Senator Cory Booker told MS NOW All In viewers on Thursday that President Donald Trump seeks to emulate Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whom Booker called a dictator.

Host Chris Hayes said colleague Laura Baron Lopez was barred hours earlier from a gathering that included Xi Jinping, his wife, Melania Trump and the president, even as Chinese state media gained entry after a judge had ordered the White House to restore access for MS NOW, Politico and CNN.

Booker noted China and Russia lack independent journalism while Turkey jails people over alleged fake news, calling such steps typical of authoritarian rulers. He added that Trump had already excluded reporters from the Pentagon and White House and has spent his term targeting First Amendment protections by intimidating outlets that publish accurate but unflattering stories, urging that Trump be stopped.