INTERNACIONAL
Trump’s Taiwan ‘negotiating chip’ remark sparks alarm over how far he’d shift US-China policy
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President Donald Trump suggested Friday that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan could factor into broader negotiations with China, drawing a swift response from Taiwan’s president and reigniting debate in Washington about the future of longstanding U.S. policy toward the island.
Asked by Fox News whether he would move forward with a delayed $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan, Trump replied: «I’m holding that in abeyance, and it depends on China. It’s a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly. It’s a lot of weapons.»
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pushed back hours later, calling U.S. arms sales «the most vital deterrent» to regional conflict and insisting Taiwan «shall never be sacrificed or traded away.»
Trump’s comments came as the administration continues to hold up a $14 billion Taiwan weapons package first approved in principle in late 2025, fueling growing debate in Washington over whether Trump is steering U.S. policy back toward a more traditional form of «strategic ambiguity» — or recasting support for Taiwan through a more openly transactional lens tied to broader negotiations with Beijing.
CHINA PROMISES ‘COUNTERMEASURES’ TO US ARMS SALE TO TAIWAN
The White House pushed back on suggestions that Trump’s remarks signaled a retreat from longstanding U.S. support for Taiwan.
A senior administration official told Fox News Digital that Trump «will make a determination in a fairly short time» regarding a new Taiwan arms package and noted the president approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan in December 2025.
The official also argued Trump’s record on Taiwan arms sales exceeded that of previous administrations, saying Trump approved more sales during his first term «than any other president in history» and more in his first year back in office than former President Joe Biden approved across his entire presidency.
President Donald Trump suggested that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan could factor into broader negotiations with China. (Ann Wang/File Photo/Reuters)
President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping listened to each other on Taiwan, but Trump stressed he did not give in to Xi’s claims of control over Taiwan, declining to assure Xi the U.S. would not defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion. (Brendan Smialowski – Pool/Getty Images)
Ahead of Trump’s recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, bipartisan lawmakers warned in a letter that «American support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation.»
The Taiwan issue already had emerged as one of the most sensitive flashpoints surrounding Trump’s mid-May summit with Xi in Beijing.
Following the meeting, China’s foreign ministry said Xi warned Trump that Taiwan remained the «most important issue» in U.S.–China relations and cautioned that mishandling it could lead to «clashes and even conflicts» between the two powers.
The White House later downplayed the exchange, with a senior administration official telling Fox News Digital both sides had simply reiterated their longstanding positions on Taiwan.
For decades, U.S. policy toward Taiwan has rested on a posture of «strategic ambiguity» — supporting Taiwan’s self-defense while avoiding an explicit commitment to militarily defend the island in the event of a Chinese attack.
Trump’s comments prompted competing reactions among foreign policy analysts, with some China hawks warning that treating Taiwan arms sales as negotiable could weaken deterrence and unsettle U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, while others argued the remarks reflected a return to a more traditional interpretation of strategic ambiguity after years of increasingly explicit U.S. signaling toward Taiwan.
TAIWAN RAMPS UP COAST GUARD AND MILITARY READINESS IN FACE OF BEIJING’S ‘GRAY ZONE’ WARFARE
«Trading Taiwan’s security for rhetoric from Beijing would be a strategic blunder of historic proportions,» said retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. «If the president does not proceed with the arms sale to Taiwan, he will jeopardize U.S.–Taiwan relations and weaken U.S. credibility globally.»
Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund think tank, argued Trump’s comments blurred an important distinction at the center of longstanding U.S. Taiwan policy.
«Strategic ambiguity has nothing to do with providing arms to Taiwan,» Glaser told Fox News Digital. It only refers to whether the U.S. will defend Taiwan if attacked, she said.
«The Taiwan Relations Act requires that the United States sell defensive arms to Taiwan. No president has ever said that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are a useful bargaining chip.»
But some foreign policy analysts argued Trump’s comments reflected a deliberate effort to re-center U.S. policy around American priorities.
TRUMP LEAVES CHINA WITH BREAKTHROUGHS — AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS ON XI’S BIGGEST FIGHTS
«Trump has shaken up the Taiwan debate in Washington to a large extent,» Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia engagement at Defense Priorities, told Fox News Digital.
The Taiwan issue had already emerged as one of the most sensitive flashpoints surrounding Trump’s mid-May summit with Xi in Beijing. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Goldstein argued Trump’s comments reflected a return to a more restrained interpretation of «strategic ambiguity» after years of increasingly explicit U.S. signaling toward Taiwan under the Biden administration.
