Donald Trump stops US funding to WHO for ‘covering up’ coronavirus with China

President Donald Trump on Tuesday April 14, announced that he has stopped US' funding of the World Health Organization over its "role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus."

The US President who disclosed that a review is currently being conducted, stated that the UN agency failed "in its basic duty”. He added that the most dangerous and costly decisions from the WHO, was its disastrous decision to oppose travel restrictions from China and other nations.

Trump told journalist at the White House;

“Today I am directing my administration to halt funding while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus. 

“American taxpayers provide between $400 million and $500 million per year to the WHO and in contrast, China contributes $40 million a year or even less.

“As the organisation’s leading sponsor, the United States has a duty to insist on full accountability. One of the most dangerous and costly decisions from the WHO was its disastrous decision to oppose travel restrictions from China and other nations.

“The WHO failed in its basic duty and must be held accountable.

“Had the WHO done its job to get medical experts into China to objectively assess the situation on the ground and to call out China’s lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained at its source with very little death,” he told reporters.

“This would have saved thousands of lives and avoided worldwide economic damage. Instead, the WHO willingly took China’s assurances to face value… and defended the actions of the Chinese government.

“With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns whether America’s generosity has been put to the best use possible.”

WHO executive director Dr Michael Ryan had hailed China for its ‘transparency’ with the coronavirus outbreak in January. But US intelligence officials now believe the country’s communist government told multiple lies about their outbreak, and think the official death toll of 3,400 is way under the true figure of around 40,000 people killed.

At Tuesday's press briefing, Trump directly accused China of covering up the threat of coronavirus, in contrast to a tweet he sent on January 24. The tweet read; 

'China has been working very hard to contain the coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American people, I want to thank President Xi!’

President Trump stopped US funding of the WHO, barely a week after the international health organization Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom accused him of ‘playing politics’ with the crisis.