On Friday’s “McLaughlin Group,” the Daily Beast’s Eleanor Clift stated that President Trump’s letter to the World Health Organization is merely an “empty threat” and that while the W.H.O. deserves some criticism, it has “been doing a lot of things right” and stepping away from the organization just diminishes America’s role in a “critical” organization that “answers to the countries that support it.”
Clift said, “Well, first of all, I would put this under the heading of another empty threat. Congress has appropriated the money. If the president makes this happen — I don’t think he’s going to follow through. Secondly, it’s incredibly short-sighted. … China just pledged $2 billion to the World Health Organization. It’s just stepping off the world stage and not taking a leadership role in the biggest health threat to face the planet in a century.”
She added, “The World Health Organization answers to the countries that support it. And they didn’t do everything perfect with China. They deserve some criticism. But they have been doing a lot of things right and the rest of the world depends on them. It’s a critical organization.”
Clift later added that President Trump was very accommodating to China back in February and March, and he pulled American scientists from China. She further stated, “This is another distraction.”
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