Return to Transcripts main page
CNN This Morning
President Trump Heads Home After Meeting with Xi; Trump Downplays Xi's Comments About "West in Decline"; Judge Greenlights Use of New Tennessee Map. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired May 15, 2026 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[06:00:00]
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: That just about does it here for CNN Headline Express. I am Brad Smith. CNN This Morning with Audie Cornish starts right now.
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, President Trump is returning from a whirlwind trip to China. What was he able to accomplish and what deals were left on the table? Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Clearly an effort to intimidate by China but we'll stand up to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Xi warns Trump on Taiwan. Trump says nothing publicly. Is that the best possible outcome? And the CIA director actually went to Havana as the island nation runs out of fuel. Is Cuba's leadership about to get Maduro'ed?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: And the American people we believe are going to push back aggressively.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: So, a judge deals Democrats another redistricting setback. But are voters the real losers in all of this? And taco turmoil in Texas. A Senate candidate's order spices up an already contentious race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I know you order.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, breakfast tacos.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Potato, egg and cheese.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I come here a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We've settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn't have been able to settle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK. So, the president is talking up his trip to China. What came out of that final meeting with Xi Jinping? I'm Audie Cornish. Good morning everybody.
I want to start with the final moments of that symbolic summit in Beijing. Chinese Leader Xi Jinping hosted President Trump today at the party leadership's compound for a final round of talks. And the two signaled unity on the issue of Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We did discuss Iran. We feel very similar to Iran. We want that to end. We don't want them to have a nuclear weapon. We want the Straits open. We're closing it now. They closed it. Then we closed it on top of them. But we want the Straits open. And we want them to get it ended.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: So, I want to bring in CNN's Mike Valerio joining us now from Beijing. And, Mike, I want to start about the actual details we've learned from each side. Have you gotten a final readout?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Audie, we have gotten one from Zhongnanhai which is the headquarters of the Communist Party. But it doesn't say too many in terms of specifics. Let's just take a look at a little bit to give you an idea. Very poetic. It's trying to fit the mood of recalibrating ties. It starts off from CCTV China Central Television one of the state media outlets. In the late spring and early summer set of Zhongnanhai the greenery had deepened and the gardens were lush with vegetation. It goes on and on and on says that the two meeting in warm of course ties.
And then at the very end the final sentence this readout, the only one that we have, we don't have one from the American side. The Chinese readout says, the two sides also exchanged views on several regional hotspot issues. But we don't know what exactly those are if they're Taiwan if they're Iran or something else.
And of course, you know, to your point and as we were talking about and leading the show with this question is what exact specific trade deals are going to come out of this reset relationship. You know we had Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade rep, talk about that on Bloomberg a couple hours ago. Let's listen to his soundbite and we'll talk about it on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: You heard the president today talk about the Boeing's and hundreds of Boeings being purchased by China. We already have a soybean deal with them from our prior meetings of 25 million metric tons a year over the next three years. And we expect to also see an agreement for a double digit billion purchases of eggs over the next three years per year coming out of this visit. And that's more general. That's aggregate. That's not just soybeans. That's everything else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIO: You know just a couple notes on that, soybeans right now are only bought by the government. So, American farmers in the heartland are still hurting because private companies here on this side of the world in China aren't buying soybeans at the level that they used to.
So, we are waiting to see you know is that going to become part of the conversation. Is that going to be a tangible deliverable? But so far radio silence on that as of now. And also, the Chinese government hasn't said anything about these Boeing orders whether they're going to be midsize or larger jets. The specific 200 number that hasn't been revealed as well.
But, you know, Audie, I think that we should convey to everybody who's back home in the United States that certainly the effort by Xi Jinping and Donald Trump to recalibrate their relationship.
[06:05:00]
Again, at least for now seems to have permeated down to people who are just carrying out their everyday lives in Beijing. We had the opportunity after the two leaders strolled through the Temple of Heaven to interview a couple of people on the streets of Beijing. So, I want you to listen to what some said. Certainly, expressing optimism and some even grateful for the trade policies that President Trump has put into place. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): As ordinary people, of course, we don't hope for any conflict between the two countries. Both are major powers. If there is conflict, it is actually not very good for either country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Trump's policies of imposing external sanctions have actually further galvanized us to strive for self-reliance and independence. In that respect, I actually quite like this president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIO: So, chuan jianguo, that is the Chinese phrase that means nation builder. Donald Trump's nickname here in China. People grateful that because of these restrictive trade policies that China from their point of view has had to develop its own advanced A.I. chip. So, again we're waiting to see what if anything is going to happen with the war in Iran. What exactly is going to happen with these business deals. A lot of fanfare but we're going to see if the rhetoric matches the reality, Audie.
CORNISH: That's Mike Valerio reporting. Thank you so much. And our coverage of the president's trip to China is going to continue. The president has been saying that Xi Jinping suggested that the U.S. is a declining nation. President Trump says he thinks that she was talking about Biden's America. So, did he miss a reference there. Plus, protesters in Utah demand that an A.I. data center project be shut down. Why? They say the risks outweigh the rewards and survey work has begun on the president's newest project. His arch. Who's this for?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is the arch being built for? Who's it for?
