U.S. President Donald Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) “considers [Taiwan] to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing,” in audio released by The New York Times yesterday.
The New York Times headline read: “Trump Says ‘It’s Up To’ Xi Jinping What China Does In Taiwan,” and is being framed elsewhere as if Trump is declaring that China can do whatever it wants with Taiwan, but this is a misrepresentation of what was actually said.
Trump made the comments in a “wide-ranging interview” with the newspaper conducted on January 7. In the two days since, The New York Times has dripped out clips and nuggets from the exclusive interview.
Trump was asked whether the U.S.’s actions in abducting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had set a precedent for China to “decapitate and control Taiwan.” In answering, he pointed out that Taiwan poses no threat to China so the situations are not analogous. But Trump also acknowledged that Xi considers Taiwan to be a part of China, before uttering the headline quote: “that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing.”
Trump then went on to say that he had told Xi he would be “very unhappy if he did that,” and that “I don’t think he’ll do that.” Trump previously told Fox News in August 2025 that Xi had told him China will not invade Taiwan while he is president.
In The New York Times interview, he reiterated this thought: “He may do it after we have a different president, but I don’t think he’s going to do it with me as president.”
Although the initial coverage of the “It’s Up To Xi” headline has implied that Trump is saying Xi can do what he likes in Taiwan, it’s obvious from the full context of the clip that Trump means Xi will do what he wants and then Trump will respond as he wants.
In addition to Trump repeatedly saying Xi has told him he won’t invade, Trump is also on tape during the presidential campaign as saying he told Xi he would bomb Beijing if he does. The comment about “It’s up to Xi” reads very differently if you believe that Trump thinks Xi is choosing whether or not to invite American bombers into his own skies.
Trump’s statement that Xi “considers [Taiwan] to be a part of China” is, if anything, a rather clear reiteration of the U.S.’s “One China” policy, acknowledging Beijing’s position without endorsing it. This is also a road that Trump has trodden before: In February 2025, he said that he “never comments” on whether the U.S. would intervene if China invades.
Trump made these comments in a long interview. They are remarks that previous presidents probably wouldn’t have made, but that is true of most things Trump does and says. There’s a lot less to see here than people think.
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