??What Trump 2.0 Means for Taiwan ???? and China ????
Does Taiwan Have Leverage if Trump Asks for ‘Protection Fees’?
The election of Donald Trump underscored the American desire for change. Will U.S.-Taiwan relations be brokered through protection fees in the future, and, if so, how should Taiwan respond?
By Silva Shih
“I voted for Trump,” said Alex, a 25-year-old native of Guatemala, the fourth person in a row to proclaim his support for the ex-president outside a polling station in Miami, usually a stronghold of the Democratic Party.?
Alex, who had just finished a night shift at an airport logistics center,said, “Prices have increased so much that I might need to move back home.”?
A year or two ago, he could afford to rent a one-person studio on his salary of US$1,000 a month, but today, for the same price, he can only afford to squeeze into a four-person room, he said. Similar circumstances have led many of his friends to move back in with their parents. “Kamala Harris said she would continue Biden’s policies,” said Alex, who voted for Biden in 2020 but changed his stance this time, arguing that Harris did not want to change the country.?
Just a few days earlier, Alex had listened to Trump on the highly popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, where Trump reiterated his stance on Taiwan.?
“Trump won’t allow World War III to happen and won’t let China take over,” Alex said, echoing nearly word-for-word the rhetoric Trump used at a rally in Wisconsin.
When asked if he remembered Trump mentioning that Taiwan should pay protection fees on Rogan’s show, Alex confirmed that he had and that it was fine with him.?
Source of the Pain: A Broke Federal Government
Alex’s “pain points” reflect the main reason behind Trump’s electoral victory.
“What most people worry about are rent and living expenses, and there was a strong sense of anger over the economy before the election,” observed Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank.
“So, when Trump talks about Taiwan needing to pay protection fees or stealing chip jobs, ordinary people can understand what he’s saying,” Hsu said.
Read the full article:
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