SEC. DOUG BURGUM, SECRETARY OF INTERIOR: Well, for the American people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump was asked this question specifically on the record and he said this arch is for him. He said -- his answer was me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The relationship is a very strong one. We've really done some wonderful things, I believe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: President Trump leaves China feeling good about his relationship with Xi Jinping. Does the Chinese leader feel the same? Trump is downplaying Xi's previous comment about the West being in decline. He posted this, quote, "When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was referring to the Biden administration." Trump said Xi was not referring to the, quote, "16 spectacular months of the Trump administration."
So, he's making that distinction. We weren't exactly hearing that from the leader of China. Here is how Xi characterized the relationship yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT (through translator): Both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. Our two countries should be partners rather than rivals. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Joining me now in the group chat this morning, Errol Louis, political anchor for Spectrum News, Jeanette Hoffman, Republican strategist, and Max Rose, former New York congressman.
Now, we're going to have a former ambassador to China on later to really try and discern what was happening. But the Trump side of it, we all recognize, which is he leaves a meeting with the leader and tells us his version of events. Does that match what Xi made sure to say publicly?
ERROL LOUIS, SPECTRUM NEWS, POLITICAL ANCHOR: I don't know if it matches what Xi has accomplished for himself. He wanted to be seen. He wants to be seen as a major leader on par with the United States. He certainly didn't retract any word or even sentiment of the West being in decline and China being, you know, in its ascendancy.
CORNISH: But it was weird to be like, he's talking about Biden, because I feel like, A, China does not think in terms of four years since. You know what I mean? The way that leadership works, the way they approach the world, they don't sit around parsing out our politics. And was it wishful thinking? Like, how do you look at that?
JEANETTE HOFFMAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST AND MARATHON PUBLIC AFFAIRS: I think this is classic Trump. He's never going to take any insults directed at him. He's going to say, of course that's at Biden or Obama or any other president, but President Trump, right? So, I think it is, you know, this is classic Trump saying this was the best meeting ever.
But time will tell whether it was successful or not. What will happen in Iran? Will President Xi play some role in getting the Straits open?
CORNISH: Even by what metric, right?
HOFFMAN: Right.
CORNISH: Like, is it by your trade deals? Is it by -- can China pressure Iran? Like, there's a lot of ways you could look at this meeting and decide it's successful or not successful. What did you see, Max?
MAX ROSE (D), FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Yes, I don't see this necessarily as rocket science. They didn't get anything done in the meeting. It was pure theatrics, pure performance.
CORNISH: Is it all diplomacy performance?
ROSE: Well, not in the face of the potential for China stepping in and doing something in regards to Iran. Let's not forget here, within the last month, China provided targeting information directly via Russia as well to Iran to attack American bases and to attack our ally Israel. That is not semantics. Not --
[06:15:00] CORNISH: But I have to say, Hannity on Fox actually asked Trump about this, saying like, hey, you know, what about China? I bring this up with you a lot. And Trump said, look, they're not attacking, there's not aggression towards the U.S. specifically. And he really kind of played that down. I mean, is that necessary to get to where the U.S. wants to be diplomatically?
ROSE: We should tell that to -- I mean, we should tell that to the hundreds of soldiers who were -- have been injured in the Middle East since this conflict began. China directly played a role in that. I'm not to say we should ignore this other extraordinary power.
CORNISH: Yes.
HOFFMAN: Yes. I mean, but you are correct. China is not our friend. They are our adversary. And two things can be true at the same time. We need to treat them like that. But they are also very important to our economy. And what you said before about that trade deal is very important. It's said that $38 billion of tariffs are being, you know, contemplated right now on the table. We'll see if that deal is struck. Secretary Bessent said it may be.
CORNISH: It may be. Yes. I'm at Pop Quiz now on the Thucydides trap. We've all got to brush up on our philosophy. Basically, Xi Jinping brought this up in his opening remarks, saying the question now is whether China and the U.S. can transcend the so-called Thucydides trap and pioneer a new paradigm of major country relations.
And he's referring to this idea that, you know, the conflict that can emerge when there's an emerging power threatening an existing power. And China's been emerging for a long time. Like they definitely, you know, have reached a certain point here.
LOUIS: It falls perfectly into the narrative that he wants to project, both to his people and to the world, which is that we are the rising power, right? We are Athens. The United States is Sparta. They're threatened by us.
CORNISH: Biden wasn't there. Like he wasn't --
LOUIS: No. It's not about --
CORNISH: Longer horizon, let's say.
LOUIS: It's kind of a broader frame than the last 48 months, for sure. And, you know, look, of course, it went completely past Trump personally. But it's also a framework that relates to trade, right? We need to sell them soybeans. That's the trade relation we need to have happen. We're buying rare earth minerals from them. Who's getting the better part of that deal? Who's got the real value?