«Overall, his approach has been to return U.S. policy to ‘strategic ambiguity,’ especially in contrast to the Biden administration, which was lurching dangerously toward ‘strategic clarity,’ that threatened to spark a near-term U.S.–China war,» Goldstein said.
During his presidency, former President Joe Biden repeatedly suggested the United States would defend Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese attack — comments critics said pushed Washington closer toward «strategic clarity,» even as White House officials maintained there had been no formal policy change.
Critics argued Biden’s remarks heightened tensions with Beijing, while supporters said the comments strengthened deterrence against potential Chinese aggression.
Goldstein argued Trump’s willingness to openly discuss Taiwan arms sales in the context of broader U.S.–China negotiations reflects a more restrained approach aimed at preserving stability between Washington and Beijing.
«Indeed, with these fresh comments Trump recognizes that both sides are responsible for maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait,» Goldstein said. «He even went so far as to sternly admonish the leadership in Taipei for unnecessary risk-taking.»
Trump has long taken a more transactional approach toward Taiwan than many traditional U.S. foreign policy hawks, previously arguing the island should pay the United States for its defense and accusing Taiwan of «stealing» America’s semiconductor industry.
He has also repeatedly framed Taiwan through the lens of semiconductor competition and supply-chain dependence, arguing the United States should reclaim a larger share of advanced chip manufacturing.
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«Trump’s new reflections on Taiwan illustrate an informed approach that recognizes the basic and fundamental truth that Taiwan is not a vital U.S. national security interest and that the U.S.-China relationship far outweighs the U.S.-Taiwan relationship in importance,» Goldstein added.
The central question now facing lawmakers and U.S. allies is whether Trump’s rhetoric will ultimately affect the timing or conditions surrounding the pending Taiwan weapons package — a test many analysts see as critical to understanding how the administration intends to approach Taiwan going forward.
defense, national security, taiwan, foreign policy senate, xi jinping
INTERNACIONAL
Europa le está ganando el Cáucaso a Rusia: busca quitar de su histórica influencia a Armenia y Azerbaiyán
Europa está ganando la partida geopolítica a Rusia en el Cáucaso sur, una región que Moscú considera parte de su patio trasero. La presidenta de la Comisión Europea, la alemana Úrsula Von der Leyen, viaja la próxima semana a Armenia y Azerbaiyán y lo hace acompañada de la comisaria de Ampliación, Marta Kos, en una clara señal a países que querrían verse en el futuro siendo miembros de la Unión Europea, un escenario que aterroriza al Kremlin.
El juego de cartas en la región lleva décadas. A la caída de la Unión Soviética en 1991 la independencia de aquellas antiguas repúblicas soviéticas no fue suficiente para evitar que Moscú consolidara su posición como actor dominante en la región. Ese papel se fue degradando desde las guerras en Chechenia y, sobre todo, cuando los países del Cáucaso vieron que Moscú podría llegar a usar la fuerza para arrebatarles (como a Georgia) trozos de su territorio.
El ataque del 24 de febrero de 2022 a Ucrania parece ser la gota que colmó el vaso y que dio más influencia a los dirigentes proeuropeos o que, al menos, quieren acercarse a Europa para depender menos del Kremlin. Eso ha servido para que la Unión Europea haya ido incrementando su presencia diplomática y económica en la región, que hasta hace pocos años se limitaba a ciertos planes de cooperación al desarrollo.
La ampliación de la Unión Europea al centro y el este del continente con la entrada en 2004 de 10 países en el bloque hizo que los intereses de esos países se tuvieran en cuenta y se mirara más hacia el este. Ahí nació la Política Europea de Vecindad y la Asociación Oriental, marcos donde fueron ampliándose las relaciones con esos países.
La invasión rusa de Ucrania cambió el escenario por la ruptura con la Unión Europea y porque Europa ha buscado disminuir todo lo posible su dependencia de la energía rusa, diversificando corredores de gasoductos (esencial en eso Azerbaiyán) y mejorando sus relaciones con países que iban moviéndose hacia sistemas democráticos y que miraban más hacia Europa.
El conflicto de 2023 entre Armenia y Azerbaiyán por la región de Nagorno Karabaj aceleró los cambios políticos en la derrotada Armenia y mostró que Rusia no cumplía con su papel de fuerza de interposición. Tras depender durante décadas de la seguridad rusa mientras su tradicional enemiga Azerbaiyán se apoyaba en Turquía, Armenia giró cuando sintió la traición de Moscú. La reciente victoria electoral en Armenia, contra las maniobras del Kremlin, de un gobierno pro europeo liderado por Nikol Pasyihan, abre ahora la puerta a acelerar el acercamiento del país a la Unión Europea.
