Americans may be disconnected from the early global pandemic alerts.

The transition team of President-elect Donald Trump is preparing a plan to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) on 20 January, the day of the next administration’s inauguration. Experts warn this move could have a “catastrophic” impact on global health, undermining the WHO’s ability to address emergencies and significantly reducing its funding.

The Financial Times quotes members of Trump’s team as saying that the new administration intends to announce the withdrawal immediately, removing the WHO’s largest single donor. The U.S. had provided about 16% of the organization’s funding for the 2022-23 period. This abrupt departure would leave a leadership and financing gap in global health efforts, according to Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health at Georgetown Law.

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“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,” he stated, adding that the plan would be “catastrophic” for global health.

The plan reflects longstanding tensions between the Trump administration and the WHO. In 2020, Trump initiated a withdrawal from the organization, accusing it of being influenced by China during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the process was never completed, and President Joe Biden rejoined the WHO on his first day in office in 2021.

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Now, some within Trump’s team are reportedly pushing for a faster and more symbolic exit to counter Biden’s 2021 decision, in spite of some advisors arguing for staying in the WHO and advocating for reforms.

Losing WTO membership would leave the U.S. weaker to global health risks. One is the disconnection from the early global pandemic alerts. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Trump was skeptical of the disease and responded late to prevent hundreds of thousands of Americans die.

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