Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds as US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, September 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
A new poll report on Thursday revealed that President Donald Trump gushed about the Chinese Communist Party media. Meanwhile, Chinese officials were concerned about the lack of press coverage for the events.
China is infamous for its government control over the media. The CCP treats control of information as essential to maintaining political power, so it generally doesn't allow the independent press to freely investigate or challenge the party, organize dissent or publish reporting the government sees as threatening to social stability or its legitimacy.
But on Thursday, even they were concerned about the way Trump had lost his press pool.
White House correspondent Alayna Treene, reporting on the battle to restore the media, called the report "remarkable."
"U.S. and Chinese photographers were separated from the pool and brought in for two sprays with the president, according to two of the photographers who were present. During the second spray, Trump made a joke about how the Chinese had the friendliest press corps," the pool report also said.
Treene said, "I mean, that is an incredible statement in this pool note from this print reporter. Her name is Carrie Pickett with The Washington Times. And you talked about this, Dana [Bash]. But I mean, the irony of this is pretty amazing, particularly, you know, as you mentioned, the Chinese Communist Party reporters are the state media."
She explained that the U.S. wasn't the only one who was hoping for broad coverage.
"Typically there would be wall-to-wall coverage of every single event and every single speech that the president and the Chinese president and the Chinese leader are giving. But we were also told, according to a source, that Chinese officials had told people at the White House that they were concerned about the level of coverage as well," Treene said.
Bash busted out with laughter.
"And so I think it's really important to note the timing of this and how people at the White House aren't very happy about it coinciding," Treene finished.
Bash apologized for her outburst, "I'm sorry, I just — that — I was, sort of, laughing out of — I don't even know what ... you just said — that it was even the Chinese were concerned about the American media not being in there. I mean, if that doesn't tell you everything you need to know, I don't know what does."
Bash then ran a supercut of all the times that Trump bashed communism.