Cuando Rusia impuso medidas restrictivas comerciales a Armenia, Europa respondió anunciando paquetes de ayuda económica y de apoyo al sector privado. Mientras, los europeos buscan diversificar sus rutas comerciales y de energía, poniendo buena parte de la plata para infraestructuras energéticas que conecten la región desde Georgia hasta Turquía. Europa ve en Armenia un nudo de transportes en la región. Por eso también consiguió que, tras décadas cerrada, Turquía aceptara abrir su frontera con Armenia.
Los europeos se movieron rápido en las últimas ocasiones en que el Kremlin generó problemas económicos a Armenia. Cuando Moscú prohibió la venta de flores armenias en Rusia, paralizando un sector económico muy lucrativo para Erevan, la Comisión Europea se movió rápido para encontrar compradores alternativos en Europa.
El viaje de Von der Leyen a la región (el 1 de julio estará en Bakú y el 2 y 3 de julio en Ereván), simboliza ese acercamiento. Que con ella viaje Marta Kos, comisaria europea de Ampliación, es una señal tanto a los gobiernos de la región como al Kremlin. El mensaje que lleva la dirigente europea es que seguirá usando sus herramientas diplomáticas y económicas para anclar la región en Europa y alejarla del control de Moscú.
La relación europea con Azerbaiyán es más compleja por el carácter autoritario de su gobierno, pero Bruselas la mantiene engrasada por el papel de los azerís como suministradores de gas y porque su actitud es clave para mantener la estabilidad de la región.
INTERNACIONAL
French investigators probe fatal skydiving plane crash that killed pilot and 10 parachutists
Plane crash in Missouri kills 11 skydivers and pilot
Fox News’ Todd Piro covers a devastating plane crash in Missouri, resulting in the deaths of 11 skydivers and their pilot. The incident occurred near Kansas City after takeoff, with families tragically witnessing the fiery scene. The FAA and NTSB are investigating, suspecting power issues were a factor, though no intentional act is indicated.
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A plane carrying participants in a skydiving activity crashed shortly after takeoff in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people aboard, authorities said.
The Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefecture said on X that the aircraft crashed after departing from Nancy-Essey Airport, prompting officials to activate the department’s operational command center.
The Associated Press reported the victims included five parachuting instructors, five novice jumpers preparing for tandem skydives and the pilot.
MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A ‘DEVASTATING LOSS,’ COMPANY SAYS
A skydiver exits a single-engine aircraft during a jump in an undated file photo. Authorities said 11 people were killed after a skydiving plane crashed shortly after takeoff in northeastern France on Sunday. (iStock)
Prefect Yves Séguy told reporters the aircraft suffered a malfunction and «fell almost vertically,» narrowly missing a populated area.
«Had it occurred just a few dozen meters away, the accident could have caused collateral casualties,» Séguy said.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the single-engine Pilatus PC-6 banked left shortly after takeoff before crashing less than a minute later near residential homes, about 300 yards from the runway.
MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A ‘DEVASTATING LOSS,’ COMPANY SAYS
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said he traveled to the crash site with Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, where they met with local officials and emergency responders.
Nunez wrote on X that he felt «immense emotion» while meeting with local officials and praised the coordinated response of firefighters, emergency personnel, police, gendarmerie and civil security teams.
He said a medico-psychological emergency unit was activated shortly after the crash to support victims’ loved ones and those who witnessed the tragedy. Some family members waiting at the airport witnessed the crash, according to officials.
MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A ‘DEVASTATING LOSS,’ COMPANY SAYS
Nunez added that the investigation, directed by the Paris prosecutor’s office and assigned to the Air Transport Gendarmerie’s investigative unit, will determine the cause of the crash.
Tabarot described the incident as a «terrible tragedy» and extended his condolences to the victims’ families before traveling to the scene alongside Nunez.
In a later post on X, Tabarot said investigators from France’s Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses had visited the crash site and opened an investigation to determine the precise circumstances of the accident. He also described the crash as France’s deadliest aviation accident involving a skydiving flight in about 30 years.
The parachutists were preparing for tandem jumps, in which novice participants are harnessed to experienced instructors for the descent.
