President Trump said Tuesday the U.S. will look at putting a “powerful hold” on U.S. funding to the World Health Organization, saying it struck a “China-centric” tone as the coronavirus virus unfolded and dragged its feet in declaring a pandemic.
“They could have called it much earlier,” Mr. Trump said. “When they call every shot wrong, that’s no good.”
Mr. Trump said the U.S. pays a disproportionate amount to the public health arm of the U.N., so he wants to see if it’s worth committing the money.The president is no fan of spending U.S. dollars around the world instead of at home, but withholding funding from the WHO amid a global pandemic is likely to spark criticism.
“I’m not saying I’m going to do it,” Mr. Trump said.
The coronavirus was discovered in Wuhan, China, in December and the WHO issued its first situation report on Jan. 20.
WHO declared the situation a pandemic in mid-March. All told, the virus has infected 1.4 million and killed over 81,000.
Mr. Trump has blamed China for failing to sound the alarm but has shifted his aim toward the WHO in recent days.
Through it all, he has spoken positively about Chinese President Xi Jinping.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.