Trump teases WHO announcement after threatening about fund cuts

US President Donald Trump on Saturday, April 11 during his daily White House briefing teased an announcement about the World Health Organization (WHO). He said that he will make an announcement next week on the US funding to the WHO, which he has recently threatened to cut.

Trump said, "As you know, we give them (WHO) approximately $500 million a year and we're going to be talking about that subject next week. We'll have a lot to say about it." 

The US President further spoke about the coronavirus crisis in the country and said, "Our collective national effort is saving many lives" as he urged the people of America to "keep up the fight." 

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Trump threatens to cut funding on WHO

On April 7, Trump threatened to cut US funding to the World Health Organisation after claiming that the organisation was very "China-centric". In response, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged the United States to join hands with China in combating the disease rather than indulging in a blame game saying, "If you don't want more body bags, then you refrain from politicising it."

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Coronavirus in the US

Leading the number of worldwide cases of novel coronavirus COVID-19 infection, the United States has become the new epicenter of the pandemic surpassing China, Italy, and Iran. With around 493,087 cases and 18,325 deaths till now, the Trump administration is facing momentous criticism for failing to contain the outbreak. From downplaying the coronavirus threat to disregarding intelligence reports and calling to revive the economy amid a global health crisis, the US President has been accused of jeopardizing the health crisis.

At present, there are around 1,684,281 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection across the globe and the disease has led to the death of around 102,053 people. In a ray of hope, around 375,221 people are also reported to have recovered.

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