Trump said Taiwan “never came up” in meeting with China’s Xi: “They know the consequences” of military action

In an exclusive interview airing Sunday on 60 Minutes, President Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping knows “the consequences” of military action in Taiwan, but he declined to expand on his plan if China were to invade the island, telling correspondent Norah O’Donnell:  “I can’t give away my secrets.”

“One potential flashpoint with China, probably the potential flashpoint with China in the coming years, is over the issue of Taiwan,” said O’Donnell, referencing the Chinese military’s push to close in on Taiwan’s waterways, airspace, and cyberspace. She asked whether Mr. Trump would order U.S. forces to defend Taiwan should Xi move militarily on the island, something the American president has insisted China would not do as long as he is in office. 

Mr. Trump said he and Xi didn’t broach the issue during their meeting and that Chinese officials “know the consequences” of taking military action against Taiwan.

Mr. Trump said the topic “never came up” during their meeting last week. “He never brought it up. People were a little surprised at that,” Mr. Trump said. “But they understand what’s gonna happen. He has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences.”

This is Mr. Trump’s first interview with 60 Minutes in five years — and his first since he sued and then settled with CBS parent company Paramount over a 2024 interview with then Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The settlement did not include an apology.

Mr. Trump’s wide-ranging conversation with O’Donnell also covered Venezuela, U.S. immigration policy and the government shutdown.

Tune in for the exclusive interview on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT, after NFL football, on the CBS Television Network and Paramount+.