A dispute over an American flag has become symbolic of the bitter public dispute between the US and the World Health Organization (WHO) after the US withdrew from the organization on 22 January.

In a joint statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr on the termination of US membership of the WHO, they accused the organization of keeping the American flag that hung outside its Geneva headquarters captive.

“Even on our way out of the organization, the WHO tarnished and trashed everything that America has done for it. The WHO refuses to hand over the American flag that hung in front of it, arguing it has not approved our withdrawal and, in fact, claims that we owe it compensation. From our days as its primary founder, primary financial backer, and primary champion until now, our final day, the insults to America continue.

“We will get our flag back for the Americans who died alone in nursing homes, the small businesses devastated by WHO-driven restrictions, and the American lives shattered by this organization’s inactivity,” the statement said.

A day after the official withdrawal, the State Department declared victory, posting: “Under @POTUS leadership, the @StateDept and @HHSGov have secured its return, now safely held by U.S. Marines @usmissiongeneva, and on its way back to USA.”

The dispute over the flag underscores broader and long-simmering tensions between the Trump administration and the WHO, particularly over the Organization’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

US still owes WHO $260.6 million

The @WHO‘s refusal to hand over the American Flag was entirely unacceptable. It was the epitome of globalist disrespect for America—a globalist institution holding our flag captive. Under @POTUS leadership, the @StateDept and @HHSGov have secured its return, now safely held by…

— Bureau of International Organization Affairs (@State_IO) January 23, 2026

The US’s highest-ranking health officials, including National Institutes of Health director Dr Jay Bhattacharya, rose to prominence during the pandemic for their criticism of COVID-19 policies, tapping into widespread public anger over restrictions, school closures, and vaccine mandates.

In the view of current US leadership, the WHO is an organization “beyond repair.”

Instead, the Trump administration has begun pursuing a series of bilateral agreements with 14 sub-Saharan African countries, aiming to recreate aspects of the WHO’s multilateral system for pooling scientific and public health data.

But according to global health policy experts at Georgetown University, Sam Halabi and Lawrence O Gostin, this “transactional alternative” assumes that the US could strike comparable agreements with nearly every country in the world – “which of course it cannot,” they wrote in a commentary published in the Washington Post.

The WHO is expected to discuss how to address the US withdrawal at its upcoming Executive Board meetings on 2 February and again at the annual World Health Assembly in May. The organization also maintains that the US owes $260.6 million in unpaid membership dues.

WHO says withdrawal makes US and world ‘less safe’

The WHO responded to the US’s accusations on Saturday, saying that “[w]hile no organization or government got everything right, WHO stands by its response to this unprecedented global health crisis. Throughout the pandemic, WHO acted quickly, shared all information it had rapidly and transparently with the world, and advised Member States on the basis of the best available evidence.”

WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed the sentiment, saying: “While WHO recommended the use of masks, physical distancing and vaccines, WHO did not recommend governments to mandate the use of masks or vaccines and never recommended lockdowns. 

“WHO supported sovereign governments with technical advice and guidance that was developed on the basis of evolving evidence on COVID-19 for them to make policy decisions in the best interests of their citizens. Each government made their own decisions, based on their needs and circumstances.”

The WHO pointed to the US’s global participation in some of the world’s greatest public health achievements, despite the fact that the US promises to continue “leading the world in public health” without collaborating with the UN organization. 

“As a founding member of the World Health Organization, the United States of America has contributed significantly to many of WHO’s greatest achievements, including the eradication of smallpox, and progress against many other public health threats including polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and more.

“WHO therefore regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe.”

This story is a continuation of Health Policy Watch’s coverage of the US-WHO withdrawal. See related stories here:

Stars and Stripes No Longer Flying at WHO – But US Can’t Really Leave Until Dues are Paid, Agency Says

America First is Not America Absent

Image Credits: Arkansas Advocate , E. Fletcher/Health Policy Watch.