Taiwan's foreign ministry has denied reports that President Lai Ching-te was blocked from transiting through the US, stating he has no immediate plans for overseas travel due to domestic recovery efforts, tariff negotiations with the US, and the international situation. The US State Department also confirmed no travel plans were presented, and therefore, nothing was canceled, reiterating that high-level Taiwanese transits are consistent with US policy.

However, the Financial Times reported that the Trump administration denied Lai a New York stopover after objections from Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory.Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized the alleged denial, calling it a "dangerous signal" and a "victory" for Chinese President Xi Jinping.