US’ Trump to support Taiwan if he wins, former ambassador says

James Gilmore, a former US ambassador appointed by Donald Trump, expressed his conviction on Saturday that if the former president regains the presidency, he would once again lend his support to Taiwan.

Taiwan, which China asserts as its own despite opposition from Taipei, received substantial support from the Trump administration from 2017 to 2021, including arms sales that have persisted under President Joe Biden’s administration.

Following his 2016 election victory, Trump engaged in a conversation with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, which incited indignation in Beijing and delight in Taipei, given that the US does not formally recognize Taiwan’s government.

Trump’s ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Gilmore, told reporters in Taipei that the president was not an isolationist but rather was attempting to convince US allies to be more proactive in their own defense.
“I believe that President Trump will be supportive of Taiwan when he becomes president. He was in his first term,” said Gilmore, visiting Taipei to speak at the Taiwanese think tank, the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation.

In the presidential election scheduled for November, Biden, a Democrat, is slated to confront Trump, the presumed Republican nominee.

As a result of scheduling conflicts, Gilmore will not be able to meet President-elect Lai Ching-te on his trip; However, he will have the opportunity to meet Tsai.

He stated that he would provide Trump with an update on his visit and relay any messages received from Taiwan.

“I fully expect to write a memorandum and submit it to President Trump. What he does with these memos people send him, we do not know,” he said. “But I have made up my mind that I can be helpful.”

Gilmore, who served as the Republican governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002, further stated that he did not believe he needed to act as a messenger between Taiwan and the United States because he believed that communication channels were already robust.

China has frequently expressed its displeasure with the United States’ status as the primary international backer and arms supplier of democratically governed Taiwan. In response, China has increased military and political pressure on the island.

This year, Taiwan has welcomed bipartisan delegations comprising Republican parliamentarians, including Mike Gallagher, the then-chair of the House of Representatives select committee on China, who visited the island in February.

Gallagher stated during that trip that the US would continue to support Taiwan regardless of the outcome of the elections.