Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., a contender for secretary of state in the next administration, praised President-elect Trump on Monday for proving he will not be pushed around by Chinese leaders when he takes office in January.
“He showed the dictators in Beijing that he’s not a pushover,” Rohrabacher, a Republican, said of Trump’s controversial phone call with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during an appearance on Fox News.
“You’ve got to remember, China has had enormously aggressive foreign policy and by [Trump] actually going to Taiwan, he’s showing the people in Beijing that they cannot have this aggressive foreign policy and expect to be treated just the same by an American president,” he added.
Trump and Tsai spoke for approximately 10 minutes last Friday in a phone call that the president-elect has since claimed was initiated by the Taiwanese leader. The incoming Republican president drew immediate backlash in the foreign policy community, where many individuals worried the call signaled a possible departure from longstanding U.S. policy toward China under the next administration.
But Rohrabacher said the call sent “a terrific message” to Chinese officials that “there’s going to be consequences for their hostile and aggressive actions” when Trump enters the Oval Office.
The California Republican also said he agrees with Trump’s desire to pursue more positive relations with Russia, which became a central plank of the president-elect’s foreign policy on the campaign trail.
“Some of my other colleagues found that impossible to do … It feels like they want to get back to the Cold War with such hostility,” Rohrabacher said, adding that “Russia and the people of Russia are good people, and they have a chance to work with them to defeat this evil that threatens the planet right now.”
Rohrabacher confirmed over the weekend that he is being considered for the top diplomatic post in Trump’s administration. Other contenders for secretary of state include 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton and retired four-star Gen. David Petraeus.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who will serve as Trump’s chief of staff in the White House, said Sunday he expects the president-elect to announce his pick to lead the State Department in the next week or two.
