Fact Check: Did Trump blast the WHO over hantavirus calling them 'sick people'?

WASHINGTON, DC: Social media users are sharing a video they claim shows President Donald Trump calling the World Health Organization (WHO) “sick people” and declaring that the United States will not comply with mask mandates or other public health measures linked to a reported 2026 hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. As the clip spreads widely online, questions are mounting about whether the video is authentic and whether the statements are real. So, what does the evidence actually show? Let’s fact-check the claim.

Claim: Trump blasts WHO over hantavirus

Social media users circulated a clip of Donald Trump opposing mask mandates and vaccine requirements while attaching new captions allegedly claiming he was criticizing the World Health Organization (WHO) over the 2026 hantavirus situation.

One widely shared X post from May 10, 2026, stated, “PRES. TRUMP BLASTS WHO & HANTAVIRUS: ‘NOT WITH US -- NO MORE TYRANNY!’” Another viral post claimed, “Trump drops TRUTH BOMBS on the fearmongers trying to push WHO panic and COVID-style tyranny over this Hantavirus situation! No school closures. No mask mandates. No forced jabs. We're DONE with their scams.” Similar versions of the claim spread across X, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

The posts emerged amid reports of a real Andes hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship in early May 2026. According to reports submitted to the WHO, authorities identified eight cases and three deaths connected to the outbreak.

Health officials said the virus primarily spreads through exposure to infected rodents, although limited person-to-person transmission can occur in certain cases.

Fact Check: The viral clip of Trump allegedly blasting the WHO is old

However, the video circulating across social media platforms is old and unrelated to the 2026 hantavirus outbreak. Keyword searches traced the clip back to a longer video that Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on August 30, 2023, during his presidential campaign. An X account dedicated to reposting Trump’s Truth Social content also shared the same video that day.

In the original video, Trump criticized what he called “left-wing lunatics” for allegedly trying to bring back COVID-19 lockdowns. He did not mention the World Health Organization (WHO) or hantavirus at any point in the clip. 

Referring to new COVID variants circulating at the time, Trump claimed that “they want to restart the Covid hysteria” to justify expanded mail-in voting during the 2024 election, a voting method he has repeatedly criticized without evidence. 

During the speech, Trump said, “These are bad people, these are sick people we are dealing with,” and added, “But to every Covid tyrant who wants to take away our freedom, hear these words: we will not comply.”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on May 12 that efforts to contain the hantavirus outbreak linked to the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius were ongoing after three passengers died during the incident. 

The outbreak prompted evacuations and international concern, but health officials stressed that the overall public health risk remains low and rejected comparisons to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.