2020 US Presidential Candidates on the Indo-Pacific

The 2020 Presidential Candidates on the Indo-Pacific resource highlighted mentions of Indo-Pacific issues by US presidential candidates and nominees in speeches, campaign documents, and debates.

To view statements by President Trump prior to his June 18, 2019 declaration to seek a second term, as well as members of his Cabinet, visit The Trump Administration & US - Indo-Pacific Relations.

Pinned Posts

2020 Democratic Party Platform - Indo-Pacific

"Democrats will take aggressive action against China or any other country that tries to undercut American manufacturing by manipulating their currencies and maintaining a misaligned exchange rate with the dollar, dumping products like steel and aluminum in our markets, or providing unfair subsidies. Unlike President Trump, we will stand up to efforts from China and other state actors to steal America’s intellectual property and will demand China and other countries cease and desist from conducting cyber espionage against our companies. And we will take immediate…

Republican Party Platform [Republican Platform Adopted 2016 Platform at 2020 Convention]

"U.S. Leadership in the Asian Pacific

We are a Pacific nation with economic, military, and cultural ties to all the countries of the oceanic rim and treaty alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand. With them, we look toward the establishment of human rights for the people of North Korea. We urge the government of China to recognize the inevitability of change in the Kim family's slave state and, for everyone's safety against nuclear disaster, to hasten positive change on the Korean…

Final Presidential Debate Between President Trump and Joe Biden - China and North Korea

"Kristen Welker: (09:22)I do want to ask you, Vice-President Biden, about China. Let’s talk about China more broadly. There have, of course, President Trump has said that they should pay for not being fully transparent in regards to the coronavirus. If you were president, would you make China pay? And please be specific, what would that look like?

Joe Biden: (09:41)What I’d make China do is play by the international rules, not like he has done. He has caused the deficit of the…

All Posts

Remarks by President Trump During the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing - North Korea

"Q Mr. President, you, a couple days ago, said that you might reach out to Kim Jong Un directly, but also that you were working to find out if those reports about him being in possible medical trouble were true. I’m wondering if you’ve either —

THE PRESIDENT: I hope he’s not in medical trouble.

Q Well —

THE PRESIDENT: I hope he’s —

Q — have you heard anything from North Korea or —

THE PRESIDENT: I’ve gotten along very well with him. And…

Remarks by President Trump During the April 27, 2020 Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing - China and North Korea

"Q Mr. President, Charlie Spiering from Breitbart News. And a majority of polls show that Americans blame China for the spread of the coronavirus, and yet they’re taking advantage of the crisis to make the world more dependent on their supply chains. How do you get — how do you hold China accountable and how do you keep our country — how do you incentivize our businesses?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, Charlie, there are a lot of ways you can hold them accountable. We’re doing very…

Bernie Sanders' Remarks on 60 Minutes - China, Taiwan, and North Korea

William Weld's Interview with Keene SentinelSource - Indo-Pacific Issues

January 14, 2020 Democratic Debate - North Korea and China

Remarks by President Trump Before New Year’s Eve Celebration - North Korea and China

"Q Mr. President, can you — what is your message tonight for — what is your message tonight for North Korea?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’ll see. I have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un. I know he’s sending out certain messages about Christmas presents, and I hope his Christmas present is a beautiful vase. That’s what I’d like — a vase —

Q Do you think it will be, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: — as opposed to something else. I don’t know. I —…

Bernie Sanders Interview with SentinelSource - North Korea and China

President Trump's Remarks on North Korea

Remarks by President Trump Before Marine One Departure - North Korea

"Q Mr. President, how do you plan on reengaging North Korea in the negotiations?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’ll see about North Korea. I’d be surprised if North Korea acted hostiley [sic]. I have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un. I think we both want to keep it that way. He knows I have an election coming up. I don’t think he wants to interfere with that. But we’ll have to see.

He’s somebody that I’ve gotten along with very well for three years…

Remarks by President Trump and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg After 1:1 Meeting - China and North Korea

"Q Could I ask you about NATO? Why is China such an important subject for this NATO Summit? What threat do they pose?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, China has become very powerful and much more so than in the past. They’ve done it, largely, with United States money, because our past Presidents allowed them to steal the cookie cutter. And that’s okay — I don’t begrudge China for that. I begrudge — I’m very disappointed in our past Presidents and leadership. They allowed this to happen…