There was quite a bit of reporting regarding Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.  She is the first Speaker of the House to visit Taiwan since Newt Gingrich in 1997, and it’s not a stretch to believe that diplomatic trips of this level could serve to provide Taiwan the legitimacy they deserve on the world stage. 

This visit did not sit well with China, nor did it sit well with Democrat politicians at home.  In fact, Chinese Communist leaders were furious, to the point where Chinese President, Xi Jinping felt the need to call Joe Biden and threaten the U.S. if the visit to Taiwan was completed.

“Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Biden in a phone call Thursday that the U.S. must not ‘play with fire’ on Taiwan.  ‘Those who play with fire will perish by it. It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this,’ a Chinese readout of the Biden-Xi call said.”

Regardless of these threats, Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on August 2, 2022, and delivered a very powerful message of American support for Taiwan.

“Taipei, Taiwan – Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Members of a Congressional Delegation issued this statement upon arrival in Taiwan.  This visit is the first official visit to Taiwan by a Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in 25 years.

Our Congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy.”

Joe Biden was reported as being alarmed at Nancy Pelosi’s visit, as it would negatively shift international relations with China.

“Communications between the speaker’s team and the White House were fraught, with tension added when Biden in late July told reporters that the US military was opposed to Pelosi’s then unconfirmed travel plans.”

In my opinion, it is not a huge international secret that Xi Jinping has been chomping at the bit to take Taiwan into the Communist Empire of China.  Xi has always believed that Taiwan has always been a territory that belongs to China, and is not an independent Republic.  The Chinese Communists have employed terrible pressure on the international community to keep Taiwan isolated from the world. 

I also believe that they are even more emboldened by Joe Biden’s most recent international blunder, his lackluster response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  After Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, Chinese military drills which involved warplanes, navy ships and missile strikes off the coast of Taiwan and infringing on their territorial waters.  The White House’s response to these drills has been conciliatory at best.  China has been so emboldened by Biden’s inactivity, that they have suspended cooperation with the United States on several international issues, including the Democratic Party’s special attention to combating “climate change” after Pelosi left Taiwan.

“The pause in climate talks between the US and China is symbolically significant for the two nations’ bilateral relationship because the climate crisis was one of the few areas the US and China had continued to cooperate on in recent years, even during times of heightened geopolitical tensions.”

The White House response to Pelosi’s trip telegraphs the Biden Administration’s malaise to Far East relations, as Biden’s press teams have declined to say whether he personally supported Pelosi’s trip and whether he believes it benefits US foreign policy objectives.

The international trade market has taken some serious hits as well, due to Pelosi’s trip.

“Copper prices fell for the fourth straight day on Thursday as tensions between the U.S. and China flared as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrapped up her visit to Taiwan, an island that China claims as its own territory.”

It has been rumored that Nancy Pelosi’s husband has some serious investments in Taiwanese firms, which could possibly explain some of the reasons why she was so intent on visiting Taiwan at the taxpayer’s expense.  This theory feels right, as Nancy Pelosi’s total net worth is roughly $120 million, which makes her one of the richest “public servants” in Congress.  However, it doesn’t totally explain her comments on her “unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy.”, which again, is completely contradictory to the Biden policy.

These current events led me to a pretty far-fetched conclusion.  In spite of all the national and international chaos that was unleashed over Pelosi’s visit, she dug in the heels of her Prada shoes and went anyway.  The seemingly fractured Democrat philosophies of American-Chinese relations will not go away.  Her visit to the region and her statements made in Taiwan are contradictory to the White House policies of kowtowing to the Chinese Communists.  This is where my vivid imagination answers the fundamental question of “Why?”. 

It has been widely reported that although Joe Biden has stated that he will run for re-election in 2024, even the mainstream media appears to be running an ever-increasing shortlist of Democratic candidates who may run against Biden in the primary.  The “wish list” of candidates includes Stacey Abrams from Georgia and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York.

Is it possible that Nancy Pelosi is increasing her international political stature to make a run for President in 2024?  It sounds insane as I say this out loud, but it may not be that crazy an assumption.  Joe Biden is easily the most unpopular President in American history, with only 38% job approval.

His dismal performance has opened the door for any and all Democrat politicians to make a run for the White House, including, quite possibly, Nancy Pelosi.  Her trip to the Far East has increased her profile as an American political leader on the world stage, but the reality is, even though she’s the most recognizable member of the House, she is easily the most unpopular member in the House.  Only 31% of Americans view her performance as Speaker of the House in a favorable light.

Political swamp waters are always treacherous.  Even more so now if Nancy Pelosi makes the run for President in 2024, along with the list of other possible Democrat candidates.  If my assumption is correct, I welcome a rigorous, tense, and detrimental Democratic primary in 2024.