A Hypocritical Position by Marco Rubio and The Trump Administration

Marco Rubio warns that it would be a “terrible mistake” for China to take Taiwan by force

By: Austin Abbring

May 25, 2026

The Trump administration continues to dismantle the United States relationships with its allies around the world. Following last week’s summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Trump, it is unclear whether we will continue to provide arms support to Taiwan. A $14 billion weapons package that was to be sent to Taiwan by the United States was a point of contention between Trump and Xi. We have been an ally of Taiwan since the 1950’s and have economic interests tied to the island nation. Taiwan produces around 60% of the world’s semiconductors. The United States receives over 40% of its chips, which are used in smartphones, laptops, and other devices, from the country.

I am not one to typically advocate for the United States’ global interventionism and policing, but I am in favor of us remaining a close ally to Taiwan and aiding in protecting its sovereignty should that ever be an issue via military aggression from China. I would prefer this be done diplomatically rather than further entrenching our military reach in that region, which has historically escalated tensions with China. The sovereignty of the Taiwanese people, as well as the global economic shock that would ripple through supply chains, along with the market uncertainty surrounding costs of semiconductors should China ever occupy Taiwan, are motivating factors for our continued support.

I am also in favor of maintaining and building upon our relationship with China. I do not view China as an overt enemy to the United States, as we have been propagandized into believing here in the U.S. for decades. I would rather see us maintain a positive relationship in which both superpowers strengthen their efforts to address global health, hunger, technological advancement, human rights, and climate change. The two largest economies in the world can achieve tremendous productivity despite their different government and economic systems.

In terms of maintaining a fair, balanced position on the unilateral sovereignty of nations, the United States is the biggest hypocrite in that regard. Following the U.S.-China summit, Marco Rubio claimed it would be a mistake for China to take Taiwan by force. Well, the Trump administration and Rubio have created the precedent of normalcy to do precisely that for China, Russia, and just about every country on Earth that possesses military capabilities. You may recall that just at the turn of this new year, the United States invaded Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife. Does that sound like taking another country by force to you? It should, and that is the exact action we are warning China against carrying out against Taiwan. If we can do it, why can’t China? We killed 190 civilians in open waters without due process, who were “narco-terrorists” from Venezuela. What prevents China from doing the same against Taiwanese shipping fleets? If, say, Colombia, suddenly started striking our ships in the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans without due process, violated international law and human rights, struck our capital, kidnapped the President, and instilled regime change, would the United States view that as an act of war? We all know the answer to that. By our own measure, China would be justified in doing so against Taiwan.

These are simple talking points, but I think they are incredibly effective. It is a golden rule principle. As a global superpower, we have a responsibility to pursue sensible diplomacy that leads to just and legal outcomes. We cannot demand that other superpowers or any other nation, for that matter, comply while we ourselves do not. This principle becomes opaque with respect to China and Taiwan if we continue to conduct ourselves in this manner.

This is the danger the Trump administration creates, as it is woefully inept and ill-equipped to maintain productive relationships with our allies. The isolationist, America-first mentality is killing us on the global stage. Isolationism vastly restricts economic growth and leads to a lower standard of living. For the first time in a century, the United States is experiencing net negative migration. American households spent over a thousand extra dollars last year due to the outrageous tariff policies that the Trump administration instated. In return for those tariffs, consumers faced higher costs and a regressive tax, and we have lost around 100,000 manufacturing jobs.

This cabinet and administration is filled with incapable, inexperienced, Trump sycophants who cannot handle effective domestic policy nor geopolitics. Our presence and stewardship on the global stage will take decades to recover from these disastrous Trump presidencies. My hope is we can return to some sort of normalcy with our allies with the next administration (hopefully Democratic), but it is going to take some serious groveling.