Trump at White House waving off questions from journalists. Credit: CHIP SOMODEVILLA / Getty 

Buried amid this week’s avalanche of news about the Trump administration’s posturing and pandering to extremists and conspiracy theorists was one action that is fraught with peril in relation to the global pandemic we face: The decision to end U.S. participation in international efforts to develop and to globally distribute a COVID-19 vaccine.

Trump is seeking to justify the decision by citing U.S. opposition to the World Health Organization (WHO), which is a key party to the effort. But in reality, it is an epic act of global sabotage.

The effect of this petty and punitive plan is that U.S. vaccine advances over the coming months and years won’t be a centerpiece of a coordinated plan to get new vaccines widely distributed in poor countries. It also means that, if the U.S. vaccine development program under Operation Warp Speed doesn’t bear fruit, the U.S. will be outside of the technology and vaccine-sharing agreements likely to be negotiated by most of the world’s countries. Earlier this summer, WHO […]

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