As one of his first actions in his second term, newly re-elected US President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders on Monday, including withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement and overturning approximately 80 measures implemented by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Trump signed an executive order to once again withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, reiterating his skepticism about the scientific basis of global warming. In 2017, he had previously announced the US withdrawal from the agreement, which was finalized by November 2020. However, former President Joe Biden rejoined the agreement in January 2021.
Additionally, on Monday, Trump signed an order to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization (WHO), an entity he had criticized in the past for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While signing the executive order at the White House, Trump stated that the WHO had failed to act independently and was influenced by the « political pressures » of its member states. He also accused the organization of demanding « unfairly exorbitant payments » from the United States compared to contributions from larger countries, such as China. Trump concluded, « The World Health Organization deceived us. »
