- Trump blasted Nancy Pelosi for her historic trip to Taiwan, saying she is "always causing trouble."
- The House Speaker has defended her travel as necessary to the success of democracy abroad.
- Trump's comments were a break with 26 Senate Republicans who praised Pelosi's defiance of Beijing.
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday continued to bash House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for making a historic trip to Taiwan that has angered Beijing even though many fellow Republicans support it.
"Why is Crazy Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan. Always causing trouble," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. "Nothing she does turns out well (Two failed Impeachments, loss of House, etc.). WATCH!"
Pelosi arrived late Tuesday in Taiwan, becoming the first sitting House speaker and highest-ranking US official to visit the island in decades. US policy for decades has been to not formally recognize Taiwan's independence, a position Pelosi affirmed in a statement following her arrival. US-Taiwanese relations have come under close scrutiny following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, sparking fears that Beijing may attempt to forcibly reunite what it views as a breakaway province.
"We cannot stand by as the [Chinese Communist Party] proceeds to threaten Taiwan — and democracy itself," Pelosi wrote in a Washington Post op-ed. "As Russia wages its premeditated, illegal war against Ukraine, killing thousands of innocents — even children — it is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats."
China has vowed that it would "not sit idly by" and issued military statements warning against Pelosi's visit before her arrival.
Trump and Pelosi have long been at loggerheads, particularly after House Democrats made him the first president to ever be twice impeached. In both times, the Senate later acquitted Trump though a record number of Republicans supported Trump's impeachment for inciting the January 6 insurrection.
While Republicans have long criticized Pelosi, her defiant travel has garnered some support among her usual critics. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and 25 other Senate Republicans signed a statement praising her travel.
A spokesperson for Pelosi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.