LARRY: JUST FOR THIS ONE TIME
ONLY, AS FAR AS I KNOW, I WANT
BIDEN TO BE BIDEN AND PEOPLE
SHOULD LISTEN TO HIM BECAUSE I
THOUGHT HE WAS RIGHT SAYING THE
U.S. WOULD DEFEND TAIWAN IF
INVADED MILITARILY BY CHINA.
I THOUGHT HE HAD IT RIGHT.
WE’RE GOING TO BRING IN ALEX
GRAY, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY
COUNCIL CHIEF OF STAFF.
ALEX IS A CANDIDATE, REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATE FOR THE SENATE FROM
THE GREAT STATE OF OKLAHOMA.
GREAT TO SEE YOU, ALEX.
I’M NOT IN THE HABIT OF
SUPPORTING MR. BIDEN VIRTUALLY
ON ANYTHING BUT ON THIS ONE, HOW
MANY TIMES, LET ME ASK YOU THIS,
HOW MANY TIMES HAS CHINA SAID,
THREATENED, THEY WILL GO IN AND
TAKE OVER TAIWAN IN THE LAST
YEAR OR TWO?
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE THEY SAID
THAT, 10, 50, 100?
>> ALMOST EVERY DAY, LARRY.
LARRY: YES.
>> YOU CAN COUNT YOUR WATCH BY
IT.
THEY HAVE LAUNCHED A CONSISTENT
CAMPAIGN TO TRY TO INTIMIDATE
TAIWAN, INTIMIDATE US NOT
STANDING BY OUR COMMITMENTS TO
TAIWAN.
REALITY IS, AFTER THE UKRAINE
INVASION, XI XINPING TOOK NOTE
OF THAT AND HE LOOKED AT THE
RESPONSE GLOBALLY TO WHAT
HAPPENED IN UKRAINE AND WE
WATCHED AS THE OVERFLIGHTS OF
TAIWAN HAS INCREASED, INCURSIONS
OF AIRSPACE INCREASED.
WE’RE IN THE POSITION THAT THE
WEST, LARGELY SPEAKING WILL HAVE
TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT
STANDING WITH TAIWAN THAT WILL
DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF ASIA,
THE FUTURE OF THE 21st
CENTURY.
LARRY: WE, THE UNITED STATES,
CAN’T BE INTIMIDATED BY CHINA.
SO THEREFORE, ALEX, I KNOW IT IS
RARE, NOT A BIDEN FAN, DON’T
THINK MUCH OF HIS POLICIES,
ECONOMICS AT HOME, FOREIGN
POLICIES ABROAD.
HE WAS A DOLLAR SHOT AND A DAY
LATE WITH THE UKRAINE UNTIL
VERY, VERY, VERY RECENTLY BUT ON
THIS ONE, AND I GUESS HERE’S THE
WEIRD THING.
YOU WORKED FOR DONALD TRUMP.
I MEAN BIDEN’S OWN
ADMINISTRATION WON’T SEEM TO
SUPPORT HIM ON HIS STATEMENT
THAT HE WOULD HELP TAIWAN IF
CHINA INTERVENED MILITARILY.
THAT BOGGLES MY MIND.
>> WELL THIS POLICY OF STRATEGIC
AMBIGUITY THAT WE’VE HAD
REGARDING TAIWAN FOR DECADES,
THIS IDEA THAT WE WON’T SAY
EXACTLY WHAT WE’LL DO AND WE’LL
HOPE THAT THE CHINESE GUESS THAT
WE’RE GOING TO STAND UP FOR
TAIWAN IF IT REALLY COMES TO
THAT, THAT POLICY IS PROBABLY
OUTLIVED ITS USEFULNESS.
THE REASON I THINK A LOT OF THAT
HAS TO DO WITH UKRAINE.
IT HAS TO DO WITH A FACT WE’RE
IN A SITUATION NOW WHERE
AUTHORITARIANS GLOBALLY ARE
MAKING A DECISION ABOUT WHAT THE
UNITED STATES’ WORD IS WORTH.
UNFORTUNATELY EVERY TIME
PRESIDENT BIDEN TRIES TO SAY
SOMETHING, A MINOR INCURSION IN
UKRAINE OR TRIES TO WALK BACK
STRATEGIC AMBIGUITY AND HIS OWN
ADMINISTRATION ARE CONSTANTLY
CONTRADICTING HIS STATEMENTS IT
DOESN’T HELP THE WORLD TAKE OUR
WORD SERIOUSLY AND IT DIMINISHES
THE DETERRENCE VALUE OF
STRATEGIC AMBIGUITY ITSELF.
SO, LARRY, I THINK IT’S
PERFECTLY, I THINK IT’S
PERFECTLY IN ALIGNMENT IN THE
REALITY OF THE WORLD WE’RE
FACING FOR US TO BE HONEST ABOUT
THE NATIONAL INTERESTS WE HAVE
IN MAKING SURE TAIWAN MAINTAINS
ITS SELF-GOVERNING STATUS.
MY BIGGEST CONCERN, THOUGH, THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ISN’T
PUTTING OUR RESOURCES BEHIND THE
MILITARY IN THE WAY WE NEED TO
ACTUALLY DETER THIS.
SO THE WORDS ARE GETTING BETTER
BUT WE’RE NOT GETTING THE TYPE
OF HARD POWER THAT UNDER
PRESIDENT TRUMP WE HAD TO
ACTUALLY DETER OUR ADVERSARIES.
LARRY: ALEX, THAT IS AN ABSOLUTE
KEY POINT.
ROBERT O’BRIEN SAID SOMETHING
QUITE SIMILAR YESTERDAY.
WE GOT TO PUT IT, BIDEN HAS TO
BACK IT UP NOW.
A LOT OF DEFENSE PEOPLE ON THE
HILL SAID SIMILAR THINGS TODAY,
THAT THEY SUPPORT WHAT BIDEN
SAID BUT NOW IT’S SHOW ME.
I WAS TOLD, WE DON’T HAVE TIME
TODAY, BUT I WAS TOLD THAT
MILLEY AND AUSTIN BOTH WALKED
BACK BIDEN’S STATEMENT.
IF THAT IS TRUE, I DON’T HAVE
ANY PATIENCE WITH THAT.
I MEAN TRUMP WOULD HAVE FIRED
BOTH OF THEM.
RONALD REAGAN WOULD HAVE FIRED
BOTH OF THEM.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, HE IS THE
GUY PUTTING IT OUT BUT THEY NEED
RESOURCES TO BACK IT UP.
ANYWAY, ALEX GRAY, THANKS FOR