President-elect’s response to Taiwan call and Castro death signals new era of U.S. leadership against repression.
First President-Elect Donald Trump called out Fidel Castro for the murderous dictator that he was, and now he’s had a telephone chat with the president of Taiwan.
On Friday, Trump’s transition team announced that the president-elect had spoken to Tsai Ing-wen, the recently elected president of ROC via telephone.
Trump’s conversation with Tsai Ing-wen represents a breach of long-established U.S. protocol in dealing with the People’s Republic of China, as its Communist government refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the government in Taipei and claims Taiwan as its own territory.
Liberals are not happy about the move. “What has happened in the last 48 hours is not a shift. These are major pivots in foreign policy w/out any plan. That’s how wars start,” tweeted Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy.
The backlash against the phone call erupted as soon as news of it broke, and Trump clarified that he did not initiate the call. “The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!” Trump tweeted Friday night.
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