Thousands of Americans would be alive today if President Trump had spent more time listening to the World Health Organization instead of trying to destroy it.

Trump’s announcement that he is halting American funding for the W.H.O. just as the world is facing a raging pandemic is a dangerous attempt to find a scapegoat for his own failings. It is like taking away a fire department’s trucks in the middle of a blaze.

Many Americans know nothing about the W.H.O., but its worldwide budget (of which the United States pays about one-fifth) is less than that of some American hospital centers. Yet it is charged with fighting Ebola and polio, saving children’s lives and keeping the world safe from pandemics like this one.

Trump says that he is cutting the funds while his administration reviews the agency’s handling of the coronavirus. His administration’s own pandemic preparedness plan, which he characteristically has failed to implement, calls for building support for the W.H.O. — because it’s a critical player to keep Americans safe.