Daily News Article - January 23, 2026
1. For what reasons did President Trump withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization? Be specific.
2. What 3 things does the President's executive order direct be done after notification of the U.S. withdrawal?
3. a) How did WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus react to the U.S. withdrawal?
b) The World Health Organization is accused of mishandling the Covid response. Dr. Ghebreyesus claims “the U.S. cannot be safe without working with the WHO.” Ask a parent whether he/she thinks the U.S. will not be safe without working with the WHO, and to please explain their answer.
4. Why did the Trump administration have to submit a notice to withdraw from the WHO one year before actually doing so?
5. The World Health Organization (WHO) is an agency of the United Nations “responsible for international public health.”
In 2021, the Trump administration asserted that the Chinese Communist Party controls the WHO. United States intelligence concluded that COVID-19 originated in a government-run lab in Wuhan, China.
Read the op-ed "China and the WHO’s chief: Hold them both accountable for pandemic” under the "Background" in the April 2020 article "China hid the truth about coronavirus, U.S. Intelligence says."
What do you think? Do Professor Thayer and Mr. Han make a persuasive argument in their op-ed? Explain your answer.