AXIS OF EVIL: Trump set to CONFRONT Xi on China-Iran's alliance

. [LAUGHTER]. RACHEL: WE'RE GOING TO INDULGE. HIM LATER ON IN THE HOUR. CHARLIE: MEANWHILE, PRESIDENT. TRUMP SET TO WELCOME CHAI. PRESIDENT XI TO THE WHITE HOUSE. THIS WEEK. GRIFF: THE TWO ARE EXPECTED TO. DISCUSS A WIDE RANGE OF CRUCIAL. TOPICS INCLUDING THE WAR IN IRAN. AND CONCERN OVER A.I. RACHEL: MADELEINE RIVERA IS LIVE. IN WASHINGTON, D.C. WITH MORE: GOOD MORNING. >> Reporter: HI, GOOD MORNING. YESTERDAY PRESIDENT TRUMP. RETURNED TO THE WHITE HOUSE FROM. CAMP DAVID, A DAY EARLIER THAN. EXPECTED, AND IT'S UNCLEAR WHY. HE DID SO, BUT HE DOES HAVE A.

BUSY WEEK AHEAD. MEETING WITH SEVERAL WORLD. LEADERS AT THE UNITED NATIONS. GENERAL ASSEMBLY BEFORE CHINESE. PRESIDENT XI JINPING'S STATE. VISIT ON WEDNESDAY, THE. PRESIDENT IS GREETING XI AT. JOINT BASE ANDREWS WHICH IS. RARE. AFTER THAT WARM MEETING THOUGH, THE TWO WILL DELVE INTO TOUGH. TOPICS LIKE A.I., IRAN AND. TRADE. TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT. IS HELPING TO SPEARHEAD TALKS ON. THE LATTER.. HE AND UNITED STATES.

REPRESENTATIVE JAMIESON GREER IS. MEETING WITH THE CHINESE PREMIER. IN NEW YORK TODAY, AND BESSENT. WILL TRY TO SET UP POTENTIAL. AGREEMENTS ON A. ILL, TARIFFS. AND CRITICAL MINERALS -- A.I. BESSENT COULD ALSO BRING UP THE. SHARED RISKS OF A.I., OPENING UP. THE POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION. WITH CHINA ON THE ISSUE. GREER SEA IS I -- SAYING THE. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL. MODERATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF. RECENT COMMITMENTS, OPTIMIZE. TRADE IN NON-SENSITIVE GOODS AND. IMPROVE MARKET ACCESS FOR.

AMERICAN FARMERS, MANUFACTURERS. AND WORKERS. THESE WORKING-LEVEL MEETINGS. COULD CONTINUE INTO TOMORROW. CHARLIE, RACHEL AND GRIFF. GRIFF: ALL RIGHT, MADDIE. CHARLIE: AND SPEAKING OF CHINA. AND THE MIDDLE EAST, WE -- IT'S. IMPORTANT TO KIND OF TAKE A LOOK. AT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IRAN. AND CHINA. IT'S -- AND, OF COURSE, IT'S. BECOME, I'M SURE, A MAJOR TOPIC.

THIS WEEK. THE RELATIONSHIP -- IT'S. DEVELOPED INTO A SIMILAR BY9. YACHTIC RELATIONSHIP --. SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP OF SORTS. WITH IRAN SUPPLYING CHINA WITH. ROUGHLY 90% OF ITS OIL EXPORTS. DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE UNITED. STATES HAS SANCTIONS ON IRANIAN. OIL AROUND THE GLOBE. CHINA LOVES TO THWART THAT. CHINA ALSO VIEWS IRAN AS A. PARTNER IN BALANCING U.S. INFLUENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. OBVIOUSLY, AMERICAN INFLUENCE IN.

THE MIDDLE EAST IS ONE OF THE. MORE CONTROVERSIAL POLITICAL. ASPECTS OF ALL OF IT, AND CHINA. USES THAT, LIKES TO USE IRAN AS. A WAY TO BALANCE THAT OFF. ALSO IRAN OFFERS CHINA OVERLAND. ACCESS TO EUROPE THROUGH. MARITIME REACH VIA A THE PERSIAN. GULF AND THE GULF OFMAN WITH. CHINA -- OF TO OMAN WHERE CHINA. WHERE IT IS BLOCKED OFF FROM. EUROPE, IT IS -- IRAN ALLOWS THE. ABILITY TO SORT OF CROSS OVER. THERE. IN RETURN FOR THAT, CHINA HELPS.

IRAN BY PROVIDING DIPLOMATIC. BACKING AND SUPPORTING THE. IRANIAN REGIME. THEY HAVE FOR DECADES. PARTLY BECAUSE IT'S A WAY FOR. THEM TO SORT OF STICK THEIR. THTHUMB IN AMERICA'S EYE AND KEP. AMERICA OFF BALANCE. ALSO CHINA'S MASSIVE ECONOMY. ALLOWS IRAN, ENABLES THEM TO. ALLOW IRAN TO GET AROUND THE. SANCTIONS, THE GLOBAL SANCTIONS. AND ALSO SPECIFICALLY THE.

