President-elect Donald Trump is tweeting – and making waves.
On Friday, Trump broke with decades of foreign policy and spoke with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and then talked about it on Twitter – angering Chinese leaders.
But political strategist Jim Ross believes this is Trump’s latest attempt to use Twitter to “drive the news cycle.”
“The president of Taiwan doesn’t just call the President-elect of the United States,” Ross said. “That’s not how diplomacy works. That’s now how the world works.”
News of the unprecedented call and subsequent tweet has reverberated around the world.
“The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!” Trump tweeted.
Ross says this was a “very intentional” move to ensure that “the Sunday morning shows will all be about Trump and his diplomacy."
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Taiwan and China have been at odds for decades. This, after the United States severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979 after recognizing Beijing as China’s sole government.
When trump’s followers reacted to his initial tweet, he roared back on social media saying, “Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.”
Political posturing is one thing, but Ross cautioned: “The world is a dangerous place and I think you have to be very careful what you say to world leaders.”
