🚨 TRUMP JUST FROZE $14 BILLION IN TAIWAN ARMS SALES AND CALLED IT A “BARGAINING CHIP” WITH CHINA. HERE ARE HIS EXACT WORDS. 🚨
On Air Force One leaving Beijing — Trump’s exact quotes:
“I haven’t approved it yet. It depends on China. It is a very good negotiating chip for us. It’s a lot of weapons.”
“China is a very, very powerful, big country. That’s a very small island. It’s 59 miles from China. We’re 9,500 miles away. That’s a little bit of a difficult problem.”
“Taiwan would be very smart to cool it a little bit.”
“They stole our semiconductor industry for years.”
“I’m not looking for somebody to go independent. I want them to cool down.”
“The last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away.”
Now here’s the context:
Taiwan just signed a $250 billion US investment pledge. Built TSMC factories in Arizona. Did everything Washington asked.
A bipartisan group of US senators had written to Trump before the trip: “American support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation.”
Trump negotiated with it anyway.
Brookings Institution: “Trump’s instinct to avoid war is sound. His approach of placating Xi’s preferences is dangerous.”
Marco Rubio told NBC: US policy toward Taiwan is “unchanged.”
Then Trump called the arms deal a bargaining chip on live television.
Taiwan produces 90% of the world’s most advanced chips.
America called it theft.
Then used their defense as leverage.
Every US ally on earth is watching this. →
Follow for daily updates before the media catches up 👆