As expected, President Donald Trump hit the ground running on Monday, signing scores of executive orders on various topics ranging from immigration to social issues. Among the policies implemented by Trump on his first day back in the White House were orders to withdraw the United States from two key international institutions.

Taking the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement and the WHO

During a public signing ceremony held in Washington, D.C., after his inauguration, Trump signed several executive orders as his supporters cheered. Among those orders was one withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Treaty, an international agreement to which nearly every country in the world belongs. Negotiated in 2015, the Paris Agreement commits countries to lower greenhouse emissions to fight global climate change. Trump previously withdrew the U.S. from the agreement when he took office in 2017, but President Joe Biden reversed that decision when he came into office in 2021.

Trump also withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization, the branch of the United Nations dedicated to promoting public health and dealing with large-scale or global health emergencies. Sitting in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump reacted as he was handed the order to withdraw from the WHO.

“Oooh, that’s a big one,” the president remarked.

Prioritizing right-wing ideology over science and safety

Trump’s decision to withdraw from these international institutions fits his larger view on foreign policy, in which he is often skeptical of international involvement as economically costly. He frequently launches accusations at international organizations and American allies of taking advantage of the United States or hurting American financial interests. The move also reflects growing conservative skepticism for science and expertise. Many on the right have dismissed the dangers of climate change, with Trump himself referring to climate change policies as a “hoax.” They have also accused the WHO of collaborating with China and mismanaging the COVID-19 response.

Scientists and policymakers question the logic of backing out of the Paris Agreement even as the United States experiences record damages from natural disasters such as last year’s major hurricanes on the East Coast and January’s wildfires in California. Experts also warn of the consequences of the U.S. withdrawing from the WHO, something Trump tried to do in 2020 even as the COVID-19 pandemic grew. By removing American funding and personnel from the WHO and cutting ties with the organization, Trump’s move could weaken the U.S. and WHO’s ability to respond to future pandemics or other public health emergencies.

These withdrawals are likely a hallmark of things as the new administration prioritizes profits and right-wing beliefs over health and safety concerns and international cooperation. Despite the grave concerns from experts, however, Trump and his allies are celebrating his decision to withdraw the U.S. from these two major global institutions.

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