As the U.S. formally exited from the World Health Organization last month, Trump administration officials misleadingly claimed that the WHO "pushed" or "promoted" lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group did not explicitly recommend lockdowns, although it also did not advise countries not to implement them. It said it recognized that the measures might be needed in some cases. More than six years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal health officials are spinning the facts about the WHO as part of their justification to leave the organization. The U.S. formally exited the WHO on Jan. 22, a year after giving notice to do so, much to the chagrin of many in public health. The WHO "ignored rigorous science and promoted lockdowns," Acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Jim O'Neill wrote on the day of the exit in an X post that also made claims about Taiwan.