WELL GIVE XI THE STRING.
AND THAT’S THE ANGLE.
IF SHE WENT THROUGH WITH THE
TRIP, PELOSI WOULDN’T BE THE
FIRST SITTING U.S. SPEAKER TO
VISIT TAIWAN THAT WOULD BE MY
NEXT GUEST JOINING ME NOW IS
NEWT GINGRICH FOX NEWS
CONTRIBUTOR AUTHOR OF THE
FANTASTIC BOOK DEFEATING BIG
GOVERNMENT SOCIALISM.
MR. SPEAKER, WE HAVE PICTURES UP
RIGHT NOW OF YOUR OWN TRIP TO
TAIWAN BACK IN 1997.
SINCE THEN IT’S QUITE AMAZING
THAT NO HOUSE SPEAKER HAS
TRAVELED THERE.
THE EXCUSE IS ALWAYS GIVEN THAT,
YOU KNOW, THAT CHINA HAS GOTTEN
MORE AGGRESSIVE, SO WE’VE GOT TO
BE CAREFUL NOT TO PROVOKE THEM.
BUT WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT US?
>> WELL, I HAVE TO SAY LAURA, I
WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED TO
REALIZE I WAS THE HIGHEST
RANKING AMERICAN OFFICIAL EVER
TO VISIT TAIWAN.
WE DID SO AS PART OF A TRIP THE
CHINESE COMMUNIST HAD INVITED US
TO SHANGHAI AND BEIJING I WENT
WITH A BIPARTISAN DELEGATION,
ONE OF THE POINTS I WOULD MAKE
TO NANCY PELOSI IS VERY
IMPORTANT, MAKE A BIPARTISAN
DELEGATION.
WE HAD 11 MEMBERS, INCLUDING
JOHN DINGLE, A SENIOR DEMOCRAT
AT THAT TIME.
AND WE SAID TO THEM, JUST BEFORE
THE TRIP STARTED, BY THE WAY,
WE’RE GOING TO GO TO TAIWAN.
THEY WERE FURIOUS.
THEY DID EVERYTHING THEY’RE
DOING RIGHT NOW.
THEY THREATENED, THEY BULLIED,
THEY BLUFFED.
AND GARDENER PECK HAM OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR I
REMEMBER BEING NEAR HIM HE WAS
ON A PHONE CALL WITH THE CHAI
KNEES AMBASSADOR AND FINALLY
SAID, LOOK, THE CHINESE
COMMUNISTS ARE NOT THE TRAVEL
GUIDE FOR THE AMERICAN SPEAKER
OF THE HOUSE.
IF YOU DON’T WANT HIM TO GO TO
CHINA, THEY’LL SKIP CHINA AND GO
TO TAIWAN.
ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY SAID NO,
NO, NO.
THE ONLY CONDITION WAS WE HAD TO
GO CHINA, JAPAN AND THEN BACK TO
TAIWAN.
WE COULDN’T GOAT DIRECTLY FROM
MAIN LAND CHINA, THE COMMUNIST
PART, DIRECTLY TO TAIWAN.
THE PRESIDENT OF TAIWAN MET WITH
ALL OF US, BIPARTISAN
DELEGATION.
THEY WERE THRILLED THAT WE WERE
THERE.
I WAS REALLY SURPRISED TO
REALIZE THAT THAT 1997 VISIT WAS
THE LAST TIME THAT A SENIOR
AMERICAN LEADER HAD ACTUALLY
VISITED TAIWAN.
I ENCOURAGE NANCY TO GO,
PARTICULARLY NOW THAT IT’S
PUBLIC.
I THINK IT WOULD BE HUMILIATING
AND DESTRUCTIVE IF SHE WERE TO
BACK DOWN.
AND I HAVE TO SAY, HAVING A WOKE
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT THAT’S NOT
SURE IT CAN DEAL WITH THE
AMERICAN SPEAKER GOING TO
TAIWAN, MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT
THEY WOULD DO IN A REAL CRISIS
>> Laura: YEAH, WELL,
$800 BILLION A YEAR, THAT’S
THEIR BUDGET.
SO NEWT HERE’S HOW THE WHITE
HOUSE TRIED TO EXPLAIN BIDEN’S
STANCE.
WATCH THIS.
>> YOU CAN’T SAY WHETHER THE
PRESIDENT PERSONALLY WOULD
SUPPORT THIS TRIP EVEN IN A
HYPOTHETICAL.
>> I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO HIM
PERSONALLY.
YOU HEARD HIM SOMEONE, MAYBE
SOMEONE ON YOUR TEAM ASKED HIM A
WEEK AGO LAST WEDNESDAY ABOUT
THIS PARTICULARLY, SPECIFICALLY,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER’S TRAVEL.
I’M NOT GOING TO GO BEYOND WHAT
HE SAID.
>> Laura: NEWT, NOW, THIS IS NO
SMALL ISSUE, AND SHE’S CLAIMING
THAT SHE HASN’T SPOKEN TO THE
PRESIDENT ABOUT IT?
REALLY.
>> SURE.
WELL, I BELIEVE THAT.
I MEAN, YOU GOT A GUY WHO HAS
COGNITIVE CHALLENGES, I’M NOT
SURE HE KNOWS WHERE TAIWAN IS.
WHY WOULD -- AND THE PRESS
SECRETARY DOESN’T KNOW ANYTHING.
SO WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT A
WOMAN WHO DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING
AND THE GUY WHO CAN’T REMEMBER
WHAT IT IS HE USED TO KNOW WOULD
ACTUALLY HAVE A CONVERSATION
ABOUT A TOPIC THAT’S ONLY VERY,
VERY IMPORTANT?
I THINK YOU HAVE TO RECOGNIZE,
THIS IS VERY SIMPLE.
IF SPEAKER PELOSI BACKS DOWN,
WHAT THE CHINESE COMMUNISTS WILL
LEARN IS ONE MORE EXAMPLE OF
AMERICAN WEAKNESS AT A TIME WHEN
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WAS
DEFEATED IN AFGHANISTAN, HAS
FAILED TOTALLY IN UKRAINE, AND
CONTINUES TO SIGNAL ITS UTTER
WEAKNESS.
THIS WOULD BE, I THINK,
INCREASING THE DANGER OF A
COMMUNIST INVASION OF TAIWAN.
ON THE OTHER HAND, IF SPEAKER
PELOSI DECIDES, AS I HOPE SHE
WILL, TO TAKE A BIPARTISAN
DELEGATION, SO IT’S VERY CLEAR
TO THE CHINESE COMMUNISTS,
WHETHER YOU’RE A DEMOCRAT OR A
REPUBLICAN, WE ARE FOR THE
FREEDOM OF TAIWAN.
>> Laura: RIGHT.
>> FROM NOT BEING INVITED.
I THINK THAT’S IMPORTANT
HISTORICALLY.
>> Laura: IT WOULD BE AMAZING
FOR HER LEGACY.
I’M NOT TRYING TO GIVE HER
LEGACY ADVICE, THAT’S A SEPARATE
POINT BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR
HER TO SEPARATE HERSELF FROM THE
HERD MENTALITY WHICH SEEMS TO BE
MOVING TO PROTECT CHINA’S
INTERESTS IN THE UNITED STATES.
SO I THINK SHE’S SMART ENOUGH TO