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Trump eyes early exit from WHO: report

Dec 23, 2024, 6:35am EST
North America
Donald Trump at a meeting of House Republicans on Capitol Hill
Brian Snyder/File Photo/Reuters
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The News

US President-elect Donald Trump apparently plans to pull the country out of the World Health Organization “on day one.”

Health experts told the Financial Times that they had been warned by members of Trump’s transition team of the decision, adding that a withdrawal would have “catastrophic” impacts on global health.

The US is the WHO’s biggest backer, providing 16% of its funds. But Trump has long been a skeptic: He began withdrawing the country during his first administration, saying it had done too little to slow the spread of COVID-19, although the process was unfinished.

Trump’s planned appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary suggests that his contrarian attitude to mainstream health and science positions remains.

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