President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of the United States rejoining the World Health Organization (WHO) during a rally at Las Vegas’ Circa Resort & Casino on Saturday.
This comes just days after he signed an executive order withdrawing the country from the international group, citing the organization’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and China’s influence over the UN’s health agency body.
Trump expressed his concerns about the United States paying more than its fair share to the WHO compared to other countries like China. He has long criticized the organization for its perceived failures and described the US financial contribution as “onerous.”
The president talked about the possibility of joining WHO again at the rally but only at a reduced payout. “Maybe we would consider doing it again, I don’t know, maybe we would. But, they have to clean it up a bit,” said Trump.
But he added his condition over the fundings from US in comparison to China. “China pays $39 million for 1.4 billion people and we’re paying $500 million for 325 million- I don’t know what the hell is wrong with these people,” also said Trump while taking a jab at his predecessor Joe Biden for blocking his initiatives in 2020 saying that he would’ve “done it four years ago” claiming that when Biden went back in office, US “paid more than they were paying in the first place.”
The president began taking steps to withdraw the United States from the WHO during the final year of his first administration. However, after losing the election to Joe Biden, the Democratic president ultimately blocked the effort on his first day in office.
Trump also revealed plans to work with Congress on a bill that would cut taxes and fulfill his campaign promise to prevent any taxes on workers’ tips, as well as potentially halting the hiring of over 80,000 new IRS agents. “Your tips will be 100% yours, won’t that be nice?” he remarked.
Additionally, Trump revealed his intention to halt the hiring of over 80,000 new IRS agents, whose salaries were funded by $72 billion provided for the federal agency under the Inflation Reduction Act.
“They hired, or tried to hire, 88,000 workers to go after you and we’re in the process of developing a plan to either terminate all of them, or maybe we’ll move them to the border,” he said.
Trump thanked his supporters in Nevada for helping him become the first Republican presidential candidate to win the state in decades, besting Vice President Kamala Harris by 46,000 votes. “I just came here because I wanted to thank the people of Nevada for giving us such a big win,” he said.
The president also highlighted the numerous executive actions he signed off on during his inauguration week, which aimed to undo the work of the Biden administration and fulfill campaign promises, such as closing the border and restoring law and order.
“This week alone I took nearly 350 executive actions to reverse the horrible failures and betrayals that were inherited from a group of people that didn’t know what the hell they were doing,” Trump said. “Our message couldn’t be more clear: America’s decline is over,” he added.
After the speech, Trump walked across the Circa casino’s main floor, passing by its purple velvet-covered tables, whilst visitors chanted “USA, USA.” A gambler at the roulette table wagered, “Give me $47 on 47,” referencing Trump’s potential role as the 47th president. “Ohh,” Trump at the unsuccessful bet, yet continued to sign autographs amidst enthusiastic supporters’ cheers.
Following his triumph in Nevada, where he secured six electoral votes in November, Trump held his inaugural swing-state rally since assuming office. This marked the first Republican victory in Nevada since George W Bush’s win in 2004. His success in Nevada contributed to his comprehensive victory across all seven battleground states, resulting in a substantial electoral majority and enabling his return to the presidency for a non-consecutive second term.