China talks: Trump clashes with own trade negotiator

President Donald Trump and his top trade negotiator, Robert Lighthizer, have grown increasingly frustrated with each other as a China trade deal stays elusive with a key deadline less than a week away, said people inside and close to the administration.

The exasperation between the two erupted into the open during an unusual public exchange in front of China's top negotiator, assembled US officials and journalists on Friday, during which Trump took issue with Lighthizer's explanation that any deal would take the form of an MOU. "I don't like MOUs because they don't mean anything,'' the president said, before shooting down Lighthizer when the career lawyer described such documents as legally binding.

T rump complained that Lighthizer had embarrassed him by publicly correcting him in front of the Chinese delegation and the press, two people said. He expressed frustration that Lighthizer hadn't yet stitched up a deal that Trump views as increasingly important.