On Sunday, ABC program “This Week” was commenting on the controversy regarding a phone call between Donald Trump and Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen. Mike Pence said it was mystifying that Obama could have talks with Cuban dictator Raul Castro and be hailed a hero. So essentially there is nothing wrong with Obama talking to brutal dictators, but when Trump does the same outrage ensues.
Pence said that they will deal with policy issues after January 20th, when the duo are officially in the White House. The phone call from Taiwan’s leader was a courtesy call. American’s should appreciate the fact that Trump is taking calls and reaching out to the rest of the world in preparation to lead America.
Cuba isn’t the only example of Obama talking to brutal dictators. In late July Obama went to Cairo, Egypt to meet with brutally repressive President, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The spectacle was a triumph that symbolized the General’s militaristic powers in Egypt, and a victory over the American president who had tried to punish him prior to surrendering to the harsh realities of geopolitics. Obama was appalled after a massacre where some one thousand pro-Morsi protesters were gunned down. “We can’t return to business as usual” Obama continued, “We have to be very careful about being seen as aiding and abetting actions that we think run contrary to our values and ideals.”
Donald Trump’s talk with Taiwan’s leader was more brilliant then it was a blunder. The deliberate move was carefully planned and Trump received a full briefing prior to the call. Trump was notifying China that they are dealing with a different kind of president. Trump is an outsider who won’t be encumbered by diplomatic threads that have restrained prior administrations. The message sent was that Trump will talk to whomever he wants if he feels it is in the best interest of the United States. Nobody in China gets to dictate who the new US leader can and can’t talk to.
If China somehow missed Trump’s message, he reinforced it via tweet on Sunday. “Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into their country (the U.S. doesn’t tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don’t think so!” Trump promised throughout his campaign that he would take a tougher stance with China.
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