CNN panelist Leigh McGowan said Thursday that China sees President Donald Trump as an “easy mark,” calling his summit meetings with Xi Jinping a “strokefest.” Her remarks came during a CNN NewsNight debate over Trump’s negotiating record and questions about a China trade deal.
Conservative strategist Tim Parrish had called Trump “one of the toughest, most resilient negotiators.” Host Abby Phillip challenged him over trade and asked where the deals with China and Iran were; former Trump White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said there was no evidence Trump was a tough negotiator.
Separately, Bloomberg reported that the Chinese government had taken potentially sensitive F-35 parts mistakenly diverted to Hong Kong while being shipped from Australia to the United States, and had yet to return them. Trump said of Xi’s three-day visit that their relationship was a “truly great friendship” built on mutual respect and the countries’ vital interests.
