Trump’s disruption to TV coverage during Xi visit frustrates Chinese officials

President Donald Trump spent months plotting ways to impress Xi Jinping. But even after enlisting two military bands, ordering up a flyover, speeding construction of his new helipad and rolling out a literal red carpet, Trump ended up directly undercutting what the Chinese leader craved most: Network television cameras. Trump’s abrupt ban on three news outlets — including CNN — disrupted months of careful planning for Xi’s state visit, frustrating both US and Chinese officials over the limited coverage of a summit meant to showcase the two men together in front of a global audience, according to multiple people familiar with the dynamic. The suspension of pooled TV coverage for the entirety of Xi’s first day at the White House caused consternation among the Chinese leader’s allies, who had hoped the trip would broadcast him widely as a peer of the president of the world’s most powerful nation.