IN an unfortunate move, US President Donald Trump has halted funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) over its handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, drawing condemnation from infectious disease experts as the global death toll continued to mount. The development has ignited criticism from leaders who are urging solidarity in the face of a crippling economic crisis. Neutral observers believe Trump became increasingly hostile towards the WHO f ollowing criticism of his Administration’s response to the worst epidemic in a century. The plea on which the American President has stopped funding of the WHO is frivolous as no one would buy the allegations that the Geneva-based organization promoted China’s “disinformation” about the virus that likely led to a wider outbreak than otherwise would have occurred. Accusations against China and WHO have no substance as both worked hard and contributed their share in creating necessary awareness among the global community on measures to deal with the situation effectively. China demonstrated utmost sense of responsibility in taking necessary measures to check the spread of the virus, save other countries from the contagious disease by repeatedly insisting to treat all infected people within its boundaries and embarking on huge research efforts as a mean of long-term fight against Covid-19. Who can criticize China when the whole world is emulating the strategy of lockdown and social distancing adopted by Beijing to check the spread of the disease and as a result Wuhan is now virus-free? Foreign Policy Chief of the European Union Josep Borrell has aptly said that there was no justification for the move at a time when the WHO was “needed more than ever”. In fact, the move is a crude attempt to deflect attention from domestic criticism of slow response of the Trump Administration to the threat of the epidemic, which has assumed alarming dimensions due to non-serious remarks and attitude of the US President. American journalists too point out that Mr Trump himself had praised China’s response to the outbreak and downplayed the danger of the virus at home long after the WHO had declared a “public health emergency of international concern”. The US should better review its decision as it could help re-establish its credentials as a global leader.