[2][3] At that time, Donald Trump was critical on the WHO's handling of the pandemic, arguing that the virus had originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China, and that the WHO failed to act on this information.

[5] On January 24, the Politico reported that the Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had sent an email to WHO staff stating that the announcement of the United States' withdrawal from the WHO has resulted in the organization implementing significant budget cuts including a freeze on recruitment, reductions in travel expenditures, meetings being fully virtual "unless in exceptional circumstances" and missions to provide technical support to countries being "limited to the most essential.

"[6] The Doctors Without Borders criticized the decision in a statement released on January 23, warning of life-threatening consequences for humanitarian efforts and global health coordination.

In their statement regarding the decision, they highlighted the United States' role as a major financial contributor to the WHO and reaffirmed their commitment to international health collaboration.

[8] At a press conference on January 21, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that the role of WHO should be "strengthened rather than weakened".