KT edit: Spare WHO the bluster, it will affect morale

The pandemic has complicated the election year for US President Donald Trump. His arch foe is not Joe Biden but the World Health Organization and its Director General, Tedros Ghebreyesus. Trump appears to be battling on two fronts but wants to take down Ghebreyesus first to secure his victory in November against Biden who is leading in some surveys. Early in his presidency, Trump's main foe was former president Barack Obama. Soon he turned his attention to what he likes to term the 'fake news media', who were simply those from the Fourth Estate and asked him uncomfortable questions on his ability to govern. If it's not the individual, it should be the institution. The quest for fall guys is endless in that it has almost become an obsession for the president and his team. The latest plan is to take the heat from the president's shoddy pandemic response and leadership during these times of crisis. America has fallen behind when it comes to leading the world in this critical phase of history and is busy blaming anyone in sight when it should be getting its house in order. The White House was trigger-happy with its hire-fire routine for four years that has ceased to shock anyone these days. Now, the president is taking it a notch higher by targeting individuals in global organisations, like the WHO chief, and institutions.
The WHO has been in Trump's sights for over a month now after the US suspended its financial support to the organisation. With the pandemic not going away like the president had predicted in April, the attacks have become more intense and regular. The health agency may have got it wrong in January by delaying the announcement of the outbreak in Wuhan as a pandemic, but the institution is vital for a unified response to the crisis that is threatening the world. People are dying in the thousands and now is not the time to find fall guys to rub it in. Trump's latest letter to the WHO chief will only hamper global efforts to find a cure or a vaccine or both to end this pandemic. It will hurt morale at the agency that should be granted real autonomy to help countries through this health crisis that has transformed into a larger economic depression. The agency does not report to the US president and should not be allowed to serve any country's interests. Trump would be well advised to keep his bluster for later and use some help from the experts at the agency to prevent a greater disaster at home.