[Smithy]

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he is halting funding to the World Health Organization while a review is conducted.

Trump said the review would cover the WHO's "role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus."

Trump's announcement comes in the middle of the worst global pandemic in decades and as he angrily defends his own handling of the outbreak in the United States.

Amid swirling questions about whether he downplayed the crisis or ignored warnings from members of his administration about its potential severity, Trump has sought to assign blame elsewhere, including at the WHO and in the news media.

The US funds $400 million to $500 million to the WHO each year, Trump said, noting that China "contributes roughly $40 million."

"Had the WHO done its job to get medical experts into China to objectively assess the situation on the ground and to call out China's lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained at its source with very little death," Trump said.

His decision to withdraw funding from the WHO follows a pattern of skepticism of world organizations that began well before the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has questioned US funding to the United Nations, withdrawn from global climate agreements and lambasted the World Trade Organization -- claiming all were ripping off the United States.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said earlier Tuesday that while the WHO and China "made mistakes," Trump is also looking to deflect blame from his own administration.
"Right now, there is a very coordinated effort amongst the White House and their allies to try to find scapegoats for the fatal mistakes that the President made during the early stages of this virus," he said.

Murphy added: "It is just wildly ironic that the President and his allies are now criticizing China or the WHO for being soft on China when it was in fact the President who was the chief apologist for China during the early stages of this crisis."

Trump said Tuesday if the WHO had acted appropriately, he could have instituted a travel ban on people coming from China sooner.

He said the WHO made a "dangerous and costly" decision to oppose travel restrictions from China.

But just days before Trump instituted his ban on travelers from China, he also was praising the country.

On January 24, Trump tweeted: "China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!"

Later Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed Trump's criticism of the WHO, but did not specifically react to the announcement that the US would withhold funds from the global body.

"We need answers to these questions, we need transparency and we need the World Health Organization to do its job, to perform its primary function, which is to make sure that the world has accurate, timely, effective, real information about what's going on in the global health space, and they didn't get that done here," Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity.

Pompeo had reiterated the administration's dissatisfaction with the international organization amid the coronavirus pandemic in a series of interviews prior to the President's announcement.

"The World Health Organization in its history has done some good work. Unfortunately, here it didn't hit the top of its game, and we need to make sure that we push through efforts to fundamentally change that or make a different decision that says we're going to do our part to make sure that these important world health obligations, things that frankly keep Americans safe too, actually function," Pompeo said in an interview with "Good Morning Orlando."

And just weeks earlier, Pompeo and the State Department had highlighted the US contribution to the global pandemic response, including its role as "the largest supporter of the World Health Organization since its creation in 1948."

Tuesday's announcement about the halting of funding came days after a major US ally -- the United Kingdom -- announced an additional £65 million contribution to the WHO.

The move to freeze the funding is the latest in a series of administration actions against international multilateral organizations. Prior to the pandemic, the administration's fiscal year 2021 proposal laid out a $65 million cut to the World Health Organization -- a more than 50% decrease over FY20.

Jesus Christ

He will literally go down in history as the worst president ever

[Nicky91]

really terrible decision, yes why go fund the world's health organization

maybe pressure is just getting to poor Donnie, a bit too much

[smudgie]

He has to blame someone.
Hopefully people will open their eyes and vote against him in the next election.

[Nicky91]

also hypocrisy of Trump talking about mismanagement in WHO, talking about dangers of them ''being opposed'' to travel restrictions from china

Donnie had been kinda opposed to any of what his virologists said too (going as far as wanting to fire doctor anthony fauci) also very much ignoring new york


and as if Donnie will lose that election against creepy rapist Biden

[arista]

Yes 26,059 Deaths in USA
this hour.


W.H.O. failed to warn America
at the the start.


Trump's Republicans
back him, mostly
on this.

[LeatherTrumpet]

The WHO is China-centric and Donald has every right to call out its bias. China needs to take responsibility for where this pandemic started and how.

[arista]

Yes Wet Markets
are back in China
The Government allow them , again.

[arista]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

The WHO is China-centric and Donald has every right to call out its bias. China needs to take responsibility for where this pandemic started and how.

Worse China is Now assisting
Italy supplying alot
getting help but also
buying up many business.

They started this mess
and now are getting into Nations
they never had connections with.......................

[arista]

"while a review is conducted."


Infact Smithy your Title is wrong
edit it to

"Trump wants to..........................."

