Taiwan could be ‘toast’ if Trump wins: former US national security adviser John Bolton

Remarks by former aide mirror concern in Taipei over whether second Trump presidency would help defend Taiwan in event of cross-strait conflict

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Republican presidential nominee, former US president Donald Trump, departs after speaking at a campaign rally on Thursday in Las Vegas. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Published: 8:03pm, 25 Oct 2024

A return of Donald Trump to the White House could mean that “Taiwan is potentially toast”, according to John Bolton, a former national security adviser for the Republican candidate.

On Wednesday’s episode of the BBC’s HARDtalk, Bolton told host Stephen Sackur that he was “very worried” for Taiwan if Trump won a second term as president.

“On many occasions in the Oval Office … he would take out one of his Sharpie pens and he’d point to the tip and say, ‘See that? That’s Taiwan.’ Then he’d point at the desk and say, ‘That’s China.’”

Asked what he concluded from this, Bolton answered: “Taiwan is potentially toast.”

Bolton’s latest comments about Taiwan came less than two weeks before the US presidential election, which polls suggest is a tight race between Trump and US Vice- President and Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris.

Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019, has said previously that Trump was “unfit” for the presidency, but added that he would not vote for either Trump or Harris.

In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek in July, Trump said it was “stupid” for the US to protect Taiwan for free and blamed the island for dominating the semiconductor business.