Trump Builds New Global Health Alliance to Replace WHO

President Donald Trump didn’t just walk away from the World Health Organization. Now he’s building something to replace it.

After formally withdrawing the United States from the WHO last year, the Trump administration is moving forward with a sweeping plan to create a U.S.-led global health alliance designed to monitor disease outbreaks and coordinate international responses without what officials describe as the political baggage of the United Nations system.

The price tag? Roughly $2 billion to get it off the ground.

Trump signed an executive order at the start of his second term withdrawing from the World Health Organization, reviving a move he first initiated in 2020. His objections have remained consistent:

• An outsized financial burden on the United States

• Alleged mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic

• Concerns about political influence from China

“So, we paid $500 million… and I terminated it,” Trump said, referring to his earlier withdrawal. He argued the funding imbalance was unfair compared to China’s contribution.

According to Health and Human Services data, U.S. assessed dues and voluntary contributions to the WHO totaled roughly $680 million annually accounting for about 15–18% of the organization’s total budget. That made America the largest single contributor.

Critics say the funding supported global vaccination campaigns and outbreak detection. Trump allies counter that the cost did not yield accountability or reform, especially during the early stages of COVID-19.

The Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is spearheading the alternative framework.

“This $2 billion in funding to HHS is to build the systems and capacities to do what the WHO did for us,” one administration official said.

Instead of operating through a centralized UN bureaucracy, the new system will rely on dozens of bilateral agreements between the United States and partner nations. The approach aims to:

• Expand America’s direct disease surveillance footprint

• Build rapid-response capacity for future pandemics

• Increase transparency in outbreak reporting

• Reduce dependence on multilateral institutions

The administration has already requested funding from the Office of Management and Budget.

The WHO, founded in 1948, currently has 194 member states. It has coordinated international responses to polio, Ebola, SARS, and COVID-19. But its handling of the early coronavirus outbreak particularly its deference to Chinese government reporting became a lightning rod for criticism in Washington.

In 2020, Trump accused the WHO of failing to adopt urgently needed reforms and lacking independence from member state political influence. His executive order echoed those same concerns this time around.

Supporters of the new initiative argue that a U.S.-driven system would ensure faster data sharing and fewer political roadblocks. They point to the fact that the United States already spends billions annually on global health programs, including PEPFAR and CDC international operations.

Opponents warn that replacing the WHO could fragment international coordination during future pandemics.

Global health security has become a national security issue. COVID-19 disrupted supply chains, shuttered economies, and contributed to trillions in global losses. According to World Bank estimates, the pandemic cost the global economy more than $12 trillion.

Trump’s new global health alliance represents a major strategic shift moving from reforming international institutions to building parallel ones.

Whether this U.S.-led alternative can match or exceed the WHO’s global reach remains an open question. But the administration is betting that American leadership, backed by direct partnerships and substantial funding, can reshape the future of global disease response.

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