[Oliver_W]

Has the WHO actually been handling it well?

[Smithy]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

Has the WHO actually been handling it well?

They provided all the relevant information to governing bodies back in December, if those bodies chose to ignore the warning, or act late on it, that is their fault not the WHO

[bitontheslide]

being realistic the WHO have done more harm than good in this pandemic, the point where it should have stood up and earned the donations it's been getting. That said, Trump is doing it to deflect the pressure from his own incompetence, so a case of right thing, wrong reasons

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by arista

Worse China is Now assisting
Italy supplying alot
getting help but also
buying up many business.

They started this mess
and now are getting into Nations
they never had connections with.......................

[arista]

Originally Posted by Smithy

They provided all the relevant information to governing bodies back in December, if those bodies chose to ignore the warning, or act late on it, that is their fault not the WHO

Yes some nations
like Sweden

[bitontheslide]

italy's financial mess is of its own making

[arista]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

Italy's financial mess is of its own making

Yes before the Virus hit them
they were fighting the EU with Germany
who were only go to Loan them

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

being realistic the WHO have done more harm than good in this pandemic, the point where it should have stood up and earned the donations it's been getting. That said, Trump is doing it to deflect the pressure from his own incompetence, so a case of right thing, wrong reasons

How have they done more harm than good? The information and advice was there... some nations took it and some stalled.

[Toy Soldier]

I don't think RIGHT NOW is the time to be suddenly halting funding, obviously, but some close scrutiny is needed at some point. I know propaganda when I see it and the WHO was quite blatantly at times spouting CCP propaganda in Jan/Feb. I have no idea why and I'm not into the conspiracy theories, but there has been something very odd going on with the WHO and China.

I remember reading some of their statements back at the beginning of this, before we even knew it was going to be a pandemic, and before I'd seen anyone else questioning the WHO, and just thinking "What the **** am I reading right now? Why does it sound like government PR?"

[Tom4784]

He's a narcissist that very recently tried to make out that he has total authority as president, he basically is trying to consolidate his power and become an unofficial king.

Even a veteran host of Fox News called out this bull**** and said that the Right Wing would have lost their mind if Obama pulled this **** but they are cheering Trump for doing the same.

He needs to be stopped but he won't because stupidity has enabled him time and time again and there's no end to it. He will probably get re-elected and will probably go on to start a Dynasty that will **** the entire world over and his supporters will gladly bend over and lube up for it.

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

He's a narcissist that very recently tried to make out that he has total authority as president, he basically is trying to consolidate his power and become an unofficial king.

Even a veteran host of Fox News called out this bull**** and said that the Right Wing would have lost their mind if Obama pulled this **** but they are cheering Trump for doing the same.

He needs to be stopped but he won't because stupidity has enabled him time and time again and there's no end to it. He will probably get re-elected and will probably go on to start a Dynasty that will **** the entire world over and his supporters will gladly bend over and lube up for it.

I dunno, he might get Covid and die

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

How have they done more harm than good? The information and advice was there... some nations took it and some stalled.

Its like you are suggesting that every country is the same size, same population make-up, same economic set-up, got the virus at the same time, in the same way and was equally affected?

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

Its like you are suggesting that every country is the same size, same population make-up, same economic set-up, got the virus at the same time, in the same way and was equally affected?

Well there you are, there's always an excuse for not listening to the advise... Our nation is too big/ small/ powerful/ rich/ isolated to be impacted. Only they aren't.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I don't think RIGHT NOW is the time to be suddenly halting funding, obviously, but some close scrutiny is needed at some point. I know propaganda when I see it and the WHO was quite blatantly at times spouting CCP propaganda in Jan/Feb. I have no idea why and I'm not into the conspiracy theories, but there has been something very odd going on with the WHO and China.

I remember reading some of their statements back at the beginning of this, before we even knew it was going to be a pandemic, and before I'd seen anyone else questioning the WHO, and just thinking "What the **** am I reading right now? Why does it sound like government PR?"

Agree with this, something is not right, and it looks like China has been completely absolved of any responsibility and wet markets allowed to reopen, crazy

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I dunno, he might get Covid and die

I don't feel that optimistic atm tbh.

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

Well there you are, there's always an excuse for not listening to the advise... Our nation is too big/ small/ powerful/ rich/ isolated to be impacted. Only they aren't.

i dont think you understand what i am saying

(advice)