U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated his first 100 days in office with a rally in Michigan, calling it the most successful start to any presidency despite falling poll numbers. In Taiwan, public trust in the U.S. is dropping sharply, largely due to Trump’s tariff threats and mixed signals from his administration's Taiwan policy.
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00:00To mark 100 days of his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump holds a rally in the state of Michigan.
00:08And we're here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country, and that's according to many, many people.
00:22That may not include most American people, as several recent polls show his approval rate in the low 40s, among the lowest for any U.S. president in their first 100 days.
00:35The discontent being felt in Taiwan as well.
00:39Only 33 percent of Taiwanese viewed the U.S. positively, according to a recent poll published by Brookings, a 20 percent drop from last July.
00:47The main driver of discontent? Tariffs.
00:52Trump has paused many of his global tariffs, including a 32 percent levy on most Taiwanese goods.
00:58But the U.S. is still threatening targeted tariffs on chips and electronics, Taiwan's key exports.
01:04That's despite Taiwanese chip giant TSMC pledging a record 165 billion U.S. dollar investment in Arizona, the largest foreign investment in U.S. history.
01:14According to Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation, nearly 82 percent of Taiwan's public consider Trump's tariffs unreasonable.
01:22I think this is because of the tariff, right?
01:26The tariff toward Taiwan is so high that it makes people believe that it is punishing Taiwan.
01:33So I think there are reasons for ordinary people to doubt whether U.S. is reliable.
01:39The new Trump administration has made some waves with its public Taiwan policies.
01:43In February, a web page describing the U.S. policy towards Taiwan removed language stating that the U.S. does not support Taiwan independence,
01:52while adding a sentence that any solution must be acceptable on both sides of the street.
01:57It basically suggests that Beijing has a say in Taiwan's future, right?
02:03So it is hard to tell what exactly is the U.S. position right now in Taiwan's street.
02:10Meanwhile, China's military, the People's Liberation Army, or PLA, is continuing to put pressure on Taiwan,
02:17where U.S. arms sales have not been halted, but no major new deals have been announced.
02:22The U.S. has kept a 145 percent tariff on Chinese goods, sparking fears of a long-term trade war between the world's two largest economies.
02:30While a trade war could cause economic stress for both the U.S. and China, some say it could also have an unintended consequence.
02:38I believe that economic stress and risk of social stability in China would make it less likely that Xi Jinping would use force against Taiwan.
02:51Not more likely.
02:53That doesn't mean that PLA exercises would stop or that the rhetoric would change, the threats, all of the cyber attacks against Taiwan.
03:03The preparations would continue.
03:05Despite the tensions, there may yet be hope for U.S.-Taiwan relations.
03:09But I think that the U.S.-Taiwan relationship is likely to remain strong because it is very much in American interests to keep the bilateral relationship strong
03:20and to continue to develop those relations, whether they be in the economic, the diplomatic, or the military realm.
03:29With tariff threats still hanging over the global economy, it appears that the only certainty about Trump's next 100 days is yet more uncertainty.
03:37Dolphine Chen and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.