President Trump has threatened to permanently cut off funding to the World Health Organization and revoke U.S. membership, claiming the organization has shown an “alarming lack of independence” from China as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the world. In a Monday letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Trump said: “It is clear the repeated missteps by you and your organization in responding to the pandemic have been extremely costly for the world.” The president added: “The only way forward for the World Health Organization is if it can actually demonstrate independence from China.” The president suspended contributions to the group in April, pending an internal review of the WHO’s response to the pandemic. The four-page letter details the results of that review, alleging that the WHO ignored early reports of the virus spreading in Wuhan, failed to share information with other countries, and neglected to urge China to allow for an independent investigation into the origins of the virus.