CORNISH: We also learned during Trump's tariff war that China is not afraid to hit back hard and quickly economically. Like, they're not going to ramp up. They're just going to go to 10. And it does feel -- and maybe you can tell me, like, the way Trump spoke about China as a candidate, right, and even going into office, it is dramatically different now that we are in the reality of geopolitics.
HOFFMAN: Absolutely. I mean, listen, he -- China is our enemy and all this. And then you heard a very different tone yesterday at these meetings.
CORNISH: Yes.
HOFFMAN: And, you know, President Xi is my friend, and he knows that we need China economically. And, listen, Americans are suffering under tariffs right now.
CORNISH: Yes.
HOFFMAN: And we need to strike that deal.
CORNISH: And farmers specifically, to your point about soybeans. All right. You guys, stay with me. We're going to dig into some different aspects of this conversation. After the break, though, we're going to turn to this, Cuba in crisis. No fuel, no money. Is the U.S. coming to rescue them, or is its embargo making things worse?
Plus, Tennessee's map will stand. Why Democrats think this will work out in their favor politically. And a live look at Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano, which is erupting right now on the Big Island. That's lava shooting almost 200 feet into the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:20:00]
CORNISH: OK. It's now 22 minutes past the hour. Here is your Morning Roundup. Some stories you might have missed. A judge in Tennessee has rejected an attempt by Democrats to pause the use of a new congressional map. The new maps would give Republicans control of all nine of the state's House seats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Southern Republicans of trying to erase decades of progress, but he believes voters are fired up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: There is determination and righteous resolve to push back against this unprecedented effort in modern American history to turn back the clock, bring us back to the Jim Crow era in terms of Black representation in the Deep South. And we're not going to stand for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Here's where those redistricting wars stand now. New maps favor Republicans 15 to 6.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: No data center. No data center.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: OK. You are looking at hundreds of protesters gathered at the Utah State Capitol Thursday demanding a say into a massive A.I. data center project. One of the backers of the project, "Shark Tank's" Kevin O'Leary, is behind it, and the state's governor is also in support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A.I. is just destroying everything. We don't need it. We need water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The more and more we learn about it, the more it's going to be obviously harmful to the community.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We care about Great Salt Lake. We care about our water, land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK. A new Gallup poll out this week shows that 7 in 10 Americans oppose building data centers in their communities. The main concerns being the environment and quality of life.
And workers are surveying the space for Trump's triumphal arch in Virginia's Memorial Circle. Many congressional leaders are actually opposed to the construction. They brought this up during a committee hearing on Wednesday. Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum was asked if, basically, who's this for?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a proposal to build this arch. Who is it for?
SEC. DOUG BURGUM, SECRETARY OF INTERIOR: There's a discussion about it. I wouldn't say there's not a proposal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's it for?
BURGUM: Well, for the American people, just like everything else in this thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[06:25:00]
CORNISH: So, the arch actually still needs further approval by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. And the grandson of John F. Kennedy is defending his campaign for Congress after reports of running an erratic operation. Jack Schlossberg tells CNN's Dana Bash that the New York Times report is just the consequence of being the frontrunner for a seat in the heart of Manhattan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK SCHLOSSBERG (D-NY), CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS: There's a lot in that article that's not true, but you know how this works. Once you're declared the frontrunner and early voting starts in less than a month, everyone's got something to say. People are trying to figure out how our campaign has been so successful and why we're winning in every single poll.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK. He's right in that, you know, more money, more problems. So, tell me from the position of a New Yorker.
LOUIS: He is considered the frontrunner. His opponents have put out polls saying that they are running close to him. Even his opponents have internal polls that say that he is in the lead. What that is a result of, it's hard to say. He doesn't have an extensive background in public service.
CORNISH: I was about to say, some of this is like maybe the first time. Like when -- you remember Kamala Harris' campaign after the first campaign also had one of these reported pieces that came out that was like, everything was bad, it was run terribly. Then she came back and ran like, you know, a very short, effective campaign. And I think I'm curious about whether this is a learning curve.
HOFFMAN: Could be. As someone who's been on the inside of campaigns, running campaigns as a consultant, I kind of feel bad for the campaign workers because it's a first-time candidate. You know, somebody probably trust fund maybe.
CORNISH: What's then erratic code for? Tell me the truth. When you all called the reporter and leak erratic. What does that mean?
HOFFMAN: Disorganized, undisciplined. You know, but listen --
CORNISH: Is that code for he doesn't listen to me? What does that mean?
HOFFMAN: Probably. In his defense, he's paddle boarding in the Hudson every single day. So, I mean, that's a lot of hard work.
CORNISH: Good detail. All right. Straight ahead on CNN This Morning, President Trump, he's been quiet on the issue of Taiwan. We want to know whether there's a sign that the policy the U.S. has there could change after a stern warning from China.
Plus, he says he's a Trump ally, so why did the president back his opponent in tomorrow's primary?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:30:00]
