Trump calls WHO 'pipe organ' for China; will deploy fund where there's 'bang for his buck'

Calling the World Health Organization (WHO) a pipe organ of China, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday blamed the UN body once again for the outbreak of the coronavirus. Coronavirus cases in the United States crossed 1 million on Wednesday with 61,656 deaths and 147,411 recoveries. 

Trump told reporters at his Oval Office of the White House that the United States will soon come out with its recommendations on the global body, followed by one on Beijing. "WHO is literally a pipe organ for China. They misled us. We will have a recommendation pretty soon but we are not happy with the World Health Organization." Trump added when asked for clarity about his comment on recommendation, "On world health with China to follow."

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"It is coming in and I am getting pieces already and we are not happy about it and we are by far the largest contributor to WHO,...and they misled us. I don't know. They must have known more than they knew because they came after what other people knew that weren't even involved. We knew things that they didn't know and either they didn't know it or they didn't tell us or you know right now they are literally a pipe organ for China. That is the way I view it," Trump said.

Trump opined that while the US on an average has given the WHO a financial aid between USD400 and USD500 million, and China is giving USD38 million. "And yet, they seem to work for China and they should have been in there early, they should have known what was going on and they should have been able to stop it. We can give this money to lots of different incredible groups. There are a lot of groups out there. It doesn't have to go to the WHO. We can give it to groups that are very worthy and get much more bang for your buck, but we're going to make a decision in the not-too-distant future," Trump said.

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Trump threatens China 

Trump had on Tuesday threatened China of consequences if it is found that China knowingly released the virus. In his latest threat, he said that the US is doing "very serious" investigation against China, indicating his administration is looking at a lot more money as compensation from Beijing than euro 130 billion being sought by Germany. “Germany is looking at things and we're looking at things and we're talking about a lot more money than Germany is talking about. 

READ | China Not Excluded, As Donald Trump Halts US Funding For WHO Alleging Covid Mismanagement

Trump halts funding, WHO responds

Last week, Trump halted US funding to the UN body after alleging mismanaging the coronavirus crisis. Trump has blamed WHO's "very much sided" approach to China on coronavirus crisis, asserting that many people are unhappy with the global health agency and feel that "it's been very unfair".  In an obvious reference to China, he said: "Everybody knows what's going on there." 

Responding to the halt of funds, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday said that they regret the decision made by Trump. He said that the US has been a 'longstanding & generous friend' and maintained that WHO 'works with all nations equally, and it does not 'discriminate'. 

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