Donald Trump wants an American in charge of WHO, demands include big reforms

Weeks after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order pulling the US out of the membership of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the White House is developing a plan to remain a member of the global health agency.

The demands include big reforms at the World Health Organisation, and putting an American in charge of the UN health agency.

Trump has suggested the US could return if the WHO was "cleaned up," without providing details on what that would require. The reform proposal has been under discussion since before Trump took office, but it is not clear whether his administration will adopt any of its other recommendations, the two sources said.

Trump's executive order to exit the WHO was among his first policy moves upon taking office. It would lead the global health agency to lose its single-biggest funder by Jan. 2026. The order accuses the organization of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic and being unduly influenced by other nations, which the WHO denies.

Reuters reported that the document, compiled by an outside policy expert at the request of Trump's transition team, concludes that the WHO has become "the most chaotic, least effective UN agency."

The WHO has failed to execute reforms proposed over the last two decades, leading to a



deterioration in management and scientific expertise, the document says. It acknowledges that leaving the WHO would hurt American interests but argues that the same is true of staying in the organization unless it is reformed.

The proposal document calls for the appointment of a US special envoy in 2025, reporting to Trump and the White House, to oversee negotiations with the WHO about potential reforms prior to the exit scheduled for next year.

Currently, WHO coordination is handled by the State Department and the Health and Human Services Department. The envoy would push for a U.S. official to run the global health agency for the first time in its history.

"There is no formal reason why this is the case and the lack of American leadership at the top of WHO has been a critical factor in the wasting of American funds and the decline of the organization's efficiency," the proposal states.

The United States is by far the WHO's biggest financial backer, contributing around 18% of its overall funding annually, consisting of $400 million in voluntary contributions and $130 million in assessed contributions which are paid by member states based on the size of their economy.

The WHO has warned of spending cuts unless other donors step in to fill the US gaps.