US President Donald Trump has directed his administration’s officials to halt funding to the World Health Organisation.

Trump has long accused the WHO of mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.

“Today I’m instructing my administration to halt funding of the World Health Organisation while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organisation’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus,” Trump said at a press conference.

The president claimed American taxpayers provide between $US400 million and $US500 million to the WHO every year.

However, according to WHO’s financial records, the US has actually been invoiced $US57,883,460 for two years of funding.

It has not yet paid that amount.

Trump criticised the international agency’s response to the outbreak.

“One of the most dangerous and costly decisions from the WHO was its disastrous decision to oppose travel restrictions from China and other nations,” Trump said.

‘Untold numbers’

Play Video US President Donald Trump has suspended all funding to the World Health Organisation. US President Donald Trump has suspended all funding to the World Health Organisation.

“Fortunately, I was not convinced and suspended travel from China, saving untold numbers of lives.”

Trump claims if other nations had suspended travel from China “countless more lives would have been saved”.

“Instead, look at the rest of the world, look at parts of Europe,” Trump said.

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“Other nations that followed the WHO guidelines and kept their borders open to China accelerated the pandemic all around the world.

“Many countries said we are going to listen to the WHO and they have problems we can’t believe.”

Most fatalities

The US, with the world’s third-largest population, has recorded more fatalities from COVID-19 than any other country.

It currently has 597,000 cases - three times more than any other country.

Trump’s decision to withdraw funding from the WHO follows a pattern of scepticism of world organisations that began well before the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump has questioned US funding to the United Nations, withdrawn from global climate agreements and lambasted the World Trade Organisation, claiming all were ripping off the US.