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The Trump administration is withdrawing the United States from UNESCO, accusing the agency of supporting "woke, divisive cultural and social causes."
"President 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 spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in an emailed statement. "This President will always put America First and ensure our country"s membership in all international organizations aligns with our national interests."
The U.S. informed UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay on Tuesday of its decision to withdraw, and it will remain a full member until the withdrawal takes effect on Dec. 31, 2026, according to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
In 2017, during his first term, Trump pulled the U.S. out of UNESCO - the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - citing an alleged anti-Israel bias. The U.S. rejoined UNESCO in 2023 under President Joe Biden. In February, shortly after Trump took office again, he ordered a 90-day review of the country"s UNESCO membership, with a focus on "any anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organization," the White House said in a statement.
This time, Bruce cited UNESCO"s decision to admit Palestine as a member state, calling it "highly problematic" and one of the reasons the U.S. is withdrawing.
"Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States," Bruce said in a statement Tuesday. "UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the UN"s Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy."
Azoulay said in a statement she deeply regretted Trump"s decision and pushed back against the administration"s claims, noting that UNESCO is the only U.N. agency responsible for Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism.
"The reasons put forward by the United States to withdraw from the Organization are the same as seven years ago even though the situation has changed profoundly, political tensions have receded, and UNESCO today constitutes a rare forum for consensus on concrete and action-oriented multilateralism," she wrote.
However, Azoulay also hinted that UNESCO would not take as much of a financial hit, having diversified its funding sources since the U.S. withdrew in 2017. U.S. contributions represent 8 percent of UNESCO"s budget.
"However regrettable, this announcement was anticipated, and UNESCO has prepared for it," she said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he welcomed the Trump administration"s decision, thanking the United States for its "moral support and leadership."
"This is a necessary step, designed to promote justice and Israel"s right for fair treatment in the UN system, a right which has often been trampled due to politicization in this arena. … The United Nations requires fundamental reforms in order to remain relevant," he said.
This marks the third time the U.S. has pulled out of the U.N. cultural organization. President Ronald Reagan withdrew the U.S. from UNESCO in 1984, accusing the agency of having a leftward political bent and mismanaging finances. The U.S. rejoined in 2003 under President George W. Bush.
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