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Eli Lake

Trump Is Punishing the WHO for China’s Deceptions

The U.S. also wants the organization to allow Taiwan to participate.

Lines of communication are open. — Lines of communication are open.
Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg

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April 15, 2020, 9:45 PM UTC

It’s hard to remember a policy from President Donald Trump that has been as roundly and swiftly condemned as his decision to suspend U.S. funding for the World Health Organization.

The editor of the prestigious British medical journal the Lancet called the funding freeze a “crime against humanity.” The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it is “not in U.S. interests.” Microsoft founder Bill Gates said it is “as dangerous as it sounds.” Congressional Democrats have called the move unconstitutional.