President Donald Trump appeared to briefly confuse Taiwan with Iran on Friday while responding to a question about a possible U.S.-China conflict during a rambling exchange aboard Air Force One.
The 79-year-old president was speaking to reporters while returning to the U.S. after his state visit to China. In his first state visit to Beijing since 2017, Trump held high-stakes meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with topics reportedly including Taiwan and the conflict in the Middle East.
Beijing’s official readout of their bilateral talks said that Xi warned Trump that mishandling the Taiwan issue could trigger confrontation between the U.S. and China.
A reporter asked Trump for his response to the news that Xi said there was a risk of conflict with the U.S. over Taiwan.
“I don’t think there’s a conflict other than we don’t need their strait,” Trump replied.
The remark raised eyebrows on social media because Taiwan is separated from mainland China by the Taiwan Strait, while the Strait of Hormuz is the strategically critical waterway dominating headlines amid Trump’s war in Iran.
The vital shipping route, through which about a fifth of global oil supplies normally flow, remains effectively shuttered amid Trump’s military intervention in Iran.
The reporter appeared to interpret Trump’s response as a pivot toward Iran and attempted to steer the conversation back to Taiwan.
“But on Taiwan,” the reporter interjected.
Trump then shifted between Taiwan and the ongoing conflict in Iran during his answer.
“No, no, I don’t think so. I think we’re going to be, I think we’ll be fine,” Trump said. “[Xi] doesn’t want to see a war. I mean, we have two things, the Iranian situation… and on Taiwan, he doesn’t want to see a movement of independence.”
Trump added that Xi had strongly reiterated Beijing’s longstanding position on Taiwan.
“He said, look, we’ve had it for thousands of years, a certain period of time, and then left, and we’re going to get it back,” Trump said.
The president said he made “no commitment either way” on Taiwan during his discussions with his Chinese counterpart.
Trump also declined to answer whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.
“There’s only one person that knows that, you know who it is? Me, I’m the only person,” Trump said aboard Air Force One, adding that Xi personally asked him the same question during their talks.
“That question was asked to me today by President Xi,” Trump said. “I said I don’t talk about that.”
Since returning to the White House for a second term last January, Trump has faced increased scrutiny for displaying many of the same signs of physical and cognitive slippage that he once ridiculed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for.
Reports have documented Trump dozing off during Oval Office and Cabinet meetings, drifting off mid-sentence, and appearing with persistent bruising on his right hand. His swollen ankles have also raised concerns.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
