Peter Baker: Trump Greeting Xi Jinping on the Tarmac ‘Shows His Affinity for These Autocratic Leaders’

EXCERPT:

BAKER: “For the president, this president, to make the only foreign leader he welcomed personally at Andrews be the Chinese dictator, I think it says something, right? It says something about his, you know, his friendship with these autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. He didn't go to Joint Base Andrews to greet Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada with whom he is quarreling. He has never gone to Andrews to greet the leaders of France or Britain or Germany or other American friends. He's only gone to Andrews showing this respect, this almost admiration for the dictator of China. Literally, not only rolling out a red carpet, literally I think calling him handsome, calling his wife beautiful, just over-the-top gushing comments in the last few hours. And I think it speaks to his -- you know, his affinity for these really autocratic leaders even though he himself just a few weeks ago said China tried to intervene in our election and has complained about China's trade practices and other issues.”