The problem with setting foreign policy while flying by the seat of your pants and blurting out deeply consequential things during a regular press conference is that it can affect the entire world when the White House does it.
On Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer stood by state nominee Rex Tillerson who, during his confirmation hearing, said the United States would block China's access to their own man-made islands in the South China Sea.
China's foreign ministry responded this morning by asserting their rights and urging the Trump regime to do something we all know they're incapable of doing.
China's sovereignty over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea was "irrefutable" [Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying] said. But China was also dedicated to protecting freedom of navigation and wants talks with nations directly involved to find a peaceful solution.
"We urge the United States to respect the facts, speak and act cautiously to avoid harming the peace and stability of the South China Sea," Hua said.
Under ordinary circumstances (read: under a Democratic president) this would not be a big deal, but in this case it is. Because the Trump regime does not respect facts or speak or act cautiously.
Secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson probably had no idea what he was really saying during his confirmation hearing when he more or less called for a naval blockade of China. Likewise, Sean Spicer also probably had no idea what he was signing on to. Trump himself clearly has no idea -- about anything.
The other but equally dangerous possibility is that they're intentionally provoking the Chinese.
Now I'm not saying we're necessarily going to get involved in a shooting war in Asia again, but the chances are higher today than they've been in the past 40 years. It will be a miracle if we make it through the Trump administration without a war being started intentionally or even accidentally.
My inner cynical self tells me the Trump regime will intentionally start a war somewhere -- anywhere -- to distract the nation when they fuck everything else up. Anyone who has ever worn a stupid red hat should be the first drafted to fight it, but we know they won't be.
This spat, or whatever you want to call it, came on the same day Trump formally abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) which gives China even more clout in the region at our exclusion. That, in return, will provoke Trump who is an egotistical manchild.