Update | Trump says he’s developed friendship with Xi as first day of US-China summit ends
US president’s remarks in Florida come as the US launches a huge cruise missile attack on targets in Syria
US President Donald Trump said at a summit meeting with Xi Jinping that he would have a very strong relationship with the Chinese president and the two men have already developed a friendship.
During a photo shoot for the press before the two presidents dined at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, the US president said: “It is a great honour to have the President of China and his incredibly talented wife. We had a long discussion already. So far, I have gotten nothing. Absolutely nothing, but we have developed a friendship,” Trump said. “I think, long-term, we are going to have a very, very great relationship and I look very much forward to it.”
Just a couple of hours after the dinner, Trump tweeted and said he was honoured to host his Chinese guests.
A number of the president’s top aides were present, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, White House Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, chief strategist Stephen Bannon and Ivanka Trump,