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Trump Says His Relationship With XI Is Very Strong; Angry Voters May Have Cost Trump Leverage In Beijing; Trump's Economic Pressure On Xi Limited By Voters At Home. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired May 15, 2026 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:30:00]

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: And we've settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn't have been able to settle. And the relationship is a very strong one. We've really done some wonderful things I believe.

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump went into the talks with the Chinese leader with less leverage than one might expect. And most of it stems from American voters back home who are angry about inflation and the economy. CNN's David Goldman breaks it down for us.

DAVID GOLDMAN, So this meeting between Xi and Trump is all about leverage. Who has it and why? Well, if you take a look, President Trump certainly doesn't have economic leverage at the moment because 77 percent of folks who were surveyed by CNN said that they blame President Trump for the high cost of living. That is not helpful.

What's the difference between Xi and Trump? Trump is in an election here, and his Republican Party faces this issue. And so Trump knows this going into this meeting with Xi, he's facing this at home. And it limits the amount of economic pressure that he can put on China.

Now, one of the things that he wants from China is rare earth minerals. Look at this. 93 percent of all rare earths are made in China.

Now, these are the things that make everything go beep, right? They are giving you the ability to turn on smartphones and run an EV, cancer treatments. These are really, really important. But the other thing that they do is they help make missiles work.

War equipment, armaments. All of that needs to be stockpiled again in the United States because we have used so much in the Iran war. Those armaments need to be restocked. The way to do that is rare earth minerals.

Now, China is dependent on Iran as well, because look at this, 80 percent of all Iranian oil goes to China. Now, that was before the war. It's probably even higher than that right now. So the thing is, China needs the Strait of Hormuz opened just as much as the United States and the rest of the world, if not more. And President Trump wants that open to keep prices lower.

So China might agree now, it's got a lot of oil stockpiled. This isn't a major factor in the economy yet, but it might be soon. This is something that they're going to be discussing heavily. The other issue, and this is what -- this is what she said is going to be the top issue, Taiwan.

Taiwan just approved $25 billion in purchases of U.S. military equipment. That is angering Xi. The other thing, though, tariffs. This is a huge issue, not just for China, but for President Trump.

A year ago, tariffs on China were 145 percent, basically saying, forget it, we're not going to import anything from China because it is so expensive. Now, what is it, 10 percent? Only 10 percent. And that's because the Supreme Court told President Trump, you can't do this anymore.

There's a limit to the emergency powers that the president has to put tariffs on. Back to you.

ABDELAZIZ: Let's bring in CNN senior China reporter Simone McCarthy live from Beijing on more of this. Thank you so much for joining us today.

We know, of course, now that President Trump is wheels up and on his way back home to the U.S. How do you think Beijing viewed the meeting? Was it a success?

SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Salma, I think it's fair to say that a lot of leaders here in Beijing are breathing a sigh of relief after what they surely see as a successful summit with President Trump. I mean, certainly Trump is a president who's known for his off the cuff remarks and sometimes unpredictable behavior. And so, the fact that the, the pomp and circumstance, the order that China really values in its diplomacy was able to carry off largely without a hitch here in Beijing over the past few days is certainly going to be seen as a success.

But it's not just that. It's the optics of the camaraderie between the two leaders. I mean, certainly we saw there was a lot of back padding, there was effusive compliments from Trump towards Xi, towards China, towards the importance of the relationship, not to mention the fact that he's also arrived with a cohort of business leaders, heavy hitters in the American business community.

And so, all of this is really playing into something that's so important for China, which is being seen by the United States as an equal and also showcasing that kind of strength on the global stage. So, I think the optics are really nailed there.

[04:35:02]

But honestly, that tone is also something which is really tangible for China because what they want is stability, predictability in this relationship with the United States. China is a rising power. It's trying to catch up when it comes to technology.

It's trying to advance its military. It's trying to build its economy. And it doesn't want to have this kind of unpredictability and volatility that we saw with tech, with tech and trade frictions that really permeated all of last year. And so, to have the two sides talking about a constructive relationship, about strategic stability, this really plays into what Xi Jinping wants, which is a predictable relationship in order to build up China. And it's not just from the leadership perspective.

People here in China also know that this relationship affects their everyday lives. And if we may, I'd like to listen in to a couple of responses on the ground from people in here in Beijing, Beijingers, and how they viewed the summit.

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YANG YANXIA, BEIJING RESIDENT (voiceover): I believe that the tensions between China and the United States have been persistent over the past eight or nine years. This development represents a relaxation in relations, which is a very significant signal of easing tensions. This should be very beneficial for the people of both countries.

HAN JINGYI, BEIJING RESIDENT (voiceover): Yesterday I saw President Trump and President Xi Jinping dispatch visiting the Temple of Heaven together. Afterwards, Trump said that China is a wonderful place. I believe this marks a turning point in Sino-U.S. relations, a good starting point. In the future, things should be better and better.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCCARTHY: And you could really see how there's this sense that people are watching. What is the trajectory between this -- between these two powers and how that's really going to impact on the ground.

