Trump vs China - 2020-2021

The top US general secretly called his Chinese counterpart twice over concerns then-President Donald Trump could trigger a war with China as his potential election loss loomed and in its aftermath, according to the Washington Post newspaper. US General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called General Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army on October 30, 2020 – four days before the election – and again on January 8, two days after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, the newspaper reported.

A book by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa claimed that Milley – thinking that then-President Donald Trump was suffering a mental decline – called his Chinese counterpart twice, late in 2020 and early in 2021, to avert possible military conflict with China. Excerpts from the book titled Peril, first revealed by the Washington Post, said Milley assured Li Zuocheng, the top Chinese general, that the US would not attack China and that he would inform him of an attack if it were to happen.

The transition from President Donald J. Trump to President Joseph R. Biden Jr. stands as one of the most dangerous periods in American history. But as # 1 internationally bestselling author Bob Woodward and acclaimed reporter Robert Costa reveal for the first time, it was far more than just a domestic political crisis.

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“If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise,” the book, based on hundreds of interviews, quotes Milley as telling Li. The reports prompted Republican calls for Milley to step down, with Trump accusing the top general of treason. But the White House signaled that Biden is standing by Milley. “The president has complete confidence in his leadership, his patriotism and his fidelity to our Constitution,” Psaki said. “His calls with the Chinese and others in October and January were in keeping with these duties and responsibilities conveying reassurance in order to maintain strategic stability,” Dave Butler, a spokesperson for Milley, said.

“All calls from the Chairman to his counterparts, including those reported, are staffed, coordinated and communicated with the Department of Defense and the interagency.” Milley also reportedly discussed with other top officials, including the then-CIA Director Gina Haspel and National Security Agency head Paul Nakasone, the need to be vigilant amid concerns Trump could act irrationally. Haspel was quoted as saying that they were in a “highly dangerous situation.”

“Some might contend that Milley had overstepped his authority and taken extraordinary power for himself,” the authors wrote. Milley was motivated to contact Beijing the second time partly because of a January 8 call with US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had asked the general what safeguards were in place to prevent an “unstable president” from launching a nuclear strike. “He’s crazy. You know he’s crazy,” Pelosi told Milley, the newspaper reported, citing a transcript of the call. According to the cited call transcript, the general replied, “I agree with you on everything.”