Priebus: Trump ‘Knew Exactly What Was Happening’ in Speaking to Taiwan President

Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” RNC chairman and incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said President Donald Trump, “knew exactly what was happening” during his telephone conversation with Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen.

Partial transcript as follows;

DICKERSON: In the brief time i have left, the president-elect had a conversation with the president of Taiwan. Did he believe he was talking to the leader of a sovereign state in that conversation?

PRIEBUS: No, of course not. He knew exactly what was happening. But look, we have a lot of problems to solve in this country, and we’re not going to solve them by just making believe that people don’t exist. This was a two-minute congratulatory call. He talked to president Xi Jinping over two weeks ago. I’m sure he’d be willing to talk to him again. This is not a massive deviation of our policy. But President Trump has made it clear that he’s going to work with China, PRC to make sure that we have a better deal, that we have better trade agreements, and that we do a better job in protecting the American worker. He’s going to continue to do it.

DICKERSON: So courtesy call, not a change in policy?

PRIEBUS: Exactly.

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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