Just two weeks ago, when fielding questions from reporters about the now paused massive US arms package to Taiwan, President Trump stated: "I have to speak to the person that right now is - you know who he is - that's running Taiwan."
And now, in the wake of Trump's May Bejing visit to meet within Xi Jinping, CBS reports, "President Trump is no longer expected to speak with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te before Chinese President Xi Jinping's potential trip to the United States this fall, multiple sources familiar with the discussions" stated.
Xi had warned Trump that Taiwan could become a "very dangerous situation" if mishandled - and since then the estimated $14 billion weapons package has been put on pause.
Reuters: Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan’s Kuomintang, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in April.That a sitting US president is not speaking to Taiwan's elected leader is actually normal based on Washington's policy of strategic ambiguity, and official acknowledgement of 'One China'. Trump is signaling that this will not change for now:
No sitting U.S. president has spoken directly with a Taiwanese leader since 1979 due to diplomatic sensitivities in managing relations with China, although in December 2016, while Mr. Trump was president-elect, he received a congratulatory call from then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ying-wen.
"I think [Lai], if he has time, would love to tell him our side of the story, the Taiwan story, which is one that — of resiliency, of a state staying up against the Chinese aggression," Alexander Yui, Taiwan's Representative to the U.S., told "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on May 17.
But while the self-ruled island's leader Lai Ching-te is in political limbo and waiting on the sidelines as Washington and Beijing continue to try and heal relations, the head of Taiwan's lead opposition party will be touring around the United States:
In April, Cheng Li-wun became the first leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party to meet Xi Jinping in a decade. On Monday, she is flying to the U.S. with a message Beijing would recognize as its own.
Cheng, the chairwoman of the Kuomintang, is set to begin a two-week U.S. tour that is billed as a peace mission but also carries the weight of U.S.-China geopolitics. It is happening as Beijing is urging Washington to rethink its support for Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island that doesn’t recognize Beijing’s claim to govern it.
Cheng is a possible contender in Taiwan’s 2028 presidential election, in a party that has traditionally supported reconciliation with China. Her message for an American audience is that Taiwan—formally the Republic of China, not to be confused with the People’s Republic of China—operates under a constitution that already supports the principle that the island and the mainland are part of a single China. Cheng maintains that she, not the current government, is the leader best positioned to guarantee stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Importantly, The Wall Street Journal speculates on the possibility of Cheng meeting with Trump, or possibly other White House officials - though it seems unlikely:
If Cheng returns home having secured high-level American access, she can present herself back home as the one figure capable of managing both Beijing and Washington.
“That,” Sacks said, “would be a fairly formidable proposition.”
The question is whether President Trump will play along. People close to the White House said Cheng shouldn’t expect meetings with top administration officials, pointing to a policy framework in which the administration engages foreign opposition leaders only when they are seen as likely future heads of government—a bar Cheng hasn’t cleared.
Cheng has expressed her willingness to meet Trump, though she has also said that is likely to be hard.
This is all about steering self-ruled Taiwan into China's orbit, and Beijing asserting political power to do so in the face of the Trump administration, after China has long stated its official policy of reunification to the mainland through political means.
Beijing has continued to present itself as the only peace guarantor and as a force for stability and is seeking 'Taiwan's willing participation' - at a moment the Middle East is on fire largely as a result of American policy and quickness to result to force and surprise attacks.
It will be interesting to see who in the Administration will meet with her. At a minimum, it will be the Managing Director of AIT Washington, Ingrid D. Larson.
Taiwan’s main opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun, is set to begin a two-week U.S. tour as Beijing urges Washington to…
Xi and Cheng, when they met in Beijing back in early April, expressed a desire for a "peaceful" resolution to the many decades-long Taiwan crisis, and posed for photos at the Great Hall of the People. They engaged in public remarks but also held a private, closed-door meeting.
