Trump team considers demanding WHO reforms, including American in charge

Trump administration considers WHO reform plan, including U.S. leadership, amid concerns over pandemic response and agency effectiveness.

The Trump administration has been considering a plan for reform at the World Health Organisation, including putting an American in charge, for it to remain a member of the global health agency, according to two sources familiar with the plan and a proposal document reviewed by Reuters.

The document, shared with President Donald Trump's advisors before his January 20 inauguration, recommended that the United States quickly announce its withdrawal from the WHO and adopt a "radical new approach" for dealing with the agency, including pushing for a U.S. official to serve as director general when Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus's term ends in 2027.

Mr. 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 January 2026. The order accuses the organisation of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic and being unduly influenced by other nations, which the WHO denies.

Mr. Trump has since suggested the U.S. 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 Mr. Trump took office, but it is not clear whether his administration will adopt any of its other recommendations, the two sources said.

The Trump administration "will continue to review current processes and healthcare bodies to implement needed reforms," White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement to Reuters. He did not comment on any discussions regarding WHO.

Compiled by an outside policy expert at the request of Mr. Trump's transition team, the proposal concludes that the WHO has become "the most chaotic, least effective U.N. agency."