The US has “stumbled into a right mess” with the publicity surrounding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s alleged plans to make an official visit to Taiwan in the coming weeks, Fox News senior policy analyst Britt Hume said Wednesday. Pelosi has not confirmed any trip, though the speculation has even led some Democrats to question whether it’s a good idea — while some Republicans oppose the plan. Hume said the Chinese government decided to iron out an issue from the trip, which is not unusual for a Speaker of the House, as former Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Yeneqiang, took a bipartisan trip while in office and separately told the Fox News supports Pelosi’s potential plan. “[It’s] putting the U.S. in a position where if it goes, that we’re concerned there’s going to be some escalation,” he said, citing related remarks from top Biden ally Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del. WHITE HOUSE BACKS CLAIMS AFFECTING US-TAIWAN POLICY OR PELOSI TRIP House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California speaks during a press conference. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin) “And if it doesn’t, it looks like we’ve backed down in the face of threats to China,” he said – as China sees Taiwan as part of its country, while the Taipei government sees itself as sovereign. “American politicians go to these places like Taiwan all the time. There’s nothing unusual about it if anything. There shouldn’t be anything provocative about it. And yet, here we are. I can’t believe this is going to end. to an escalation of tensions in some dangerous way,” Hume later added. SEN. JOHNSON DEMANDS DIRECTOR RAY ‘COME CLEAN’ AS FBI RECORDERS SOUND ALARM IN HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATION Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech in Kaohsiung. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File) “But that’s how war starts. So it’s worrying and it’s a normal mess.” Hume noted that Taiwan is key to US trade as it is the main manufacturer of semiconductor chips – a shortage of which has caused supply chain disruptions in the automotive and technology sectors. “So there’s a lot at stake here. And hopefully the leaders can de-escalate this. It’s troubling.” NAVY CONVICT IN JAPAN CAUSES FAMILY OUTRAGE, US LAWMAKERS In this video image, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., delivers a nominating speech during the second night of the Democratic National Convention. (AP) As the Biden administration reportedly tries to fend off claims of an economic downturn — evidenced by two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth — critics said the White House is trying to redefine itself to avoid blame. With the Federal Reserve raising interest rates again, Hume pointed to how President Carter’s Fed chairman, Paul Volcker, “relentlessly raised interest rates” as the Georgia Democrat ushered in hyperinflation. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The economy fell into a bad recession…” he said. “It did the job of taking inflation out of the economy. But make no mistake, it was very painful — and Reagan stuck with it,” he added — adding that Republicans then “took a bath” in the 1982 midterm elections. “Well, this is a moment here for people to worry about, because when the Fed gets behind and tries to engineer what’s called a soft landing, it’s very hard to pull off.” Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
