China, in his words · Before politics · № 7
Said holding Taiwan's F-16 request sent the 'wrong message' to China
“@BarackObama is holding Taiwan's request for 66 advanced F-16's. Wrong message to send to China.”
- Said
- , Post on Twitter (@realDonaldTrump)
- Subject
- Taiwan arms sales
- Threat
- Military threat
- Topic
- Veterans & military
- Era
- Before politics
What the record showed
Trump repeated the point on Nov. 18, 2011. His administration cleared an F-16 sale to Taiwan worth an estimated $8 billion on Aug. 20, 2019; Defense News reported the sale had been in limbo after the White House directed the secretary of state to hold off, amid trade negotiations with China. In 2026 a $14 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan awaited his approval for months. After meeting Xi in Beijing in May 2026, Trump said he was holding the package in abeyance and called it a 'very good negotiating chip,' CNBC reported.