CNN host Michael Smerconish said Saturday that recent controversial remarks by President Donald Trump regarding Iran and Taiwan were not political gaffes, but rather examples of “smart diplomacy” aimed at foreign adversaries.
Smerconish first addressed Trump’s statement that he is not considering Americans’ financial situations “even a little bit” when making decisions about Iran.
While acknowledging the political fallout, Smerconish noted that the comment would likely appear in “plenty of Democratic midterm ads.” However, he defended the substance of the response.
“But here’s the truth: President Trump gave the only answer he could have given,” Smerconish said. “Yes, the economic pain is real…but the people stomping on Trump for that answer are missing the point entirely. He wasn’t talking to us. He was speaking to Iran.”
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According to Smerconish, telegraphing economic vulnerability would compromise the U.S. position. “The strongest remaining weapon in Iran’s arsenal — it’s not their navy or missile systems — it’s American impatience,” Smerconish said. “If President Trump had stood at that microphone and said, ‘Boy, I sure hope we can keep this up for a little bit longer because the economy is really taking a toll,’ that would have been a gift-wrapped signal to Tehran that we’re looking for a way out.”
The CNN host then turned to Trump’s recent interactions with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Trump refused to confirm arms sales to Taiwan or clarify whether the U.S. would defend the island in the event of a Chinese attack.
Smerconish argued that the critical focus on Trump’s refusal to answer missed a more significant revelation.
“Arguably the bigger story was Trump’s revelation that Xi had directly asked Trump whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacked,” Smerconish said. “Think about that for a moment. The leader of China flat-out asked. The question alone tells you everything about where Beijing’s head is. If Xi really said that to Trump, it suggests that Xi is looking to invade Taiwan and he’s looking for a green light from the United States to do so.”
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Rather than viewing the non-committal response as a sign of weakness or a “dodge,” Smerconish categorized it as a deliberate adherence to established geopolitical doctrine. “That’s a long-standing U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity, and the only answer that keeps China guessing,” he said.
Smerconish concluded his analysis by stating that the administration’s messaging prioritized international deterrence over domestic public relations.
“For China, the summit was all about Taiwan. But for the us, it’s all about Iran. So people can clutch their pearls all they want. On both occasions, Trump said exactly what the moment required, not for our consumption, but for the audience that really mattered: Iran, a country that needs to be kept from getting a nuclear weapon.”
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