Cheng emphasized in words to reporters that Chinese and Taiwanese officials should work to "transcend political confrontation and mutual hostility." She stated, "Instead, it should become a strait that connects family ties, civilization and hope – a symbol of peace jointly safeguarded by Chinese people on both sides."
Her rhetoric was tinged with familiar Chinese Communist Party talking points as she heralded China's supposed eradicating of absolute poverty while seeking to achieve the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation".
Tyler Durden Mon, 06/01/2026 - 14:10Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,
The U.S. Coast Guard has eliminated race-based preferential enlistment for college students who wish to join the service and commission as officers, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a May 29 statement.
“The program in question, the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI), includes a preference for students from educational institutions that meet certain quotas for specifically identified racial groups in their student bodies,” DHS said.
“Such requirements stand in stark contrast to the Trump Administration’s focus on fairness, merit, and eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies throughout the federal government. They are also in violation of the equal protection requirements of the U.S. Constitution.”
CSPI is a scholarship program aimed at college juniors and seniors. Students who join the program become active-duty Coast Guard members and are entitled to military benefits. The enrollees remain at the university until they complete their degrees.
During academic breaks, the students work with the Coast Guard. A mentor will be assigned to guide each student as they prepare to begin their career, according to the Coast Guard website.
To apply for CSPI, the student must be a sophomore or junior at a federally designated Minority Serving Institution, according to the website.
Such schools include Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American and Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Native American Non-Tribal Institutions, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions.
DHS said it has terminated such requirements as of May 28.
With the elimination of racial requirements, CSPI will function as a race-neutral program in which becoming commissioned officers in the Coast Guard will be determined by merit and achievement rather than “immutable characteristics,” the department said.
“The Trump Administration is more focused than ever on eliminating unconstitutional DEI policies like this one,” DHS general counsel James Percival said.
“By getting rid of these unconstitutional diversity quotas, we are returning the Coast Guard’s focus to military readiness, upholding the law, and making America a safer place.”
Crackdown on Military DEIOn Dec. 18 last year, President Donald Trump signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026, which authorized $901 billion in military and national security spending.
Sec. 901 of the bill prohibited DEI programs in the Department of War. The Secretary of War was banned from developing, implementing, or maintaining “an employee resource group or an affinity group based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”
The secretary was also prohibited from developing a training course related to diversity, equity, inclusion, intersectionality, and any critical theory related to race or gender.
Prior to the bill’s signing, the Modern Military Association of America had criticized the anti-DEI measures, calling them “harmful provisions,” according to a Dec. 10, 2025, statement from the association.
“The strength of the U.S. military lies not only in its size, but in its ability to draw on the talents, skills, and lived experiences of Americans from all backgrounds. A diverse force is more agile, innovative, and prepared to meet the complex challenges of modern warfare,” the association said.
“If enacted, they would jeopardize the health and well-being of service members, undermine recruitment and retention, and weaken overall military readiness.”
The Trump administration has steadily moved ahead with dismantling DEI policies and practices in the military despite opposition.
On Jan, 20, 2025, the first day in office of his second term, Trump issued the presidential action “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.”
On Jan.27, 2025, Trump signed another presidential action, stating that individuals expressing false “gender identity” cannot “satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”
In a July 20, 2025, announcement on X, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that after Trump was sworn into office, the Defense Department moved on three key initiatives—reestablishing deterrence, rebuilding the military, and restoring warrior ethos. This includes reevaluating DEI practices in the military.
“The results so far? Distractions like DEI, [critical race theory], social justice, politically correct stuff—gone,” Hegseth said.
During a May 23 address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, Hegseth doubled down on his criticism of DEI in the military. He called the slogan “our diversity is our strength” the “single dumbest phrase” in military history.
“Now, these sorts of silly things can be laughed at when they occur in a civilian lounge or civilian faculty lounge or debated in graduate seminars. But they cannot be tolerated in our formations. These ideas are what get people killed. Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength,” Hegseth said.
Tyler Durden Mon, 06/01/2026 - 13:55