The United States has formally terminated its membership in the World Health Organization (WHO)—a sweeping break with the U.N.-affiliated body that has become politicized, unaccountable, and hostile to American interests.
The decision was announced in a joint statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who said the withdrawal fulfills a promise President Donald Trump made on his first day back in office when he signed Executive Order 14155 directing the United States to leave the WHO.
“This action responds to the WHO’s failures during the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to rectify the harm from those failures inflicted on the American people,” the statement said. “Promises made, promises kept.”
Rubio and Kennedy framed the withdrawal as a necessary break from an international institution they said has drifted far from its founding purpose and now operates as a political instrument rather than a neutral public health body.
“Like many international organizations, the WHO abandoned its core mission and acted repeatedly against the interests of the United States,” they said, arguing that even America’s role as the organization’s chief backer did not prevent it from promoting an agenda misaligned with U.S. priorities. “Although the United States was a founding member and the WHO’s largest financial contributor, the organization pursued a politicized, bureaucratic agenda driven by nations hostile to American interests.”
The withdrawal follows years of escalating criticism of the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and its broader posture on international health policy, which has grown increasingly ideological and detached from democratic accountability. Supporters of the move view it as a long-overdue reassertion of U.S. sovereignty over public health decision-making after pandemic-era policies reshaped daily life, shuttered businesses, and sparked widespread public distrust.
Rubio and Kennedy accused the WHO of obstructing information that could have affected the course of America’s pandemic response, then shielding itself from accountability under the banner of public health.
The joint statement also laid out the administration’s approach in the future, pledging that U.S. involvement with the WHO would not merely be reduced but effectively ended, with any remaining engagement limited to the mechanics of withdrawal.
According to The Hill, WHO leadership disputes the underlying narrative about the organization, defending its COVID-era record, and warning that American withdrawal could weaken international response capabilities in a future crisis.
The WHO also pushed back on claims that it insulted the U.S. or compromised its independence. In a statement, the organization said it “has always sought to engage with the United States in good faith,” adding that it respects U.S. sovereignty despite its efforts to push the U.S. to sign over its rights through a pandemic treaty.
“WHO therefore regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe,” the organization wrote in a statement. “The notification of withdrawal raises issues that will be considered by the WHO Executive Board at its regular meeting starting on 2 February and by the World Health Assembly at its annual meeting in May 2026.”
Rubio and Kennedy said the WHO’s posture toward the U.S. only reinforced their case for withdrawal, citing a dispute over the display of the American flag outside WHO facilities. They said the organization refused to return the U.S. flag and is claiming the U.S. owes compensation as it exits.
“We will get our flag back for the Americans who died alone in nursing homes, the small businesses devastated by WHO-driven restrictions, and the American lives shattered by this organization’s inactivity,” they said. “Our withdrawal is for them.”
The withdrawal is expected to carry immediate institutional consequences for the WHO, given its historical reliance on U.S. contributions and American participation as a marker of legitimacy. Supporters argue the move ends an unhealthy dependency and prevents U.S. taxpayer dollars from sustaining a politicized organization. With the U.S. withdrawing, Bill Gates is now its lead funder.
Rubio and Kennedy insisted the WHO’s record left the nation with no responsible alternative.
