Trumps Severs US Ties to World Health Organization

Last month, President Trump halted US payments to the World Health Organization and accused the world body of botching the initial response to the outbreak of COVID-19. On Friday, he went further, announcing that the US was ending its relationship with the WHO altogether, reports CNN. Trump again accused the organization of being under the sway of Beijing, and he asserted that China pressured the organization to mislead the world about the outbreak when the virus first surfaced there, per the AP.

"We will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization and directing those funds to worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs,” Trump said in a statement from the Rose Garden, per Politico. He also noted that the US gives about $450 million to the WHO, compared to $40 million for China. The US is the biggest contributor to the world body, and the move could "significantly weaken" the organization, according to the AP. (More President Trump stories.)