Now, obviously, there's a lot that remains to be seen in terms of what the actual tangible deals may or may not be that come out of this meeting in the coming weeks and months and certainly how the two countries are going to build on this rapport that we've seen between the two leaders going forward and whether or not they can indeed keep that stability amid what has been an incredibly fractious relationship in recent years.

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much. Simone McCarthy in Beijing with those sound bites, those reactions from the streets of Beijing to the summit. Thank you.

Even while he was in China meeting with Xi Jinping and talking about the future of the war with Iran, Donald Trump was floating his idea of making Venezuela the 51st U.S. state. During his visit to Beijing, he posted a map on social media showing Venezuela filled with American flags. On Monday, Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, said her country had no plans to become a U.S. state. And four months after U.S. mission removed longtime President Nicolas

Maduro from power in Venezuela, the country's main opposition figure is a anxious to get back home and lead her country. Maria Corinna Machado has been living in exile since winning the 2024 Venezuelan presidential primary when she was ultimately barred from running in the election. Our Erin Burnett spoke with the Nobel Prize winner and asked about her view on the messaging coming from the U.S. president lately.

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MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Well, I think he's sending a message to many people and decides uncertainty to the regime. I mean we, the Venezuelan people value, appreciate, share the values of the American people. We are decisive to be a strong ally and I think it is -- and in terms of legacy, imagine what this will mean for the, for the U.S. Government and for your country, Erin.

For the first time we will have -- once we move towards democracy and Venezuela is free, Cuba will follow, Nicaragua will follow. We will have for the first time the history of this continent. The Americans free of communism and dictatorship.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now to Cuba where a U.S. delegation held talks with officials in Havana on Thursday under the shadow of tensions between the two countries. Leading the U.S. group was CIA Director John Ratcliffe who met Cuban intelligence officials from the Ministry of the Interior.

Cuba said it poses no threat to the United States. They also objected to being labeled a state-sponsored sponsor of terrorism, arguing that there's quote, "no legitimate reason for that."

The island still suffers from a worsening energy crisis as the U.S. blocks oil deliveries that has caused rolling blackouts across the island with hardships and unrest. President Trump previously signaled that he's willing to talk with the Cuban government as the U.S. is promising millions of dollars in aid hinging on reforms to its communist system. But speaking on Fox News, Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed doubt that Cuba could turn things around.

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MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It's a broken non-functional economy, and it's impossible to change it. I wish it were different, but I believe it's my personal opinion, you cannot change the economic trajectory of Cuba as long as the people who are in charge of it now are in charge of it. That's what's going to have to change because these people are proven incapable. I hope I'm wrong.

We'll give them a chance. But I don't think it's going to happen.

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[04:40:08]

ABDELAZIZ: Meanwhile, Ecuador is working to deepen ties with the U.S. as it fights increasing gang violence. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noa met U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday in Washington, and the two discussed their commitment to fighting narco trafficking as well as ongoing tensions with neighboring Colombia.

Ecuador has launched a sharp crackdown on drug crime this year in March. The U.S. Military began joint operations there targeting narco terrorists. However, the operations have been criticized by Ecuadorian human rights groups. CNN spoke to President Noboa, who defended those efforts.

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DANILE NOBOA, ECUADORIAN PRESIDENT: We welcome U.S. involvement, respecting our laws and also respecting our military. Our military can lead the operations and have the support of American troops. That's the way that we've been working so far, and we've been successful at doing so.

Right now, we have cornered these narco terrorist groups into two areas in particular, which are the province of Guayas and the province of Eloro. So we have further operations going on there in the next few days.

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ABDELAZIZ: The clash of tech titans, Sam Altman and Elon Musk is now in the hands of a jury. The latest from the lawsuit on the future of OpenAI.

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ABDELAZIZ: Anti-abortion groups are blasting a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing women to keep getting the abortion pill Mifepristone without an in-person doctor visit. Justices paused an appeals court ruling barring women from obtaining the drug through mail or telehealth visits. They sent the case back to a lower court to revisit its merits, making it very likely it will soon be back on the high Court docket.

[04:45:03]

Now, Justice Samuel Alito dissented, arguing that the Ruler ruling expanded Mifepristone access was part of a scheme to undermine the overturning of Roe v. Wade four years ago.

Now, Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI and its leaders now goes to the jury. Closing arguments concluded Thursday in the case that could have ramifications for the future of artificial intelligence. CNN's AI correspondent Hadas Gold explains.

HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: After three weeks of testimony, this massive case between Elon Musk and ChatGPT maker OpenAI has finally rested. This case could completely change the landscape for AI if Elon Musk is successful.

Elon Musk's attorneys spent their time of the closing argument trying to show that Musk was deceived after he helped fund and co found OpenAI with $38 million because they argue that OpenAI ditched nonprofit mission of creating safe AI for the benefit of humanity in favor of profits, alleging that they breached a charitable trust that the OpenAI executives unjustly enriched themselves to the tunes of billions of dollars partly based off of the millions of dollars that Elon Musk gave to what was then a pure nonprofit. OpenAI, since its founding, has now transitioned to having a for profit structure overseen by a non-profit foundation.

