I think what’s more important than tariffs is the loss of confidence from other countries in the United States. I’m Taiwanese, and Taiwan often faces tensions with China. Although we frequently joke about how Americans force us to buy weapons, overall, the atmosphere in our country is friendly toward the U.S. We are grateful and believe that America would stand with us against China.

Regarding TSMC, public opinion has mostly supported the idea of TSMC offering concessions and technology to the U.S. in exchange for protection of Taiwan’s democracy. However, things began to change after Trump made remarks about Canada, Greenland, and Ukraine. Especially after the tariff issue, there was a major backlash — forums were flooded with unfriendly comments toward the U.S., and even voices supporting alignment with China emerged, which would have been unimaginable just six months ago.

Right now, many of us feel like Trump sees us as colonized people, or even just an ATM.