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Last Thursday, President Joe Biden participated in a CNN Town Hall where he discussed a range of domestic and foreign policy topics. YouTube
“President Joe Biden said Thursday the US was committed to coming to Taiwan's defense if it comes under attack from China -- a stance that seems in opposition to America's stated policy of ‘strategic ambiguity.’ Asked twice during CNN's town hall whether the US would protect Taiwan if China attacked, Biden said it would. ‘Yes, we have a commitment to do that,’ he said…
“A White House official attempted to clarify Biden's comments on Taiwan after the town hall, saying the President was ‘not announcing any change in our policy and there is no change in our policy’ in his remarks about China and Taiwan.” CNN
The right is generally critical of Biden’s performance and lack of media interviews.
“The problem with Biden’s remarks on Thursday [regarding Taiwan] is that he started off by saying that we weren’t going to ‘change our views,’ but then turned around and made a statement that seemed to fly in the face of the policy that we’ve been adhering to since the seventies… U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was quickly dispatched to clean up the mess…
“That should have been the end of it. But yesterday, representatives from our State Department stirred up yet another hornets’ nest. They put out a statement saying that the United States is seeking ways to have Taiwan ‘participate more meaningfully’ at the United Nations…
“Is anyone coordinating foreign policy in the Biden administration anymore or is everyone just freestyling? If we’re thinking of shifting to a more aggressive Taiwan policy, so be it. That’s the privilege of the executive branch to decide. But when we have one department seemingly reassuring China that we’re sticking to our traditional policy while another appears to be rattling our sabers against them, something inside of this administration simply isn’t functioning properly.”
Jazz Shaw, Hot Air
“If Biden meant what he said, then it would be a big deal. The U.S. government has long maintained a posture of ‘strategic ambiguity’ with regards to Taiwan’s fate should the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) finally decide to end the tiny island nation’s autonomy. Across administrations, both Democratic and Republican, the U.S. hasn’t said what it would do, exactly, in that scenario. But it quickly became apparent that the president didn’t really mean what he said…
“In one sense, Biden’s comments may be seen as mildly embarrassing, as he may not even know what America’s official policy with respect to Taiwan really is. On the other hand, didn’t Biden just contribute to the ‘strategic ambiguity’? Ambiguity is the opposite of clarity. If you are a Chinese strategist today, then you’d have to at least consider the possibility that Biden would attempt to defend Taiwan against an invasion.”
Thomas Joscelyn, The Dispatch
“Biden has now done three town halls since taking office, all of them on CNN. It’s been 65 days since Biden participated in a sit-down interview. And he has yet to sit down with any reporters from the three most prominent print publications, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post. That’s perhaps because it likely would entail follow-up questions and being pressed on key issues…
“But if the president truly wants to sell his agenda to the public, he needs to go to more challenging places. Or at least to networks that command bigger audiences than CNN… The lack of confidence from the White House is telling. And all the friendly CNN town halls aren’t going to change the perception that Team Biden-Harris thinks it can play it safe with the media, just as it did during the campaign. But this isn't the campaign. They're in charge now.”
Joe Concha, Fox News
The left generally approves of Biden’s performance.
The left generally approves of Biden’s performance.
“In the midst of arduous negotiations with other Democrats over the details of [a] massive, transformational legislative package, Biden showed that he is in full command of the complicated facts and the nuances of the many moving parts of the legislation, from corporate taxation to child tax credits, from financial support for community colleges to payments for hearing aids…
“He interspersed details about the ongoing talks with moderate senators who object to parts of the plan, with his trademark displays of humanity and empathy, along with a refreshing dose of witticism, including some self-deprecating humor. Biden was not just comfortable in that setting. He was downright funny. But he was also listening and connecting with the audience.”
Frida Ghitis, CNN
“After days of behind-closed-doors negotiations, [Biden] gave a fascinating glimpse into the tough negotiations and painful compromises that will have to be made to pass the measures. He put meat on plans for social care spending, and explained why free community college and vision insurance might be dropped in order to build a majority to pass the measure…
“He did detonate new controversies over China and on the administration's blind spot over record arrivals of undocumented migrants at the southern border…
“But at its most basic level, presidential politics is about character. Successful presidents must show control, authenticity and empathy for the struggles of the people that they lead. Biden came across as humble, decent and humane -- in his element with the audience. His self-deprecation was in stark contrast to the constantly boastful persona and raging victim-complex of his predecessor and was one of the keys to why he beat Trump last year.”
Stephen Collinson, CNN
Regarding Biden’s comments about Taiwan, “Twenty years ago, a senator by the name of Joe Biden criticized an American president for offering conflicting signals about whether the United States would defend Taiwan from China militarily. Twenty years later, a president by the name of Joe Biden keeps offering conflicting signals on precisely that question…
“There is perhaps an argument that, despite Biden’s past comments, conflicting signals from Biden and the White House today might actually contribute to a policy of strategic ambiguity — leaving China to consider the idea that Biden is more committed to defending Taiwan than the official U.S. policy states…
“There is some precedent, even apart from Bush, for signaling a more muscular policy than the official one (at least privately). President Donald Trump also broke with traditional practice by signaling a stronger alliance with Taiwan than was official policy. But it also seems entirely possible that a president who often trips over himself in these relatively rare interviews did so again.”
Aaron Blake, Washington Post
