By Nandita Bose and Kanishka Singh
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Saturday he may consider rejoining the World Health Organization, days after he ordered the U.S. out of the global health agency over what he described as mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic. 19 and other international health crises. .
“We might consider doing it again, I don’t know. We might. We’d have to clean it up,” Trump said at a rally in Las Vegas.
The US is set to leave the WHO on January 22, 2026. Trump announced the move on Monday after being sworn in for a second term in the White House.
The US is by far the largest financial supporter of the WHO, contributing about 18% of its total funding. The last two-year budget of the WHO for the period 2024-2025. it was 6.8 billion dollars.
Trump told the crowd in Las Vegas that he was not happy that the US pays more to the WHO than China, which has a much larger population.
He added that he would ask Saudi Arabia to invest about $1 trillion in the US, which is more than the $600 billion the Saudis have promised to invest.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Trump last week that the kingdom wants to invest $600 billion in expanded investment and trade with the US over the next four years.
