title:  Trump Lied About ‘Spontaneous’ Call With Taiwan, They Had Been Planning To Talk For Months
text: According to The Washington Post, sources close to the Taiwanese government and the Trump transition team confirm that the so-called  spontaneous  congratulatory phone call from Taiwan s president was anything but that. In fact, Trump had been planning it for months.The Post reports:Donald Trump s protocol-breaking telephone call with Taiwan s leader was an intentionally provocative move that establishes the incoming president as a break with the past, according to interviews with people involved in the planning.The historic communication   the first between leaders of the United States and Taiwan since 1979   was the product of months of quiet preparations and deliberations among Trump s advisers about a new strategy for engagement with Taiwan that began even before he became the Republican presidential nominee, according to people involved in or briefed on the talks.Of course, members of Trump s team, including Mike Pence are still insisting that this was nothing more than a congratulatory call. In an interview on ABC s This Week Pence said: He took the call, accepted her congratulations and good wishes and it was precisely that. Watch:Though many critics have dismissed Trump s break in protocol with Taiwan as nothing more than an idiotic mistake made by an unfit president-elect, this new information may indicate that it was indeed an intentional move to show China that Trump isn t going to hold to promises of the past and is somehow attempting to show China who s  boss.  This need for Trump to be in control could prove to be extremely dangerous and detrimental if China (also not known to enjoy losing) decides to cut off trade with the United States.Obviously, we can t say for certain that there will be any repercussions of that kind, but this is uncharted territory. The truth is, we just don t know what will happen, but if Trump continues this behavior pattern, it s not just relations with China that we ll need to worry about. Pretty soon the whole world is going to be pissed at us   if they aren t already.Featured Image via Getty/Ashley Pon and Ty Wright