John McCain says anything Donald Trump promises 'may be reversed the next day'

Before getting upset about something President-elect Donald Trump has said, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) says he waits to see if he actually means it. "I do not respond to every comment by the president-elect because it may be reversed the next day," McCain said Monday in an interview with Reuters.
McCain's comment was prompted by a question about Trump's suggestion Sunday that the U.S. should not have to adhere to the longstanding "one China" policy, which recognizes Taiwan as a province of the mainland rather than as an independent nation. "I fully understand the 'one China' policy," Trump said on Fox News Sunday, "but I don't know why we have to be bound by a 'one China' policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade."
While an angry Beijing certainly took Trump's comment seriously, McCain said Monday that no one should "leap to conclusions" about Trump actually ditching the diplomatic norm of a unified China, which China's Foreign Ministry has described as "the political bedrock for the development [of] U.S.-China relations."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Fed chair Powell in Trump's firing line
Speed Read The president considers removing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
-
Trump trashes supporters over Epstein files
speed read The president lashed out on social media following criticism of his administration's Jeffrey Epstein investigation
-
Judge nixes wiping medical debt from credit checks
Speed Read Medical debt can now be included in credit reports
-
Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona
Speed Read She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year
-
US inflation jumps as Trump tariffs 'bite'
Speed Read Consumer prices are climbing and the inflation rate rose to its highest level in four months
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life