SANCTIONS THAT AMERICA PUTS ON. THEM. IT ALSO GAVE IRAN ITS FULL. ACCESS TO ITS SATELLITE. NAVIGATION SYSTEM WHICH WE'VE. SEEN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. IRAN'S ABILITY TO TARGET. AMERICAN INTERESTS USING THAT. SYSTEM WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY NOT. GOOD FOR THE UNITED STATES OF. AMERICA. SO IT IS -- I'M SURE THESE. TOPICS WILL BE OF TOP OF MIND IN. THE CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN. PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRESIDENT XI.

OF CHINA THIS WEEK. GRIFF: YEAH. AND THAT LAST ONE, THAT LAST. ONE, THE SATELLITE ACCESS. REMEMBER, WE LOST THREE U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS IN JORDAN, AND. NOW THERE'S RECORDING THAT IRAN. WAS ABLE TO TARGET THAT STRIKE. USING THIS CHINESE SATELLITE. TECHNOLOGY AS WELL AS TO ALSO. ALLOW IRAN TO TRY TO TRACK OUR. U.S. SHIPS IN THE STRAIT OF. HORMUZ. AND IF THAT IS CURRENTLY ACTIVE.

AND GOING ON -- WE DON'T KNOW, THESE ARE TOP SECRET THINGS --. BUT IF THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING ON, THAT NEEDS TO BE FRONT AND. CENTER, DEAD IN THE EYE LOOKING. AT XI SAYING, THAT ENDS. THAT STOPS. RACHEL: YEAH. AND, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE. THINGS ARE INTERCONNECTED, RIGHT? WE'RE STILL FIGHTING THE WAR IN. UKRAINE WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, HAVING AN IMPACT ON THE WEAPONS. AND THE AMOUNT OF SUPPLIES WE. HAVE TO FIGHT THE WAR MANY IRAN. BUT ALSO -- IN IRAN. BUT ALSO CHINA HAS BEEN. EMBOLDENED BY THIS RELATIONSHIP. THAT THEY ALSO HAVE WITH RUSSIA,

WHICH IS ALSO SUPPLYING THEM. WITH OIL TO MAKE UP FOR WHAT. THEY CAN OR CAN'T GET FROM IRAN. AND, AGAIN, THE WAR IN UKRAINE, WHAT A HUGE MISTAKE. WE BROUGHT, LITERALLY BROUGHT. RUSSIA AND CHINA TOGETHER IN. THAT. WE WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER NOT. HAVING THEM BE FRIENDS AND. FINDING SOME DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION. WITH RUSSIA IN THIS REGARD. BUT AGAIN, PEOPLE GET US INTO. THESE CRAZY WARS, AND THERE ARE. ALL KINDS OF REPERCUSSIONS ON. THIS. ABSOLUTELY, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS. GOING TO HAVE CONVERSATION WITH.

XI. HE BRAGS OFTEN ABOUT HOW GOOD. THAT RELATIONSHIP IS. AND I BELIEVE THAT. I BELIEVE THAT IF ANYONE COULD. GET ANY CONCESSION OUT OF XI, A. PERSON THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS. IS A VERY INTELLIGENT, STRONG. MAN, IT'S GOING TO BE PRESIDENT. TRUMP. AND TOP OF MIND WILL BE THE. IMPACT THAT CHINA'S HAVING ON. THE WAR IN IRAN WHICH IS A HUGE. CONCERN FOR THE PRESIDENT. HE WOULD LIKE TO WRAP THIS UP, PREFERABLY BEFORE THE MIDTERMS. HE WOULD, I THINK, GET A HUGE. POLITICAL BOOST OUT OF THAT.

IN THE VERY LEAST, HE DOESN'T. WANT CHINA HELPING OUR ENEMY IN. IRAN. CHARLIE: OF COURSE, THE BIGGEST. SEA CHANGE BETWEEN PRESIDENT. TRUMP AND ALL OF HIS. PREDECESSORS IS THAT PRESIDENT. TRUMP IS NAKEDLY INTERESTED IN. AMERICA'S BEST INTERESTS, WHAT'S. BEST FOR AMERICA. AND HE MAKES NO APOLOGIES ABOUT. IT, HE MAKES NO BONES ABOUT IT. AND I THINK, IRONICALLY, I THINK. THAT LOT OF FOREIGN LEADERS. REALLY APPRECIATE THAT --. RACHEL: YEAH. CHARLIE: -- BECAUSE IT'S SO MUCH. MORE COMPLICATED WHEN YOU HAVE.

NO IDEA WHERE SOMEBODY, THE. POSITION SOMEBODY'S COMING FROM. AND WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS, LOOK, I'M INTERESTED IN. WHATEVER'S BEST FOR AMERICA, IT. SIMPLIFIES THINGS AND ALLOWS. THEM TO FIGURE OUT, OKAY, THIS. IS WHAT WE CAN NEGOTIATE ON --. RACHEL: I THINK THAT IS ONE OF. THE GREATEST POINTS YOU'RE. MAKING RIGHT NOW, CHARLIE. THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SO BRILLIANT. YOU'RE SO RIGHT. HE'S NOT WRAPPING UPUP VENEZUELA. OR, YOU KNOW, LOVE IT OR HATE. IT, EAST NOT WRAPPING VENEZUELA. OR IRAN UP IN FREEDOM FRIES --. [LAUGHTER]. HE'S TELLING YOU I'M LOOKING OUT.

FOR AMERICA'S BEST INTERESTS. IT MAKES NEGOTIATING.