Donald Trump has continued to put the blame on China for the ongoing pandemic crisis. In a speech that he gave in the Rose Garden of the White House on Friday, he also announced that he is severing all ties between the United States and the World Health Organization.
According to The Guardian, the US is the only member state that can "legally withdraw" from the global agency. This is reportedly a "privilege" that Washington previously insisted before the ratification of the agency's constitution.
The severance of the ties comes three weeks ahead of the deadline, which the US President "laid down" earlier this month. As noted, the termination of the relationship was warned earlier if the agency would fail to respond to the "requests" made by the Trump administration.
Donald Trump reportedly explained that the administration has "detailed the reforms" that they requested to the World Health Organization. It is said that the deadline was originally set for 30 days. Accordingly, the announcement on Friday came as a shock to several individuals and officials because only ten days have passed since the initial warning.
Aside from announcing the severance of ties, the US President also reportedly pointed out that the funds will be redirected to "other worldwide" and "deserving" global public health needs. As reported, the United States is the "biggest funder" of the World Health Organization, with payments of about $450 million in dues and contributions.
In a similar report released by The Independent, it is said that Donald Trump also expressed his plans to "punish" not only WHO but, China and its officials, well. He said that the punishments are for the "cover-up" that the country has made toward the real nature of the novel coronavirus. "The world deserves answers," the US President said.
He also reportedly spent most of the speech blaming China and Chinese officials "for pressuring" the World Health Organization to "mislead" the rest of the world about the virus. "Countless lives have been taken," Donald Trump added.
He then went on to assert that the "cover-up" of the novel coronavirus has enabled the further spread "throughout the world." Trump also claimed that Chinese officials "ignored" all of their "reporting obligations" to the global agency.
Following the announcement, several officials and individuals reportedly deemed the move made by the US President as "pathetic." Some publications also claimed that this amounts to an "escalation" in the country's "conflicts" with China.