French broadcaster BFM-TV spoke with a local resident who said he heard what sounded like the aircraft’s engine stopping before a loud impact. When he reached the crash site, he said there were no signs of life.
Sunday’s tragedy came just weeks after another deadly skydiving plane crash in the U.S. that killed 12 people about 65 miles outside Kansas City, Missouri.
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In that crash, the aircraft was carrying 11 skydivers and a pilot. Many of the passengers were preparing for tandem jumps and were inexperienced first-time skydivers, officials said. Some family members waiting at the airport also witnessed the crash.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
france, disasters us, air and space, world
INTERNACIONAL
Trump calls likely DC mayor Janeese Lewis George a ‘communist’ and vows to block her agenda
Democratic socialist pushes agenda in Washington, DC
Janese Lewis George, a prominent Democratic Socialist, is poised to become Washington D.C.’s next mayor, advocating for a far-left policy agenda. Her platform includes ending police cooperation with ICE, opposing youth curfews, implementing free buses, and promoting universal childcare. President Trump expressed concerns, while Senator Tim Kaine warns against federal intervention in the city.
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President Donald Trump on Sunday called Washington, D.C., council member Janeese Lewis George a «communist» and vowed to block policies he said would undermine public safety and reverse his administration’s efforts to reduce crime in the nation’s capital.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said he plans to meet with Lewis George and argued Washington has become safer under his administration. He also pledged to oppose any agenda he said would weaken immigration enforcement, policing or the city’s criminal justice system.
«Janeese Lewis George, the Communist who is almost certainly going to be elected Mayor of Washington, D.C., has stated that she wants to empty the prisons, make D.C. a Sanctuary City, oppose ICE, welcome Criminal Illegal Aliens back into our beloved Capital, resist Anti-Crime Crackdowns, Defund the Police, continue and expand Cashless Bail, and so many other Capital destroying ‘things,’» the president wrote on Truth Social.
SOCIALIST POISED TO LEAD DC AFTER DEM PRIMARY VICTORY, SETTING STAGE FOR CLASHES WITH TRUMP
President Donald Trump and D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George are shown in a split image. Trump criticized Lewis George in a Truth Social post over her policies and her bid to become Washington’s next mayor. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for SPACEs in Action; Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«In the end, it will never work out, nor will I let it even have a chance because I have worked too hard to make Washington, D.C., the Envy of the World, with almost No Crime, and a Beautification process that has been second to none,» Trump continued. «I will meet with Janeese Lewis George, but must forewarn everyone that Washington, D.C., is again a Safe and Prestigious Community.
«Many people, including myself, have worked long and hard to get it there, and we will not let it be destroyed by a Communist adherent who has no intention to, MAKE WASHINGTON GREAT AGAIN!» he added.
Lewis George, a self-described Democratic socialist and member of the District of Columbia Council, defeated Kenyan McDuffie and five other candidates in the Democratic mayoral primary earlier this month, positioning her to succeed Mayor Muriel Bowser in a city where Democrats overwhelmingly dominate general elections.
SOCIALIST POISED TO LEAD DC AFTER DEM PRIMARY VICTORY, SETTING STAGE FOR CLASHES WITH TRUMP
Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) is seen during a city council meeting in Washington, DC on February 7, 2023 (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Her primary victory sets the stage for a likely clash with Trump, who has made reducing crime in Washington and reshaping the nation’s capital a central focus of his second term. The president has maintained a National Guard presence in the city and has repeatedly threatened to end the District’s home rule if he believes local leaders fail to keep crime under control.
Lewis George has sharply criticized Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and expanded federal law enforcement presence in Washington. Following the president’s decision to deploy the Guard last year, she called the move «a direct attack» on the city’s residents and accused Trump of weaponizing the Home Rule Act.
During the mayoral campaign, Lewis George argued that «federal troops» and «masked ICE agents» posed a greater threat to young Washington residents than juvenile crime and opposed relying on curfews and federal enforcement, instead advocating expanded youth programs and other community investments.
President Donald Trump pumps his fist after speaking at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s 2026 Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2026. (Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)
SOCIALIST POISED TO LEAD DC AFTER DEM PRIMARY VICTORY, SETTING STAGE FOR CLASHES WITH TRUMP
Trump has previously suggested he would consider placing Washington under greater federal control if Lewis George were elected mayor.
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«I wouldn’t like it — and maybe we take back Washington, run it on the federal basis,» Trump told reporters earlier this month. «We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses.»
Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
politics, donald trump, washington dc, blue city crime
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