In a bold move, President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. is pulling out of the World Health Organization (WHO). His decision, coming on his first day back in the White House, has already drawn sharp criticism from public health leaders and experts. Trump has been vocal about his issues with the WHO for years. Back in 2020, his administration began the process of leaving the organization, citing its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and what he called its failure to stay independent from political influence. However, when President Joe Biden took office, he quickly reversed course, keeping the U.S. as a member. In Monday’s executive order, Trump again pointed to the WHO’s “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic” and its ties to China as key reasons for the withdrawal. “That’s a big one,” he reportedly said as he signed the order, emphasizing his belief that the U.S. was paying more than its fair share to the organization. Health experts aren’t holding back their concerns. Dr. Ashish Jha, who led the Biden administration’s COVID-19 response, called the move a “strategic error.” He warned that without U.S. involvement, China could step in, gaining more influence in global health matters. Lawrence Gostin, a public health law professor, went even further, calling the decision “cataclysmic” and a serious blow to both global health and the U.S.’s role in it. The withdrawal process isn’t immediate—it takes a year to fully exit the WHO. But Trump’s order stops funding and support for the organization right away, which Gostin argues is both legally shaky and a major misstep. While some lawmakers have criticized the WHO in the past, many agree that leaving during a global health crisis is a risky move. As Dr. Jha put it, “WHO is a pretty essential organization,” and stepping away could leave a void that others are all too ready to fill. ---