Trump administration formally pulls US out of WHO

FILE: President Donald J. Trump on July 29, 2019, in the Rose Garden of the White House. (Photo: realdonaldtrump/Instagram)

ANKARA – President Donald Trump’s administration has officially withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak, a top Democrat confirmed Tuesday.

“Congress received notification that POTUS officially withdrew the US from the @WHO in the midst of a pandemic,” Senator Robert Menendez said on Twitter.

“To call Trump’s response to Covid chaotic & incoherent doesn’t do it justice. This won’t protect American lives or interests — it leaves Americans sick & America alone,” said Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey.

The move concluded months of withdrawal threats made by Trump, claiming the organization showed a slow response against the pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China.

The US is the worst-hit country by the pandemic with more than 2.9 million cases and more than 130,700 fatalities, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University.

In all, more than 924,100 recoveries have been recorded. (Anadolu)