Trump's 'America First' Agenda Dumps WHO, Paris Climate Treaty

If there’s any single vision that Donald Trump has maintained as a political candidate and president, it’s this: US concerns should come first. “America First” is his much-spoken foreign policy mantra. 

In his opening days in office, President Trump has spread that message to the world. He’s dropped the US out of the World Health Organization (WHO). And like he did during his first term, he is pulling the US out of the Paris Climate Accord . The moves have drawn cheers from his supporters and scorn from his critics.     

The WHO is a body of the United Nations that aims to keep people around the globe as healthy as possible. It's based in Geneva, Switzerland. It works to prevent, detect, and respond to health crises, like COVID-19. The WHO also tries to strengthen public health services to lower income populations.     

The Paris Climate Accord is an international treaty signed by 196 nations in 2021. It is designed to encourage nations to reduce carbon emissions that cause climate change. 

Trump’s executive order withdrawing the US from the WHO cited a number of reasons for the move. It alleges the WHO mishandled the COVID pandemic. It also says the WHO lacks independence from certain countries. And the US pays more than other countries to fund the WHO.  

The president’s reasons to pull the US out of the Paris Accord are much the same. He says the US carries an unfair funding burden. Trump believes the accord favors other countries while hurting the US. And Trump says the accord is not harsh enough on China. China is the world’s leader in carbon emissions.   

Indeed, addressing climate change is nowhere to be found on Trump’s wider agenda. He plans to greatly increase US oil production. He also plans to roll back rules that limit car emissions.     

Reflect: What might be some of the advantages and disadvantages of pulling out of an international agreement?

Photo of President Trump signing an executive order from Reuters.