WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to officially pull the United States out of the World Health Organization (WHO). This move, announced on Monday (local time), follows months of criticism towards the WHO, which Trump accused of mishandling the COVID-19 crisis and not effectively addressing other global health issues.

In his executive order, President Trump reiterated that the decision to withdraw, first announced in July 2020, was prompted by the WHO’s inability to manage the COVID-19 outbreak, which began in Wuhan, China. He also criticized the organization for failing to tackle other major health concerns and for its ongoing susceptibility to political pressure from its member states.

“The U.S. commenced its departure from the WHO in 2020, due to its mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health emergencies, the order stated. “The WHO also failed to adopt needed reforms and remains overly influenced by political forces within its members.”

The order also highlighted the unequal financial contributions to the WHO, with the US shouldering a significantly larger share than other countries. It particularly called out China, stating that the contributions from China were far smaller despite its much larger population.

“Moreover, the WHO continues to demand unfair financial contributions from the United States, which are far higher than those expected from other countries. For example, China, with a population of 1.4 billion, contributes almost 90% less to the WHO than the United States,” the order continued.

Trump further elaborated on this financial disparity during a statement in the Oval Office. He pointed out that the US had contributed $500 million to the WHO, while China, with a far larger population, only contributed $39 million. This stark imbalance, according to Trump, played a significant role in his decision to withdraw from the organization.

“We paid USD500-MlLn to the WHO, while China, with 1.4-bn people, only paid USD 39-MLln ,” Trump stated. “That seemed quite unfair to me.”

In his comments, Trump also touched on the ongoing issue with TikTok, warning that he could impose tariffs on China if the country did not approve a deal with the social media company. The potential for trade sanctions was framed as leverage in negotiations, showcasing Trump’s strategy of using economic pressure to secure favorable terms for the US.

“If China doesn’t approve the TikTok deal, we could impose tariffs,” Trump added. “Before I came into office, China never contributed a cent to this country. They took advantage of us and never paid anything.”

This executive order marks a significant shift in US foreign policy under Trump, signaling the country’s exit from the WHO. The decision also comes as Trump begins his second term in office, having been sworn in earlier in the day as the 47th President of the United States.