TRAVELED TO TAIWAN, A COUNTRY
THAT IS NOW PREPARING, RIGHTLY
SO, FOR THE WORST, AND HEREWITH
MORE AS FORMER SECRETARY OF
STATE MIKE POMPEO.
MR. SECRETARY, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
FIRST, LET ME GET YOUR REACTION
TO PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY TODAY AND
I LIKE THE REAGAN MODEL AND I
LIKE THE TRUMP MODEL.
AM I WRONG IN MY ANALYSIS?
DO YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA?
>> SEAN, I THINK THAT’S RIGHT.
THOSE TWO MODELS WERE VERY
CONSISTENT.
THEY WERE SPEAK PRETTY SOFTLY
BUT WHEN IT WAS TIME TO SWING
INTO ACTION, YOU DID IT WITH
FULL FORCE, YOU WEREN’T LATE,
YOU WEREN’T BEHIND, YOU WEREN’T
SLOW.
YOU WERE PROTECTING AMERICA’S
INTERESTS EVERYWHERE YOU WENT,
IN YOUR OPENING TALKED ABOUT THE
MORAL IMPERATIVE TO DO THIS.
I THINK PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY
TALKED ABOUT THAT ELOQUENTLY
TODAY.
THERE IS AN IMPORTANT AMERICAN
INTERESTS HERE AS WELL, THE
AMERICAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO BE
IMPACTED BY THIS, FERTILIZER
FOOD, OIL, GAS ALL GOING TO BE
MORE EXPENSIVE BECAUSE THE BUY
DEMONSTRATION FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
AHEAD OF PROTECTING SOVEREIGNTY
AND FREEDOM IN THIS PLACE.
I THINK YOU HAVE IT RIGHT, WE
SHOULD BE PROVIDING ALL THE
TOOLS THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE NEED
TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.
WE HAVE THEM, THE EUROPEANS HAVE
THEM, THEY CAN DO AN AWFUL LOT
MORE BUT INSTEAD PRESIDENT BIDEN
HAS BEEN BEHIND, IS ALLOWED
LATIMER PRUDENT TO DICTATE THE
PACE AND THE RESPONSE.
HE IS ALLOWED IS ALLOWED LATIMER
PRUDENT TO DOMINATE HOW WE THINK
ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF WHAT’S
TAKING PLACE HERE AND WE CAN DO
BETTER THAN THIS, AMERICANS
DESERVE IT, THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE
DESERVE IT AS WELL AND I THINK
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SPOKE TO
THAT VERY NICELY TODAY.
>> Sean: WHY, WHEN POLAND
WANTED TO GIVE THE MIGS TO
UKRAINE, THE PERSON THAT VETOED
THAT IDEA WAS JOE BIDEN.
IT WENT RIGHT TO HIM.
WHY WOULDN’T HE SAY TO POLAND DO
WHATEVER YOU THINK IS RIGHT?
>> HARD TO EXPLAIN, SEAN, WHY HE
WOULD TAKE THE POSTURE THAT A
EUROPEAN COUNTRY WANTED TO
PROVIDE WEAPON SYSTEMS THAT
PROBE LONG TO THAT COUNTRY TO
GIVE TO THEIR EUROPEAN FRIEND
AND PARTNER, THE UKRAINIANS, THE
PRESENT BIDEN WOULD SAY NO,
WE’RE NOT GOING TO LET THAT
HAPPEN.
IT’S HARD TO ALSO EXPLAIN, SEAN,
WHY WE ARE SECOND-GUESSING WHAT
THE LINSKY SAYS HE NEEDS TO
DEFEND HIMSELF.
HE HAS DEMONSTRATED, HIS
MILITARY LEADERS HAVE
DEMONSTRATED THEIR CAPABILITY TO
DEFEND AGAINST A RUSSIAN
MILITARY THAT WE THOUGHT WAS
REALLY CAPABLE.
IF THEY’RE ASKING FOR CERTAIN
TOOLS, WE OUGHT TO DO OUR BEST
TO GIVE IT TO THEM, AND WE
SHOULDN’T WAIT, WE ARE MONTHS
BEHIND, AND I KNOW THIS WAR HAS
ONLY BEEN GOING ON FOR A HANDFUL
OF WEEKS BUT WE’VE KNOWN FOR
MONTHS THAT THIS WAS THERE AND
WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN STACKING THE
WEAPONS, JAVELINS, MISSILES,
STINGERS, ALL THE THINGS THE
UKRAINIANS NEED TO DEFEND
THEMSELVES FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS
AND MONTHS.
INSTEAD I HOPE WE GET THEM TO
THEM FAST IN A SERIOUS WAY.
>> Sean: ONE OF THE THINGS WE
GOT TO KEEP IN MIND AS WE SEE
HOSTILITIES WITH NORTH KOREA
HEATING UP UP AND THEIR ICBM
TESTING, DOESN’T ALWAYS WORK OUT
WELL FOR THEM.
THEN WE HAVE THIS IRANIAN DEAL
NOW BACK ON THE TABLE, WHICH
SEEMS TO BE -- SEEMS
DRAMATICALLY WORSE THAN THE
FIRST BAD DEAL THAT THEY DID.
