Donald Trump has declared that the United States will end its relationship with the World Health Organisation over the body’s handling of the coronavirus situation, accusing it of being a puppet of China.

The United States joined the WHO in 1948, an independent international body that works with the United Nations to promote and develop the health of humanity worldwide. It is entirely reliant on the funding of its members, and its bigger donor thus far was the US, providing $400 million yearly. This is the primary cause of Trump’s ire, as he believes its overly lenient treatment of China, which only contributes only $40 million a year, amounts to an insult to American pride.

Trump has always scorned multilateral agreements, as it conflicts with his America-first agenda. Withdrawing from these agreements have become commonplace during his tenure, withdrawing from the likes of the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2019. Unlike UNESCO, however, the WHO has not got a formal withdrawal procedure, mainly because its founders, including the US, thought it absurd that any country would quit a hugely beneficial organisation.

Trump’s decision has caused exasperation on both sides of the political spectrum in his home nation, with Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, and Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, both agreeing that the decision was ill-timed.

Without the financial backing of the United States, a huge hole has appeared in the WHO’s budget at a time when it is already stretched to its limit as it tries to combat the coronavirus pandemic worldwide. This could be a reasonable chance for China to step up and plug the funding gap, and thus acquire some much-needed international approval. Its actions in Hong Kong and the US-inspired espionage-suspicion has hugely damaged Chinese credibility with advanced and developing nations alike. A move like this would at least garner support from some developing nations, and therefore acquire new allies to back them on the international stage. Whether China influenced the WHO is yet to be determined, but the US and a growing number of developed nations, such as Australia, are now increasingly scrutinising China’s actions at the start of the outbreak.

Without financial backing, the WHO will have to cut down and streamline its operations, but no amount of streamlining can make up for $400 million. During a pandemic, a critical time for the world, the WHO has been hobbled when it needs support the most. It remains to be seen whether the world will pay the price for Trump’s highly impactful decision.