TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — US Representative Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday condemned Trump’s denial of President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) transit request.

In a Facebook post, Pelosi called Trump’s decision “a dangerous signal,” adding that it shows the US “can be bullied into silence when it comes to Taiwan.”

Lai canceled a diplomatic trip to Central and South America on Tuesday after Trump rejected his request for a stopover in New York.

Democrat and Republican lawmakers have long committed to supporting Taiwan’s democracy in adherence to the Taiwan Relations Act, Pelosi said. “Our relationship with Taiwan is in the interest of global and regional security, in the interest of our economy by enabling commerce through the Taiwan Strait and in our moral interest by supporting democracy over autocracy,” she said.

The former House speaker hoped the move was “not indicative of a dangerous change in US policy on Taiwan.”

Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, prompting China to launch a large-scale military exercise in the region after her departure.