policies until recently. Some members of the conservative camp argue that the U.S. bears an excessive burden unilaterally. In reality, the U.S. has played the role of the largest donor to the WHO. The U.S. contributed 20% of the WHO's budget of $6.8 billion (9.76 trillion won) used in 2022 and 2023.
The WHO has rebutted claims made by President Trump that it excessively interferes with the policies of member countries, stating that it is merely an agency coordinating public health without any coercive authority. Regarding the assertion that it imposes excessive expenses on the U.S., the WHO noted that the contributions made through its budget are voluntary and mentioned that the Gates Foundation contributes a similar amount to the U.S. government.
If the U.S., which contributes a significant budget, withdraws, the WHO will inevitably suffer its immediate impacts. The WHO expressed its regret over the announcement of the U.S. withdrawal on the 21st, stating that it hopes the U.S. government will reconsider. The international journal Science assessed that President Trump's recent executive order is a decision unworthy of a country that considers itself a major power.
◇A boomerang for the U.S. medical community…Access to global health data becomes difficult
Major U.S. media and health policy experts warn that the U.S. is also likely to suffer considerable damage. The New York Times expressed concern that "if the U.S. withdraws, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will no longer have access to the global health data provided by the WHO." This means the U.S. could become blind to global health information and that American doctors and scientists might be excluded from vital scientific and medical information.
The WHO provides extensive health and welfare data on a daily basis for health officials, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies around the world. It collects various disease mortality rates, drug manufacturing information, and genomic data from various countries and shares them with its member states. In war-torn regions like Gaza, it also collects healthcare situations and provides information about rapidly spreading infectious diseases like the Zika virus, Ebola, and COVID-19. In fact, China collected and provided the genomic sequence of the COVID-19 virus to the WHO in 2020. The WHO shared this information with its member states, and some countries, including the U.S. and the UK, successfully rushed to develop vaccines and treatments based on this information.
U.S. health experts point out that the departure from the WHO is likely to return as a boomerang to American society. As infectious diseases like COVID-19 usually spread worldwide within weeks, collaboration with the WHO is unavoidable. Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert and professor at Georgetown University, noted in an interview with The New York Times that "the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO will not only hurt public health in the U.S. but will also inflict deeper wounds on national interests and security."
◇Impact on pandemic treaty…Concerns over avian influenza spread
The withdrawal of the U.S. has also struck a significant blow to the pandemic treaty led by the WHO, which involves participation from various countries. The WHO is promoting an international agreement that grants countries legal obligations for new pathogen surveillance, rapid data sharing on outbreaks, and establishing vaccine and treatment supply chains to prevent a second pandemic. The Republican Party and the conservative camp of the U.S. have expressed opposition to participation in this agreement, claiming that it threatens U.S. sovereignty. Thomas Frieden, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and leader of the global health organization Resolve to Save Lives, said in an interview with Science, "There is essentially no organization that can replace the WHO," adding that "this decision will diminish U.S. influence and increase the risk of deadly pandemics."
Health experts warn that the global response to highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) could encounter a serious crisis immediately. Last year, highly pathogenic viruses were discovered in milk in the U.S. and fatalities linked to infections in birds have been reported, indicating that the situation is becoming increasingly serious. If the U.S. withdraws from the WHO, the obligation to monitor and report on the infectious disease situation in the U.S. will disappear. President Trump claimed five years ago that the WHO assisted in covering up China's role as the origin of COVID-19. Experts are closely observing whether the U.S. will promptly inform about pandemics like avian influenza in the absence of the WHO.
On the other hand, some argue that if major global health policies continue to be obstructed by the Trump administration, it might be better to proceed without the U.S. It appears there will be a delay in the U.S. withdrawal. According to the WHO, a member country must notify its intention to withdraw one year in advance, and the budget execution for the current fiscal year must be conducted. While the possibility is small this time around during the early Trump administration, theoretically, the U.S. Congress could oppose the withdrawal. Additionally, many of America's allied countries hope that President Trump will change his mind. It is also notable that some policy makers in the Trump administration show signs of delaying or opposing the withdrawal from the WHO.
◇Climate agreement and energy emergency measures will weaken American science
On the same day, President Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, and declared a national energy emergency, taking measures that will reshape the scientific landscape in the U.S. President Trump has repeatedly stated his intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming levels to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, arguing that global warming has been exaggerated.
During his first term, the withdrawal process took nearly three years due to agreement rules, and his successor, President Joe Biden, reversed the withdrawal procedure immediately after taking office. However, this time, it is expected that the withdrawal process will take only one year. Scientists believe that if the U.S., the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, withdraws, it will diminish the justification for pressuring other emitting countries such as China and India. Additionally, emergency measures may lead to the resumption of fossil energy projects that were previously obstructed by federal regulations and endangered species protection laws.
Some experts believe that while President Trump's policies are powerful, they are likely to soon encounter limitations in economic logic. In the case of energy policies, it is anticipated that investments will continue to grow as solar and wind energy become significantly cheaper.
The international journal Nature pointed out through various experts that President Trump's executive order is designed to shift the priorities of policies regarding various scientific issues, including climate and public health. It also analyzed that the goal is to reduce the number of government personnel, including American scientists, and potentially weaken their authority. Gretchen Goldman, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a prominent scientific organization in the U.S., stated, "The message of the executive orders confirmed over the past few days is clear," adding that "the Trump administration is trying to weaken the processes leading to science-based policy decisions."
References
Whitehouse (2025), https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/withdrawing-the-united-states-from-the-worldhealth-organization/
Science (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.zxvum0n
Nature (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00197-x