President Donald Trump isn’t giving away his military “secrets” when it comes to China’s plans for Taiwan.
In a preview of Sunday’s interview on 60 Minutes, Trump, 79, refused to take a stance on whether the United States would defend Taiwan should China take military action against it. However, Trump claimed President Xi Jinping already knows his answer.
“The other side knows…they understand what’s going to happen,” Trump told journalist Norah O’Donnell. “He understands the answer to that [question].”
When O’Donnell asked the president why he wouldn’t say it publicly, he insisted on maintaining his element of surprise.
“I can’t give away my secrets,” Trump said. “I don’t wanna be one of these guys that tells you exactly what’s going to happen.”
The president was scrutinized last week after admitting that the topic of Taiwan “never came up” during his meeting with Xi in South Korea on Thursday.
For decades, the U.S. has supported the democratically governed island, which Beijing claims as its own. Multiple U.S. presidents have maintained that Washington would help Taiwan defend itself as part of efforts to deter Beijing from invading the island.
Trump acknowledged as much on CBS, telling O’Donnell: “People are a little surprised that he never brought it up, he understands it very well.”
However, he again stopped short of explaining what, exactly, Xi understands.
Trump has repeatedly said that the Chinese leader will not take military action against Taiwan while he’s in office—even as Xi has publicly strayed from that narrative.
Just last week, a Chinese government official warned that Beijing “absolutely will not” rule out military action to take over the democratically governed island.
Peng Qing’en, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told a news conference Wednesday that “reunification” between China and Taiwan is the best way of “resolving the Taiwan issue.”
“We are willing to create ample space for peaceful reunification and will spare no effort to pursue this prospect with the utmost sincerity,” Peng said, according to Reuters. “However, we absolutely will not renounce the use of force and reserve the option to take all necessary measures.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed those concerns Saturday, insisting there are no plans to offer concessions to China “in exchange for walking away from Taiwan.”
Trump later posted on Truth Social that he had a “great meeting” with Xi, appearing to suggest that a new trade deal is in the works—one that would lower tariffs, grant U.S. companies easier access to rare earth minerals, and prompt Beijing to “begin the purchase of massive amounts of soybeans.”
“We agreed on many things, with others, even of high importance, being very close to resolved,” Trump wrote.
In a separate post on Saturday, he added that the meeting will lead to “everlasting peace and success.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
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