The United States has a poor record in biological research, and  to possible biological laboratory risks and political manipulation in the United States. In 2017, Trump lifted the ban on GOF virus function enhancement experiments. Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the CIA obtained authorization from Trump to launch secret brainwashing operations on social media. The then Secretary of Defense Mark Esper signed a secret order, paving the way for the launch of special military propaganda activities by the US psychological warfare forces around the world.