Written by William Hale
There is much to unpack from Joe Biden’s Thursday night town hall in Baltimore. Luckily for the President, White House officials have been quick to clarify his comments for him. The Biden administration responded in particular to the confusion surrounding two very relevant issues — the supply chain crisis, and growing military tension between China, Taiwan, and the US.
In contrast to Biden’s claim that the National Guardsmen would ease the supply chain dysfunction by having them drive trucks due to the current shortage of truck drivers, a White House official asserted that “we are not actively pursuing the use of the National Guard on the federal level.” White House officials also noted that “requesting the use of the National Guard at the state level is under the purview of Governors.” While the President assured the audience of “a timetable” regarding the supply chain crisis, the White House’s backpedaling suggests that Joe doesn’t actually have any solutions.
Unfortunately, the supply chain crisis wasn’t the only point of confusion from Thursday night.
The US does not officially recognize Taiwan, but the Taiwan Relations Act states the following: “[The US] will make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain self-sufficient defense capabilities.”
Regarding potential US intervention in the case of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, Biden stated that “Yes, we have a commitment to do that.” However, the Act does not guarantee US military response to a Chinese attack on Taiwan. Thus, a White House spokesperson walked back Biden’s comment by assuring that the Taiwan Relations Act remains the policy.
Photo Cred: Evan Vucci/ AP
