US President Donald Trump is reshaping foreign policy with radical decisions, including withdrawals from international organizations and defunding key programmes, sparking widespread debate between supporters and opponents.
Since returning to the White House on January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump has initiated sweeping changes that have reshaped the landscape of U.S. foreign policy.
In what appeared to be a redefinition of America’s role on the global stage, Trump introduced a series of decisions that withdrew the US from several UN organizations and halted funding for major international programs, sparking a range of reactions from support to sharp criticism.
Withdrawal from the World Health Organisation: A major breakup
At the start of his second term, Trump wasted no time delivering his first major blow to the World Health Organization (WHO), signing an executive order to initiate the United States withdrawal from the agency.
This move came as no surprise, given that he had criticized the organization throughout his first term, accusing it of mismanaging the COVID-19 pandemic and succumbing to political pressure.
Trump argued that the US had only suffered losses from its involvement with the WHO, prompting him to cut ties entirely and announce a reallocation of US funding toward other health initiatives, away from the international body’s oversight.
A double blow: Human Rights Council and UNRWA funding
In another bold move, the White House announced on 4 February, 2025, that the US would withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council, accusing it of adopting biased policies against Israel — a claim that Trump had repeatedly used to criticise the council.
But his actions didn’t stop there; Trump also decided to halt all US funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), citing its alleged links to Hamas. The agency strongly rejected these accusations, insisting that its programs were focused on supporting refugees in the most needy regions.
