The Biden administration isn't prepared for what's happening in many places around the world, let alone what could happen if hostilities escalate between China and Taiwan, former ambassador and acting deputy director of national intelligence Ric Grenell said on Newsmax Tuesday.
"In Ukraine, we've got 100,000 Russian troops on the border," Grenell, who appeared on Newsmax's "John Bachman Now" with Amber Smith, a former deputy assistant to the Secretary of Defense, commented about President Joe Biden's readiness. "They're not prepared for what's happening in Yemen. They're not prepared for what's happening in Syria, with the Russians taking over and trying to manipulate the whole region."
When you add in China and Taiwan, he continued, diplomacy may not be enough to avoid danger.
"I've spent 11 years as you know, at the State Department," Grenell said. "I'm a diplomat, and I'm going to do everything I can to try to solve these problems. One thing I'm very appreciative of the (at) Pentagon is that they talk about the difference between a threat of military action and a credible threat of military action. The United States of America needs to have a credible threat of military action that helps diplomats when we're at the table, and we're talking across the table, trying to solve some of these problems without war."
Grenell also called for reforms at the State Department so there are diplomats who "use diplomacy with muscle" by "not just trying to cut the baby in half, but trying to be the tip of the spear to solve these problems."
Meanwhile, the United States' reliance on China has "absolutely gotten out of control," Smith said.
"Anything that has to do with our national security should be off-limits when it comes to China," she said. "Unfortunately, with our supply chain that's almost impossible right now, but it just goes to show you how in depth our alliances on China are with so many things. It's just absolutely out of control and we need to realize that we are hurting our own national security by having that reliance on China."
Note: See Newsmax TV now carried in more than 100 million U.S. homes, on DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Network Ch. 216, Xfinity Ch. 1115, Spectrum, U-verse Ch. 1220, FiOS Ch. 615, Frontier Ch. 115, Optimum Ch. 102, Cox cable, Suddenlink Ch. 102, Mediacom Ch. 277, AT&T TV Ch 349, FUBO and major OTT platforms like Roku, YouTube, Xumo, Pluto and most smart TV’s including Samsung+, Sony, LG, Vizio and more – Find All Systems that Carry Newsmax – Click Here
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.