© 2025 WFAE

Mailing Address:
WFAE 90.7
P.O. Box 896890
Charlotte, NC 28289-6890
Tax ID: 56-1803808
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The transition to President Donald Trump's second administration will have far-reaching implications at the national, state and local levels. "Changing of the Guard" highlights news from WFAE, NPR and partner news sites to help you understand the changes in the new Trump administration — and how it will affect your community.

Trump withdraws the U.S. from the United Nations Human Rights Council

President Donald Trump speaks during an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, including one to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations Relief and Workers Agency (UNRWA) and the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Shawn Thew
/
Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks during an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, including one to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations Relief and Workers Agency (UNRWA) and the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Updated February 04, 2025 at 18:33 PM ET

President Trump has signed an executive order pulling the U.S. out of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

"I've always felt that the U.N. has tremendous potential. It's not living up to that potential right now," he said Tuesday afternoon at a White House signing ceremony.

During his first term as president, Trump also cut ties with the UNHRC, an organization that U.S. leaders from both parties have long said has a bias against Israel.

The order also cut future funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides aid to Palestinians. The Biden administration paused funding to UNRWA while the war between Israel and Hamas was ongoing, after accusations from Israel that some staffers from the agency had ties to Hamas. But an independent review found that there was no evidence to back that up. UNRWA is the main agency providing relief to Palestinians in Gaza.

The new executive order comes the same day that Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House, marking Trump's first meeting with a foreign leader since being sworn in last month.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Deepa Shivaram
Deepa Shivaram is a multi-platform political reporter on NPR's Washington Desk.