'An embarrassment' & 'flat-out disaster': Cory Booker torches Trump over China summit

In this episode of *The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell*, Democratic Senator Cory Booker delivers a scathing critique of President Donald Trump’s recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling the trip a 'flat-out disaster' and Trump himself an 'embarrassment' on the world stage. Booker highlights how Trump’s foreign policy has weakened U.S. standing globally, citing the failed Iran war, soaring gas prices, and a lack of concrete outcomes from the Beijing summit—despite Trump’s boasts about a potential Boeing jet deal. He argues that China has exploited Trump’s chaotic leadership, benefiting economically and strategically while the U.S. faces domestic unrest and declining credibility. The episode also turns to the growing crisis over Republican-led gerrymandering in states like Louisiana, South Carolina, and Georgia, with Booker condemning the maps as racially motivated and a direct assault on democracy. He draws powerful parallels to civil rights history, urging Americans to fight back against authoritarian overreach. The segment concludes with a condemnation of Fox News host Jesse Waters’ dehumanizing remarks about Black Americans, which Booker calls a symptom of a broader national crisis of values. The episode closes with a focus on ethics violations within the Trump administration, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s misleading testimony about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s conflict of interest as Trump’s former lawyer.