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World

Trump throws lavish White House state dinner for Xi Jinping

Donald Trump threw a state dinner for Xi Jinping at the White House on Thursday night, ending a day of talks during the Chinese leader's first Washington visit in more than a decade.

By Priya Raman · · 1 min read

Official White House portrait, January 2025, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Donald Trump threw a state dinner for Xi Jinping at the White House on Thursday night, ending a day of talks on the Chinese leader’s three-day visit, his first in more than a decade.

The tech-heavy guest list of billionaires, powerbrokers and business leaders included Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Jensen Huang.

Trump’s toast: he and Xi “understand we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we’ve never gotten along better”; “Together, we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations.”

Off script, Trump invited guests to tour the ballroom under construction: “If anybody wants to walk into a construction site that’s nice and clean and sparkling, it’s our honor to have you do so,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

Xi, speaking through a translator, recalled the “war of resistance against Japanese aggression”, said in opening remarks that the “Thucydides Trap” can be overcome, and predicted a friendship “forged in blood and fire” would “surely live on through the generations”. He noted the two presidents had exchanged state visits in less than half a year, “making history in our bilateral engagement”.

Earlier, Trump showed Xi Marine One and a new helipad, and gifted him a bald eagle statue. Talks covered Taiwan, trade and artificial intelligence.

Trump had greeted Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday — the first airport greeting by a US president in 11 years — though some Republican allies voiced misgivings over the red-carpet treatment.

Sources

More on this topic: all World stories

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