President Donald Trump spent months plotting ways to impress Xi Jinping.
But even after enlisting two military bands, ordering up a flyover, speeding construction of his new helipad and rolling out a literal red carpet, Trump ended up directly undercutting what the Chinese leader craved most: Network television cameras.
Trump’s abrupt ban on three news outlets — including CNN — disrupted months of careful planning for Xi’s state visit, frustrating both US and Chinese officials over the limited coverage of a summit meant to showcase the two men together in front of a global audience, according to multiple people familiar with the dynamic.
The suspension of pooled TV coverage for the entirety of Xi’s first day at the White House caused consternation among the Chinese leader’s allies, who had hoped the trip would broadcast him widely as a peer of the president of the world’s most powerful nation.
For Trump, who had waited months to show off in front of Xi, it simply marked the latest indignity amid a particularly turbulent stretch for his ailing presidency.
“The event was magnificent — Actually made for Television but, because they’re Fake News, and because they knew how good it would be, they didn’t want credit to be given to ‘TRUMP,’ they refused to be there,” Trump vented Thursday on his social media platform.
The episode amounted to a self-inflicted wound during what Trump otherwise envisioned as a multiday spectacular welcoming of China’s authoritarian leader, complete with ceremonial events showing off his White House renovations and a tour of the US’ most treasured founding documents.
It also served as an example of the wider repercussions of Trump’s personal feud with the press, threatening to inject fresh tension into a diplomatic relationship with China that the administration has worked to keep stable ahead of November’s midterm elections.
After Trump barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House last week, the Chinese embassy contacted several US television networks to discuss how the move would affect coverage of Xi’s visit, two sources familiar with the discussions told CNN.
And despite China’s state media outlets dispatching more than 100 staffers to cover the summit, Chinese foreign ministry adviser Wu Xinbo told CNN Friday that it had been “regrettable” that more footage hadn’t made it to the American public.
“It could have helped improve the atmosphere in US-China relations,” Wu said.
by CNN – Trump’s disruption to TV coverage during Xi visit frustrates Chinese officials
