Despite the three criminal indictments he is facing, former US president Donald Trump is actively campaigning for the presidency: By all accounts, his campaign is going well in parts of the Republican base.
A New York Times poll published on July 31 found that 54 percent of Republican voters would support Trump if the election for the party’s presidential nominee were held today.
Trump recently won the support of all Republican representatives from Alabama. Furthermore, his deranged rallies continue to draw a large and enthusiastic crowd: While in Pennsylvania, Trump called US President Joe Biden “an enemy of the state” and repeated baseless electoral fraud claims. Trump, a populist demagogue, is apt to sow distrust in the federal government as part of his strategy. This blatant manipulation of public trust results in voters becoming increasingly disenchanted with liberal democratic institutions.
Nevertheless, Trump’s unapologetic anti-communist stance makes him attractive among certain groups of Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans. Amid geopolitical tensions between China and the US, some hope for another figure like former US president Ronald Reagan.
However, Trump’s unrestrained and pugnacious style is likely to drive a rift between the US and its allies.
For instance, in an interview with Fox News, Trump accused Taiwan of taking away semiconductor business from the US and said that Washington should have imposed tariffs on Taiwan. This sentiment is consistent with his “America First” policy, which led to the US’ withdrawal from international treaties and organizations.
There are signs that established Republicans are distancing themselves from Trump. Following the indictment of Trump, former US vice president Mike Pence said: “Anyone who puts himself over the constitution should never be president of the United States.”
Pence, who is also seeking the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, has made it clear that he would continue supporting Ukraine militarily if elected. Nevertheless, some Republicans remain skeptical about supporting Kyiv, seeing the Ukraine war as a result of NATO’s expansionism. Trump believes that he could end the war in one day by pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to the negotiation table.
This seems like an overwhelmingly optimistic solution to a very difficult problem. As Kyiv’s counteroffensive stagnates, Ukraine fatigue within the US spreads, leading some to portray support for the European country as a financial burden and to demand quick solutions. Most of these solutions are wishful thinking and they risk betraying Ukrainian soldiers who put their life on the line to defend against Russian expansionism.
Even if the Republican Party ends up not nominating Trump for the presidency, there is still the risk of other candidates emulating Trump’s “America First” policy that seems to attract a large portion of the US’ blue-collar workers. Trumpism can still survive without Trump.
Unlike Trump’s increasingly isolationist stance, the Biden administration has announced US$345 million in military aid for Taiwan, largely drawing on the US’ own stockpiles to expedite arms deliveries. Taiwan and Ukraine need a resolute US president to have their backs.
Biden’s leadership is far from perfect, but the resurgence of Trumpism would only leave the US weaker domestically and internationally, which would be a detriment to Taiwan and the democratic front against authoritarian regimes.
Linus Chiou is a part-time writer based in Kaohsiung.
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry gives it a strategic advantage, but that advantage would be threatened as the US seeks to end Taiwan’s monopoly in the industry and as China grows more assertive, analysts said at a security dialogue last week. While the semiconductor industry is Taiwan’s “silicon shield,” its dominance has been seen by some in the US as “a monopoly,” South Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University academic Kwon Seok-joon said at an event held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In addition, Taiwan lacks sufficient energy sources and is vulnerable to natural disasters and geopolitical threats from China, he said.
After reading the article by Hideki Nagayama [English version on same page] published in the Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Wednesday, I decided to write this article in hopes of ever so slightly easing my depression. In August, I visited the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan, to attend a seminar. While there, I had the chance to look at the museum’s collections. I felt extreme annoyance at seeing that the museum had classified Taiwanese indigenous peoples as part of China’s ethnic minorities. I kept thinking about how I could make this known, but after returning
What value does the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hold in Taiwan? One might say that it is to defend — or at the very least, maintain — truly “blue” qualities. To be truly “blue” — without impurities, rejecting any “red” influence — is to uphold the ideology consistent with that on which the Republic of China (ROC) was established. The KMT would likely not object to this notion. However, if the current generation of KMT political elites do not understand what it means to be “blue” — or even light blue — their knowledge and bravery are far too lacking
Taipei’s population is estimated to drop below 2.5 million by the end of this month — the only city among the nation’s six special municipalities that has more people moving out than moving in this year. A city that is classified as a special municipality can have three deputy mayors if it has a population of more than 2.5 million people, Article 55 of the Local Government Act (地方制度法) states. To counter the capital’s shrinking population, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) held a cross-departmental population policy committee meeting on Wednesday last week to discuss possible solutions. According to Taipei City Government data, Taipei’s