
The Donald Trump administration has officially pulled out of UNESCO in a move the UN agency now calls “anticipated.”
The full withdrawal will take some time and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2026. The trend was apparent and was officially set in motion when Trump pulled out of another UN-affiliated agency — the World Health Organization — immediately after taking office again. At that time, he blamed the organization for mismanaging the COVID-19 pandemic and vowed to stop funding the global health agency or liaising with its findings, choosing instead to rely fully on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s instincts. But unlike the WHO, UNESCO could not have mishandled anything directly related to Trump’s agenda, so his reason for pulling out is broader.