Tom Cotton Praises Trump’s Very Controversial Phone Call With Taiwan

U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a candidate for U.S. senate, speaks at a North Little Rock, Ark., news conference as he endorses U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.,Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

President-elect Donald Trump is in hot water after speaking on the phone with Taiwan’s president, something that hasn’t been done for decades in an effort to preserve U.S.-China relations. But, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) praised him.

Trump spoke on the phone with President Tsai Ing-wen Friday, which has not been done since 1979 when the U.S. agreed to normalize relations with China and embrace the “one China” policy. China views Taiwan as an illegitimate government.

Cotton, a hawk on foreign policy, sent out a statement commending Trump for the call.

“America’s policy toward Taiwan is governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, under which we maintain close ties with Taiwan and support its democratic system. I commend President-elect Trump for his conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen, which reaffirms our commitment to the only democracy on Chinese soil,” Cotton said. “I have met with President Tsai twice and I’m confident she expressed to the president-elect the same desire for closer relations with the United States.”

Latest Livewire
80
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Tom Cotton has the same stretched-out neck as Rick Scott. Coincidence? I think not.

  2. Donald Trump ; Unqualified for president
    Tom Cotton Unqualified for anything

  3. Someone wants a job in the Twump administration …

    Meet your new Sec of State…

  4. Hopefully this asshole will be our Protesilaus since he’s so hot to start a war.

  5. If Tom Cotton has his way we will be at war until we run out of young Americans. First he wants war in the middle east. Now he wants war with China. The man is evil.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

74 more replies

Participants

Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for cabchi Avatar for k_in_va Avatar for austin_dave Avatar for sysprog Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for zoran Avatar for boscobrown Avatar for Lacuna-Synecdoche Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for bonvivant Avatar for sonsofares Avatar for harry_r_sohl Avatar for midnight_rambler Avatar for hjs62 Avatar for fiftygigs Avatar for darrtown Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for tena Avatar for clauscph Avatar for edhedh Avatar for j_from_texas

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: