Trump Threatens to Withhold Funding for WHO: NYT

Critics have blasted Donald Trump’s delay in recognizing COVID-19 as a crisis and failing to implement strong public health measures early on. In a press conference, he directed a similar charge against the World Health Organization and raised the threat of withholding US funding from the global group. The US contribution represents about 10 percent of the WHO budget. “They called it wrong,” the US president charged. “They really, they missed the call.” Michael Shear reported on the daily briefing for the New York Times: “Public health experts have said the president’s public denials of the virus’s dangers slowed the American response, which included delayed testing and a failure to stockpile protective gear.” Trump, eager to deflect blame, described WHO as “China-centric” and criticized the organization for rejecting US travel restrictions as a solution. Abrupt announcements led to panic and crowds at airports in the US and other nations. The organization repeatedly issued warnings about the new coronavirus including human-to-human spread, the global risks and more – as YaleGlobal reported starting January 10. Trump may blame China and WHO, but that does not explain why confirmed US cases are 15 times those in China and continue to climb. Nor does that explain how slashing WHO’s budget during a pandemic might help with early warnings. Public health experts warn that COVID-19 won’t be the last disease to strike. – YaleGlobal