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Biden Messes Up Big on '60 Minutes'; WH Official Has to Walk Back His Comments

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President Joe Biden’s total inability to perform an interview without constant errors nearly caused an international scandal this week.

During an interview Sunday evening with “60 Minutes,” Biden claimed that U.S. troops would defend Taiwan if the Chinese government chose to attack it.

At first, Biden took the tactful approach.

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After “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley asked the president about the U.S. government’s commitment to Taiwan, Biden stood by the “One China” policy.

For decades, the U.S. has recognized the “One China” policy, which claims that the People’s Republic of China is the “sole legal Government of China.”

That being the case, historically, the U.S. has also avoided fully recognizing China’s sovereignty over Taiwan.

“We agree with what we signed onto a long time ago,” Biden said.

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“And that there’s one China policy, and Taiwan makes their own judgments about their independence. We are not moving, we’re not encouraging their being independent … that’s their decision.”

Then, things got a bit less tactful.

Pelley followed up with a point-blank question — “But would U.S. forces defend the island [of Taiwan]?”

Biden seemed pretty clear on the answer.

“Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack,” Biden said.

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When asked to clarify, Biden doubled down.

According to the White House, however, Biden had made a big mistake.

Following the interview, officials told CBS News that the official U.S. position on a possible Taiwan-China conflict is “strategic ambiguity.” Essentially, U.S. forces don’t want to show their hand regarding whether or not U.S. forces would rush to Taiwan’s aid.

Obviously, it’s hard to maintain “strategic ambiguity” when the acting commander in chief is playing that hand on national television for all to see.

This is at least the fourth time White House staff have been forced to walk back Biden claiming the U.S. military would defend Taiwan. A report from The Federalist’s Helen Raleigh detailed three other such instances of Biden making this exact mistake.

Perhaps Biden should no longer be allowed to talk about U.S. involvement in foreign affairs. Or, better yet, maybe we need a new president entirely.

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Michael wrote for a number of entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020 as a staff reporter. He now manages the writing and reporting teams, overseeing the production of commentary, news and original reporting content.
Michael Austin graduated from Iowa State University in 2019. During his time in college, Michael volunteered as a social media influencer for both PragerU and Live Action. After graduation, he went on to work as a freelance journalist for various entertainment news sites before joining The Western Journal in 2020 as a staff reporter.

Since then, Michael has been promoted to the role of Manager of Writing and Reporting. His responsibilities now include managing and directing the production of commentary, news and original reporting content.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Culture, Faith, Politics, Education, Entertainment




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