Trump Withdraws U.S. from World Health Organization, Endangering Lives

January 20, 2025

Trump Withdraws U.S. from World Health Organization, Endangering Lives

WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). Peter Maybarduk, Access to Medicines director for Public Citizen, released the following statement:

"In withdrawing from the WHO, Trump is harming not just the rest of the world but every American. Pulling out of the organization best able to mobilize countries to do their part fighting deadly viruses that kill Americans and don't care about borders is not putting America first. It's putting Americans at risk.

"As terrible as COVID was, it could have been much worse. U.S. cooperation with WHO and its partners to identify threats and deploy countermeasures saved millions of lives, including American lives. Many more American lives could have been saved through faster action to fight COVID variants everywhere.

"Global health cooperation will only become more important in the years to come, as new diseases arise and spread thanks to the impact of worsening climate change.

"This still is one world, like it or not, and viruses don't discriminate."