The Taiwan Lobby moves to put a full court press on Trump (opens in new tab)

Just last month, Taipei hired Checkmate Government Relations, a firm whose founder, Ches McDowell, enjoys close ties to Donald Trump Jr. and access to the president himself. The six-month contract is worth roughly $300,000. The move follows Taiwan’s 2025 decision to retain Ballard Partners, another well-connected Washington firm led by prominent Trump fundraiser Brian Ballard.Yet Taiwan’s influence operation is hardly confined to one party. Taipei has long maintained relationships with Democr...