Newsom says he was 'embarrassed' and 'humiliated' watching Trump in front of Xi

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was "embarrassed" and "humiliated" as he watched President Donald Trump meet China's President Xi Jinping in South Korea.

The POTUS said on Thursday, October 30, that he will have a "fantastic relationship" with his Chinese counterpart, as the two met face-to-face after six years amid major tensions between the two countries.

Gavin Newsom says Trump got played by Xi

During an exclusive interview with NBC News 'Meet the Press' on Friday, Gavin Newsom said, "I was embarrassed. I was humiliated watching the President of the United States in front of Xi. He was negotiating away this country in the first five minutes of the photo op."

"He came back with nothing. He got played by President Xi," the California governor added as NBC News host Kristen Welker said, "He said he got a good deal."

Newsom replied, "He said that. How many trade deals? 90 and 90 days? How many of you have read and reviewed? How many have been signed? Zero." 

"His policy is press release, and the fact that you and I will be paying more for toys this Christmas, and we are already paying more for Halloween, bears truth to my assertion of the recklessness of his policies. He is wrecking this country," the Democrat added.

Newsom also mentioned, "The jobs market is weak. Inflation is starting to creep back up. This is unprecedented to see in such a short period of time. This kind of destruction to the progress we were experiencing, which he inherited."

Trump praised the Chinese president as "a great leader of a great country" when they met and said the two sides had "already agreed to a lot of things". 

"We've already agreed to a lot of things, and we'll agree to some more right now, but President Xi is a great leader of a great country, and I think we're going to have a fantastic relationship for a long period of time, and it's an honour to have you with us," the commander-in-chief said.

Xi tells Trump they should strive to be 'partners and friends'

Xi Jinping told Donald Trump that while the two countries did not always have a friendly relationship, they should strive to be "partners and friends."

"China and the US can jointly shoulder our responsibility as major countries and work together to accomplish more great and concrete things for the good of our two countries and the whole world," the Chinese president expressed.

Following the meeting, the POTUS announced that the China rare earths agreement would be valid for one year, with the option to extend it further.

Moreover, he called his meeting with the Chinese counterpart "a great success."

Interestingly, the two leaders met after six years, having last held talks in 2019 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Japan.

During that meeting, discussions on trade and economic tensions took centre stage. The Chinese president stressed that the cornerstone of China-US trade relations was mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

He added that both countries would need to resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation on an equal footing.

Meanwhile, Trump had agreed, saying disputes in areas such as trade and the economy should be properly managed, and assured that the US would not impose any additional tariffs on Chinese exports.