WASHINGTON, United States – U.S. President Donald Trump has shattered decades of strict diplomatic protocol by openly declaring his willingness to speak directly with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, upending a cornerstone of U.S.-China relations.
Okay News reports that Trump made the remarks on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before boarding Air Force One. When asked if he would call President Lai before deciding on a heavily delayed $14 billion congressional arms sale to the self-governing island, Trump responded explicitly, “I’ll speak to him. I speak to everybody… We’ll work on that, the Taiwan problem.”
The announcement represents a massive departure from international diplomatic norms. The United States and Taiwan have not maintained formal diplomatic ties or direct leader-to-leader communications since 1979, when Washington formally recognized the People’s Republic of China under the “One China” policy. Trump previously broke this protocol as President-elect in late 2016 by accepting a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan’s then-President Tsai Ing-wen, sparking a fierce diplomatic protest from Beijing. Trump’s latest remarks are particularly volatile given that he just returned from a high-stakes trade summit in Beijing, where Chinese President Xi Jinping directly warned him that mismanaging the Taiwan issue could trigger direct military “clashes and even conflicts.”
The diplomatic friction is tied directly to a massive $14 billion U.S. weapons package—including advanced missiles and air-defense interceptors—approved by Congress in January but currently stalled at the State Department. Trump has openly described the defense package as a “very good negotiating chip” with Beijing, sparking deep anxiety in Taipei over the reliability of U.S. security guarantees. Responding to Trump’s comments on Thursday morning, Lai—who marked his second anniversary in office on Wednesday—stated he would be happy to speak with the U.S. leader to reinforce that Taiwan remains committed to the status quo, countering a blistering statement from China’s Foreign Ministry which accused the Taiwanese administration of “seeking independence through reliance on external forces.”
