Coronavirus Update: Trump Threatens To Withdraw US Membership From WHO, Cut Funding Permanently

President Donald Trump is threatening to permanently cut-off the United States funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) unless the United Nations’ agency commits to serving America's interests.

He froze the U.S. funding for WHO on April 14. American funding accounts for some 20% of WHO’s total annual budgets.

"I cannot allow American taxpayer dollars to continue to finance an organization that, in its present state, is so clearly not serving America's interests," he wrote in a letter to WHO director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

This demand is among a range of "major substantive improvements" Trump urged WHO to implement in the time frame of the next 30 days. Apart from demanding WHO serve the interests of the U.S., Trump in his letter didn't specify any other improvements he wanted.

Instead of going into specifics, Trump presented his list of grievances against China. At the top of Trump's list of grievances was WHO being pro-China and anti-American, especially “the World Health Organization’s alarming lack of independence from the People’s Republic of China.”

“Throughout this crisis the World Health Organization has been curiously insistent on praising China for its alleged ‘transparency,’” wrote Trump.

Trump again said WHO is to blame for the COVID-19 global casualty count, including the cases and deaths in the U.S.

"It is clear the repeated missteps by you and your organization in responding to the pandemic have been extremely costly for the world," alleged Trump. "The only way forward for the World Health Organization is if it can actually demonstrate independence from China."

Trump also claimed his administration "has already started discussions with you on how to reform the organization," but didn't reveal the exact reforms he wants.

"That is why it is my duty, as President of the United States, to inform you that, if the World Health Organization does not commit to major substantive improvements within the next 30 days, I will make my temporary freeze of United States funding to the World Health Organization permanent and reconsider our membership in the organization. I cannot allow American taxpayer dollars to continue to finance an organization that, in its present state, is so clearly not serving America’s interests."

Political analysts say the impossibility of WHO implementing all these demands in the space of a month indicates Trump will push through with his threat.

Only the U.S. Congress has the power to abolish funding for WHO and any other international organizations. The Congress, and not Trump, has the power to unilaterally redirect Congressional funding.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. has taken the lives of some 92,000 people since the first death was confirmed Feb. 28. There are currently 1.55 million COVID-19 cases in the U.S. out of the world total of 4.89 million.