I GUESS JOE WANTS TO IMPORT OIL
FROM IRAN AND I GUESS JOE MIGHT
BE OKAY WITH LATIMER PRUDENT
BUILDING A NUCLEAR FACILITY FOR
THE IRANIANS AND I GUESS JOE
WANTS TO IMPORT OIL FROM
VENEZUELA AND IRAN, THOSE ARE
THINGS THAT I CAN’T REALLY
COMPREHEND, MR. SECRETARY, BUT
YOU WERE IN TAIWAN RECENTLY BUT
ALSO YOU KNOW PRESIDENT XI.
HE’S WATCHING ALL OF THIS, WHAT
IS HE THINKING TONIGHT AND WHAT
IS TAIWAN THINKING TONIGHT?
>> I WAS JUST IN TAIWAN.
I CAN TELL YOU WITH A TIME
PEOPLE ARE THINKING.
THEY ARE THINKING THAT BEING
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITHOUT AN
AMERICAN SET OF LEADERS THAT ARE
PREPARED TO ASSIST YOU WHEN A
SUPERPOWER, BIG NATION COMES TO
ATTACK YOU, THEY’RE VERY
CONCERNED, IT PUTS THEM ON EDGE.
I THINK XI JINPING IS WATCHING
THIS TOO AND WHILE IT SEEN THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION APPLAUDING
SAYING WE HAVE EUROPEAN UNITY.
THAT UNITY CAME ONLY AFTER AN
ENORMOUS A LOT OF DESTRUCTION
INSIDE OF UKRAINE THAT CONTINUES
TO THIS DAY.
I THINK I WANT CERTAINLY
WATCHING.
BUT I’M CONFIDENT THAT
XI JINPING IS NOT ONLY WATCHING
WHAT’S GOING ON IN UKRAINE
TODAY, BUT HE’S WATCHING US SIT
AT A TABLE IN VIENNA WHILE THE
RUSSIANS ARE KILLING INNOCENT
WOMEN AND CHILDREN, WE ARE
SITTING ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE
NEGOTIATING TABLE AS THE
RUSSIANS COME ABOUT TO HAND IRAN
A CLEAR PATHWAY TO GETTING
RUSSIAN WASH AND SIPPED SOME --
WEAPON SYSTEMS.
IT SOUNDS LIKE WE’VE ALLOWED
RUSSIANS TO SELL THE EQUIPMENT
TO THE IRANIANS AS PART OF THIS
DEAL.
THIS IS ONYX MINEABLE.
IT IS A LEVEL OF APPEASEMENT
THAT WE HAVEN’T SEEN IN THE
UNITED STATES IN AN AWFULLY LONG
TIME AND IT IS DANGEROUS NOT
ONLY FOR THE TAIWANESE, NOT ONLY
FOR THE UKRAINIANS, BUT IT’S
DANGEROUS FOR THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA TO WATCH BAD GUYS
RULE THE WEST.
>> Sean: WHEN YOU WATCH THE
COMMUNIST CHINESE FLY THEIR
FIGHTER JETS OVER TIME ON
AIRSPACE TO THE DEGREE THAT THEY
HAVE, AND THEY TALK ABOUT
REUNIFICATION TO THE EXTENT THAT
THEY HAVE, IT SEEMS CLEAR TO ME
THEY HAVE THEIR OWN TERRITORIAL
AMBITIONS AND THEY ARE PROBABLY
GOING TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THEM.
I HOPE I’M WRONG BUT I DON’T
THINK I AM.
>> SEAN, I HOPE YOU’RE WRONG
TOO.
WHETHER YOU’RE WRONG OR NOT WILL
DEPEND AWFUL LOT ON HOW THE
UNITED STATES RESPONDS, HOW THE
JAPANESE, THE AUSTRALIANS, THE
SOUTH KOREANS RESPOND.
IF WE DO THIS WELL, I PROMISE
YOU THE TAIWANESE PEOPLE ARE
VERY CAPABLE AND THEY ARE
PREPARED TO FIGHT THE SAME WAY
YOU’VE SEEN THE UKRAINIANS FIGHT
FIGHT.
THEY CAN CHANGE THE CALCULUS FOR
XI JINPING, THEY CAN MAKE THIS
COST EXTRAORDINARY FOR HIM, BUT
WE CAN’T WAIT.
WE CAN’T WAIT UNTIL GOT SHIPS AT
SEA AND AIRPLANES IN THE AIR IN
A BLOCKADE ESTABLISHED.
WE’RE GOING TO GATHER IT
SOMEPLACE AND DECIDE WHAT WE ARE
GOING TO DO, SHOULD BE PREPARING
THE TAIWANESE WITH ALL THE TOOLS
THEY TELL US THEY NEED AND MAKE
SURE THAT XI JINPING UNDERSTANDS
THAT WE ARE SERIOUS.
WHEN HE RAISES THE SPECTER, AS
HE DID JUST THIS PAST WEEK, WHEN
THE CHINESE TALK ABOUT THE BIG
PRICE THAT THE UNITED STATES
WILL PAY FOR SENDING EQUIPMENT
TO TAIWAN, IS TALK ABOUT THE USE
OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS TOO.
WE CANNOT ALLOW TYRANTS TO
THREATEN NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND
ENGAGE IN COERCIVE BEHAVIOR.
IT DIDN’T HAPPEN FOR FOUR YEARS
AND ART ADMINISTRATION, WE
SHOULDN’T LET IT HAPPEN NOW.
>> Sean: I HOPE THEY’RE
LISTENING.