US President Donald Trump with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the White House in Washington, D.C., US, September 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Washington, DC for his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. The leaders, according to CNN, are "expected to discuss key issues" that include "trade, Taiwan and the war in Iran." Michael McFaul, who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia under former President Barack Obama, discussed the meeting during a Friday morning appearance on MS NOW — and was vehemently critical of Trump's handling of U.S./China policy as well as his ban of three major media outlets (CNN, MS NOW and Politico) from the White House press pool.
During the panel, MS NOW host Peter Alexander, McFaul and former CIA Director John O. Brennan argued that the timing — a press ban during a U.S. visit from the Chinese president — was terrible. Alexander pointed out that members of state-operated Chinese meeting were allowed in the White House while reporters from top U.S. media outlets were shut out.
McFaul told Alexander and Brennan, "This is embarrassing for the United States of America. We used to be the leader of the free world. Countries used to look up to us because of our freedoms of press … This makes us look weak. I don't understand why President Trump doesn't understand how to connect these dots when we are now talking about this, not talking about national interests that he might be pursuing with Xi Jinping today. That is a sign of weakness — not a sign of strength. So, it may be legal, but it's also really bad foreign policy."
The Trump/Jinping meeting comes at a time of escalating fears that the People's Republic of China, under Jinping, will invade Taiwan — an important ally of the United States.
Brennan was highly critical of Trump as well, telling McFaul and Alexander, "I think (Jinping is) able to see through Donald Trump's rhetoric."
The former CIA director made a comparison between Trump's meeting with Jinping and Obama's meeting with former Chinese President Hu Jintao in 2011. Brennan argued that while Obama made a point of highlighting the United States' press freedoms during the Jintao meeting, Trump was doubling down on a White House press ban during Jinping's visit.
Brennan told McFaul and Alexander, "That's because President Obama believes strongly in a free press, believes strongly in a rule of law … It underscores how much Donald Trump is abusing the rule of law, doesn't respect it … I think Michael would agree with me: Donald Trump's weakness right now (is) that he's afraid of the free press. He's afraid of being exposed. Even the red-carpet treatment of President Xi Jinping, which is, you know, going overboard — it sends a signal that Donald Trump needs Xi Jinping more than Xi Jinping needs Donald Trump. And the fact that he is engaged in these fights with the courts, with the Constitution — again, it just shows the world, and it shows, you know, hopefully all American citizens, just how afraid he is of being exposed."