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Trump Calls Out WHO's Ties to China, Vows To Give US Funding 'A Good Look'

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President Donald Trump criticized the World Health Organization’s coronavirus response and said he will give its funding “a good look” in a Tuesday tweet.

“The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look,” Trump tweeted.

“Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?”

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The United States is the largest contributor to the WHO, and is set to fund the organization to the tune of $116 million combined in 2020 and 2021, according to a financial document.

The U.S. also contributes between $100 million and $400 million per year to the organization for specific projects, Fox News reported.

The WHO has been recently questioned for its response to the coronavirus pandemic, especially for information it tweeted about “preliminary” findings from Chinese authorities that downplayed the seriousness of the virus.

The tweet said that Chinese authorities found “no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission” of COVID-19.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley tweeted last week: “The WHO owes an explanation to the world of why they took China’s word for it. So much suffering has been caused by the mishandling of information and lack of accountability by the Chinese.”

Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Tom Cotton of Arkansas have introduced a resolution calling on WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to retract “highly misleading statements of support for the response of the Government of the People’s Republic of China to COVID-19.”

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In February, Ghebreyesus said there wasn’t a need to take measures that “unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade” to try to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, Reuters reported.

“We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent,” he said.

Ghebreyesus also praised China in a tweet on March 20 after the country reported no new domestic COVID-19 cases.

“This is an amazing achievement, which gives us all reassurance that the #coronavirus can be beaten,” he tweeted.

Sen. Rick Scott, a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, called for Congress to investigate the WHO and consider if American taxpayer money should be going to the organization.

“When it comes to Coronavirus, the WHO failed,” the Florida Republican told said in a statement last week.

“They need to be held accountable for their role in promoting misinformation and helping Communist China cover up a global pandemic,” he added.

“We know Communist China is lying about how many cases and deaths they have, what they knew and when they knew it — and the WHO never bothered to investigate further.”

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Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. A University of Oregon graduate, Erin has conducted research in data journalism and contributed to various publications as a writer and editor.
Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. She grew up in San Diego, California, proceeding to attend the University of Oregon and graduate with honors holding a degree in journalism. During her time in Oregon, Erin was an associate editor for Ethos Magazine and a freelance writer for Eugene Magazine. She has conducted research in data journalism, which has been published in the book “Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future.” Erin is an avid runner with a heart for encouraging young girls and has served as a coach for the organization Girls on the Run. As a writer and editor, Erin strives to promote social dialogue and tell the story of those around her.
Birthplace
Tucson, Arizona
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated with Honors
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Oregon
Books Written
Contributor for Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future
Location
Prescott, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, French
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Health, Entertainment, Faith




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