Trump’s false claim that the WHO said the coronavirus was ‘not communicable’

“The WHO failed to investigate credible reports from sources in Wuhan that conflicted directly with the Chinese government’s official accounts. There was credible information to suspect human-to-human transmission in December 2019, which should have spurred the WHO to investigate, and investigate immediately. Through the middle of January, it parroted and publicly endorsed the idea that there was not human-to-human transmission happening despite reports and clear evidence to the contrary. … The WHO pushed China’s misinformation about the virus, saying it was not communicable.” <

— President Trump, remarks at a news conference, April 14, 2020

The president’s announcement that he would suspend payments to the World Health Organization in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic contained a number of false or misleading claims. He faulted the WHO for believing that China was doing a good job and praising its transparency — when he had done the same thing at the time. He claimed the WHO “fought” his decision to impose some restrictions on travel from China, but WHO officials said nothing publicly; opposition to travel restrictions has been a consistent WHO policy.<

That’s the usual Trump hyperbole and flip-flopping. For the purposes of this fact check, we will examine the part of Trump’s statement that holds some credibility — that the WHO did not alert the world quickly that the new virus could travel among people. We have assembled a detailed timeline to look at what the organization said.

The Facts

The WHO is a United Nations organization, with all of its inherent bureaucracy, slow decision-making and dependence on member states. The WHO is heavily reliant on information provided by countries and cannot fine countries that fail to provide accurate information. But that does not mean officials cannot use its platform to express skepticism or prod for more transparency, rather than amplify incomplete information.