Musk's attorneys also spent time trying to paint OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as dishonest, as untrustworthy, pointing to the brief period of time in 2023 when he was ousted as CEO by the then board for what the board said was not being candid in his communications. Altman was reinstated a few days after his ousting after almost all of the OpenAI employees threatened to resign.

OpenAI's attorneys tried to argue that Elon Musk was just bringing this case because of essentially sour grapes. They said that he's bringing this case much too late. They pointed to statute of limitations.

They say that Elon Musk himself wanted to create a for profit entity when he was involved in Open AI, but that he wanted to have full control of that for-profit entity to the point of him saying that he would pass that control along to his children if he were to die. That's something that Sam Altman testified to.

They say that when Elon Musk was unsuccessful in gaining full control of OpenAI, he then left trying to recruit OpenAI employees to Tesla, where he was working on AI there and then eventually creating his own competitor xAI. OpenAI saying that Elon Musk is just bringing this case to try to bring a competitor down.

Now, the jury will deliberate and they will bring their verdict to the judge. It's on an advisory verdict to the judge who will make the ultimate decision. It will also be up to the judge on any remedies.

Elon Musk is seeking very severe remedies in this case. They include that OpenAI would revert back to a nonprofit that would completely scramble OpenAI's plans, including for an IPO. OpenAI is right now one of the most valuable companies in the world. He is also seeking that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman lose their jobs as the leaders of OpenAI. And he wants something like more than $130 billion to be put back into the OpenAI nonprofit.

But it's ultimately up to the judge in this case to decide what, if any, remedies Elon Musk will get. We don't know when that verdict will come, but we do expect it within the next week or so. Hadas Gold, CNN, New York.

ABDELAZIZ: Now, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks is stepping down from his job, effective immediately. He told CNN that he wants to enjoy his life and family after almost 37 years of public service. Banks is the third high-profile immigration official to leave or be fired in recent weeks. Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was sacked in March after controversies over her advertising campaigns and the shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents in Minneapolis. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is leaving at the end of the month.

Now, for her first trip overseas since finishing treatment for cancer, Catherine, Princess of Wales, travels to Italy for a cause that's very close to her heart. The details are just ahead.

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[04:53:06]

ABDELAZIZ: Britain's King Charles attended a special performance Thursday at the Royal Opera House. He was one of the guests at a joint performance of the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera. The king is a patron of both. The performance also debuted new stage curtains at the Opera House with the king's cipher. They replaced the ones with Queen Elizabeth's cipher, which hung there for 27 years.

Catherine, the Princess of Wales, wrapped up her first overseas trip since completing her cancer treatment. Her solo trip focused on her work with the Royal Foundation Center for early childhood. CNN's Max Foster has more.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: (Inaudible) Catherina, two words you keep hearing here in Reggio Emilia. Princess Catherine, of course, she's just visited. She was here for less than 48 hours, a huge presence when she arrived, thousands of people. But what started out as a fascination in her actually turned into something the other way around.

Her fascination into this town because she came here to learn about how the very youngest people in society, under-fives, are educated. So she wanted to find out about this way of teaching, which isn't sticking children in the classroom and instructing them, but by giving them objects, taking them outside and letting them explore using all their senses, you know, smelling, seeing, tasting everything that's around them, whatever it is, but allowing them to lead the learning and to learn for themselves without being told what to do.

The princess feels that if you can get that early learning correct, then you can solve many of our toughest problems in society, for example, addiction. And she now feels this is a global mission for her to encourage the world to take early learning more seriously. And she wants to take those ideas back to the UK and keep going on trips like this. And I've never seen her actually quite as enthused as she was meeting the young kids here, and the difference that the system they use here, the Reggio approach.

[04:55:07]

Because she's been through this period of recovery from cancer, she's gone through this life-changing experience, as an aide described it to me, and now she wants to throw herself into her work even more. But she has to balance it with that recovery. But what I think we're going to see is her back on the global stage, traveling the world, trying to promote what she sees as a key cause for her and indeed the planet, up there with climate change. Max Foster, CNN, Reggio Emilia, Italy.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now, FIFA will take a cue from the super bowl in next month's World Cup final. The association says the event will include a halftime music show headlined by Shakira, Madonna, and the K-Pop sensation BTS. That'll be a first for the World Cup final match, which will be held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 19th. But the halftime break in soccer is usually limited to 15 minutes, so it's unclear whether that rule will be changed to accommodate this show.

NFL fans are now making plans for the next season. The National Football League has released the schedule for the 2026 regular season. The league moved up its official kickoff by a day. Now on Wednesday night, in a break from the norm, the season opener on September 9th will see the defending champion Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots. Week one will also feature the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers facing off in Australia, which is hosting its first-ever NFL game.

It is one of nine international games in seven different countries this season. And the road to a championship will end at SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California, for Super Bowl 61 on February 14th.

Thank you so much for watching. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. CNN Headline Express is next.

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