The liberal media was still up in arms Monday night over President-Elect Donald Trump accepting a congratulatory phone call from the president of the island of Taiwan. “Already, Trump has caused quite a stir on the world stage,” whined ABC’s Jon Karl on World News Tonight, “Ruffling China’s feathers by talking to the president Taiwan.” While chastising the president-elect for his phone call and selected defense tweets, they failed to mention the nearly two billion dollars in arms sales to Taiwan under President Barack Obama.
The ABC reporter complained that Trump was not seeking advice from the current administration on how to deal with foreign countries. “And Trump has held many other calls with foreign leaders, but none of them with experts who could brief him on sensitive diplomacy,” Karl stated, “The current secretary of state all but begging Trump to hear them out.”
And according to reporter Kristen Welker on NBC Nightly News, a singular “High level source familiar with the issue tells NBC news, Mr. Trump talked with top advisers about the possibility of establishing contact with Taiwan for months.” She even hyped the Chinese response through their government controlled media, “Today China firing back. The state-run newspaper writing, ‘creating troubles for the China-US relationship is creating troubles for the US itself.’”
Both ABC and NBC claimed Trump’s defense of the call was a tweet, which said “Did China ask us if it was okay to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete)? I don't think so!” But there was another tweet Trump sent on December 2 that they totally ignored.
The tweet, as quoted by Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin, said, “Trump's response to his critics came in a tweet, ‘Interesting how the US sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.’ Her report substantiated Trump’s claim:
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have totaled more than $46 billion since 1990. In December 2015, the United States announced a $1.83 billion arms sales agreement to Taiwan, the first in four years. The White House was on the defensive today.
A Christmas gift that was conveniently forgotten by the liberal networks. Griffin also reported that on November 26 China sent bombers capable of launching nuclear weapons to circle Taiwan. The provocation forced Japan to scramble jets to intercept them.
On NBC Welker perpetuated claims that Trump was also seeking business deals on the island, only reporting that, “Tonight Trump officials are disputing reports that Trump's team was exploring potential business dealings with Taiwan.”
CBS was the only network in the Big Three to move on from the “diplomatic firestorm” that was the phone call between two democratically elected leaders. All of the network hype begs the question: What’s more controversial, talking with a disputed territory or arming them?
Transcripts below:
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ABC
World News Tonight
December 5, 2016
6:41:08 PM Eastern…
JON KARL: Already, Trump has caused quite a stir on the world stage. Ruffling China’s feathers by talking to the president Taiwan. Something no US president has done in more than 4 decades. And Trump has held many other calls with foreign leaders, but none of them with experts who could brief him on sensitive diplomacy. The current secretary of state all but begging Trump to hear them out.
JOHN KERRY: I would recommend it, but obviously it hasn't happened in a few cases.
KARL: Trump is now defending his call Taiwan, tweeting, “Did China ask us if it was okay to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete)? I don't think so!” But that’s not all the he’s tweeting about. The president-elect couldn't resist hitting SNL.
ALEC BALDWIN: I just retweeted the best tweet.
KARL: Trump’s response, “Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - Unwatchable, totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad.” All this after the president-elect told 60 Minutes, he planned to tweet less.
…
...
NBC Nightly News
December 5, 2016
7:10:43 PM EasternLESTER HOLT: To politics now, President-Elect Donald Trump has announced he's nominating one-time rival Ben Carson for secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Meanwhile, NBC news has learned that the president-elect's controversial phone call with Taiwan last week, was long in the works. We get more from NBC's Kristen Welker.
[Cuts to video]
KRISTEN WELKER: New signs tonight President-Elect Donald Trump knew exactly what he was doing when he held a call with the leader of Taiwan last Friday, breaking decades of US-China protocol. While top officials publicly insist the call was merely congratulatory.
MIKE PENCE: This was a moment of courtesy.
WELKER: A high level source familiar with the issue tells NBC news, Mr. Trump talked with top advisers about the possibility of establishing contact with Taiwan for months. Those talks intensified after Election Day. John Huntsman, a former Ambassador to China, now being eyed as a possible secretary of state, says, it's a smart move.
JOHN HUNTSMAN: You’ve a businessman who has become president of the United States, and who understands real leverage and how to find real leverage in that relationship.
WELKER: For his part, Mr. Trump has been unapologetic, tweeting, “Did China ask us if it was okay to devalue their currency?” And as a candidate, he frequently took aim.
DONALD TRUMP: We can't continue to allow China to rape our country.
WELKER: Today China firing back. The state-run newspaper writing, “creating troubles for the China-US relationship is creating troubles for the US itself.” China policy experts say, this is a shake-up.
GORDON CHANG: Trump is trying to change China policy, and it is a major reset. He is challenging the assumptions that are decades old.
WELKER: But others warn the move is risky.
NICK BURNS: It doesn't make sense to me, that Donald Trump should want to start his presidency with a serious crisis with China. I don't see where that gets us.
WELKER: A sign the call with Taiwan was likely no blunder.
MARK HALPERIN: For Donald Trump, this is classic art of the deal. Put China on warning, “You better watch out, things are going to be different now.”
[Cuts back to live]
WELKER: Tonight Trump officials are disputing reports that Trump's team was exploring potential business dealings with Taiwan. Meanwhile, an interesting visitor here at Trump Tower today, former Vice President Al Gore meeting with the president-elect to discuss climate change.
...
FNC
Special Report
6:06:16 PM Eastern…
JENNIFER GRIFFIN: Trump's response to his critics came in a tweet, “Interesting how the US sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.” US arms sales to Taiwan have totaled more than $46 billion since 1990. In December 2015, the United States announced a $1.83 billion arms sales agreement to Taiwan, the first in four years. The White House was on the defensive today. It’s already spoken twice to the Chinese.
JOSH EARNEST: Senior officials of the National Security Council have been in touch with their Chinese counterparts to reiterate our country's continued commitment to a one China policy.
…
