Trump-Xi summit winds down as pressures test GOP

Summit closes with a broad agenda

President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are wrapping up their Washington summit Friday after a White House meeting Thursday. The leaders discussed trade, artificial intelligence and the war in Iran, placing economic, technology and security issues on the same agenda. The talks are ending as the United States faces economic pressures in the period before the midterm elections.

Some Republican lawmakers have objected to the lavish treatment Xi received during the visit. Their criticism centers on the contrast between that treatment and the economic strain facing the country. The concern comes from within Trump’s own party as Republicans approach the midterms while also dealing with the political effects of the Iran war.

What comes next

As the summit winds down, attention shifts to how Trump and Xi describe the discussion and whether either government announces steps on trade, artificial intelligence or the Iran war. Those subjects were on Thursday’s agenda, but the immediate political reaction in Washington also concerns how Xi was received.

Republican lawmakers’ comments are especially relevant because the criticism is coming from the president’s party. Economic pressure and the Iran war are shaping the setting in which Republicans are preparing for the midterms. Further White House statements, any public agreements from the summit and additional congressional reaction will determine whether the meeting produces policy changes or becomes a larger domestic political issue.