CNN Journos Struck by Trump ‘Body Language’ as He ‘Dotes on’ China’s President Xi

CNN journalists were struck by President Donald Trump’s body language with China’s President Xi Jinping as the two leaders greeted each other, with one observing that Trump “dotes on” Xi.

The president embarked on a high-stakes trip to Beijing, China, this week, where he was greeted with a level of pomp and circumstance that visibly impressed Trump.

During CNN’s live coverage on Wednesday night’s edition of CNN NewsNight, anchor Abby Phillip, CNN White House correspondent Kristen Holmes, and commentator Xochitl Hinojosa provided running commentary as the presidents met on their way into the Great Hall of the People.

Holmes was the first to bring up Trump’s body language, with Phillip referencing it again a few minutes later:

ABBY PHILLIP: We’re going to listen in right now as we see them on that red carpet meeting face to face and shaking hands. Let’s listen and watch.

So, Kristen, as we’re watching these images of President Trump walking down this rope line of what looks like Chinese dignitaries, one thing I am noticing, and I wonder if you have some insights into this, is that, there’s — it does not appear to be any maybe or many Western press in close proximity to the president right now.

Is that your understanding of what’s happening in this moment?

KRISTEN HOLMES: There is a small presence that is in that great hall. The press pool that traveled with the White House was given an option, or at least some of us were given an option, to go there. There are increased rules, obviously, in China when it comes to the press. And for a lot of us, it was not going to be possible for us to actually broadcast from that location in real time, which is why there aren’t a lot of networks there.

Remember, the U.S. press pool is — has been credentialed by the White House and by China, essentially told by the White House that these are the people traveling with the president. So you’ll see some of them on the ground there. It is a handful of people but, you know, it is a small footprint that we have here among Western journalists that are on the ground.

I will say one of the interesting things I’m seeing here, too, is the body language between the two men. President Trump kind of grasping President Xi’s hand when they were shaking hands, showing a lot of familiarity. I mean, President Trump is one who really kind of dotes on this relationship. He’s often praising how close they are, how they get along. And you can see him really living that in real time with President Xi, showing that closeness. And, you know, he is not somebody who really shows a lot of affection. He was sitting there patting his hand, so that was an interesting moment.

You can see here now, President Xi is shaking hands with the delegation that traveled with President Trump, including some of his top aides, his son, Eric Trump, Lara Trump, all of them waiting there to meet the Chinese president.

PHILLIP: Yes. And if you were looking closely at that second row, behind that first row of U.S. dignitaries, what you were seeing there were a lot of American business leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook and others. But as you noted, the first row included, you know, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other members of the President’s cabinet, as well as his son, Eric Trump, Lara Trump and James Blair, who recently left the White House to run the President’s political operation. So a lot of familiar faces in that line there.

As we’re listening to this, Xochitl, can you weigh in a little bit on what Kristen was just saying about that body language? I mean, it does strike me that we have seen the president in moments like this not necessarily with Xi Jinping, but that Alaska summit with Putin kind of had a similar vibe.

XOCHITL HINOJOSA: Yes, this is a lot of pageantry, and this is exactly what the president likes. They’re playing to President Trump. They understand that he is going here, as you had mentioned, with a weak hand.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.

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