The Trump administration has announced it is withdrawing from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) due to its support for radical ideologies and its anti-Israeli bias.
UNESCO was formed to support education, science, culture, and communication, and to foster peace, sustainable development, and respect for human rights. However, it has increasingly become the international arm of the far left in promoting radical agendas, such as DEI and LGBTQ+ issues.
“President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO – which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November,” White House Deputy Spokesperson Anna Kelly said.
She added that President Trump will always prioritize America by ensuring that all international affiliations and commitments align with the national interests.
“The President puts America first, and makes sure that every international organization we participate in serves the interests of our nation.”
Similarly, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said UNESCO heavily focuses on woke social issues to advance their globalist agenda, which is incompatible with Trump’s America First foreign policy.
“UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy,” Bruce wrote in a statement.
She also highlighted the UNESCO’s problematic decision to admit Palestine as a member, resulting in a proliferation of anti-Israel sentiment within the organization.
Condemning the targeting of a single country, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar welcomed the decision, saying it would help Israel receive fair treatment.
“Singling out Israel and politicization by member states must end, in this and all professional U.N. agencies,” he posted on X.
The withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2026, just two years after the United States rejoined the organization under former President Biden, following a five-year absence since 2017. In 1983, the United States also withdrew from UNESCO under Ronald Reagan for what he called its anti-West bias. However, it later rejoined after twenty years in 2003 under George W. Bush.
The withdrawal follows a 90-day review, which the Trump administration began in February 2025, finding that the UN organization was beyond redemption. Among UNESCO’s shortcomings includes its failure to reform itself, deep anti-Israel sentiments, and an inability to address financial concerns, particularly payment arrears.
Unlike many UN orgs that heavily rely on the United States for financial support, the U.S. only accounts for about 8% of UNESCO’s budget. When the United States withdrew from UNESCO during Trump’s first administration, China became its largest donor, paying up to $65 million per year.
Before it stopped contributing to the group after it admitted Palestine, the United States paid approximately $80 million per year and had arrears of around $600 million by the time of its withdrawal. However, in 2023, Biden agreed to pay $619 million to rejoin UNESCO.
How about getting us out of the UN altogether and evicting the UN from the US?