AROUND THE BLOCK
News with a Twist
Breaking precedent, Trump takes call from Taiwan president
Was scotch taped Trump tie behind call?
Breaking decades of American diplomatic practice, U.S. president-elect Donald J. Trump spoke on the phone on Friday with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. The call caught the Chinese government off guard by lunging into the most sensitive of its so-called core interests, the “One China” policy agreed to by President Richard M. Nixon more than four decades ago.
China’s foreign ministry on Saturday protested the call, initially calling it a "small trick” that would not affect U.S. policy toward China.
While the Trump transition team has not announced the nature of the conversation between Ing-wen and Trump, sources within Trump Tower told Around the Block that Trump took the call after being warned by Commerce Secretary-designate Wilbur Ross of potential business issues for Trump's companies.
Ross, known as the “king of bankruptcy” apparently told Mr. Trump that recent pictures of Trump showing his necktie being held together with scotch tape would have a detrimental effect not only on the Trump tie business, but the Trump brand in general, saying to Trump, "if you don’t do something about this tie problem quickly, I’d advise filing for bankruptcy.”
Sources say that in a remarkable moment of “bashert” (the Yiddish word for “destiny” or “meant to be” – clearly son-in-law Jared Kushner is having significant influence within the transition team), President Ing-wen called Mr. Trump after seeing photos of the scotch taped tie to tell him that Taiwanese tie factories could solve the scotch tape problem, imploring Mr. Trump to move tie production from China to Taiwan.
While there has been no official confirmation of the nature of Trump's conversation with the Taiwanese president, Chinese officials, when apprised that Taiwan might be in line to take Trump tie production away from them, reacted strongly.
According to a foreign ministry spokeswoman, “If indeed this call was about moving production to Taiwan to solve the Trump tie scotch tape problem, make no mistake, we will not let that move happen. Effective immediately, we have authorized our top cravat scientist, Ascot Chang, to set up fool-proof systems that will ensure that every tie making facility in China will be able to manufacture Trump ties in a manner that will eliminate the need to use scotch tape.”
The spokeswoman, Tai Won-on, went on to say, “Donald Trump’s ascendency to the U.S. presidency, his unprecedented popularity and the love of the American people for him, will result in record sales for Trump branded products, particularly ties. This will be a boon for the Chinese economy and we will do all in our power to make sure that all Trump products will be made nowhere else but in China. This will be the cornerstone of our policy with America."
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