Former UN ambassador claims Trump's WHO funding pullout exceeds Putin's 'wildest dreams'


President Trump caused a stir Tuesday evening when he announced the United States will stop funding the World Health Organization and review its "role in in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread" of COVID-19.
There's been a lot of backlash over the decision, but one person who might be pleased by it is Russian President Vladimir Putin. At least that's what former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power — who served in the role during the Obama administration — thinks.
Not only does Power imagine Putin is happy about the funding pullout, but she claims it probably goes beyond "his wildest dreams" of the fall of the U.S.'s global reputation.
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Putin hasn't said anything publicly about Trump's decision, but, for what it's worth, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously discouraged any finger pointing at the WHO or specific countries. He did, however, praise Trump's offer to eventually provide Russia with medical equipment to fight the pandemic in a "partner-like approach."
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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