Donald Trump pulled out all the stops for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington. But amid the pomp and pageantry came a series of moments that were cringeworthy, bizarre, or hard to believe.
The U.S. president offered little more than platitudes as the Communist Party leader jetted back to Beijing.
Trump gave Xi a statue of an American eagle. Xi gifted Trump two Chinese pandas.
And thanks to Trump’s media ban, TV networks recorded little of the trip.
All we have left are memories. Here are 10 of the weirder ones, from Xi’s Thermos flask to Lauren Sanchez’s tricky dinner conversation.
Trump’s Love Song For Xi
Sometimes a song says it all. As members of the American and Chinese delegations waited for Trump and Xi to deliver their first public remarks in the White House Grand Foyer on Thursday, a harpist performed “The Moon Represents My Heart”—one of China’s most iconic songs. Its lyrics include the line: “You ask me how deep my love for you is; how much I really love you. The moon represents my heart. My affection is real.” It was an unusually romantic soundtrack for a state visit between two superpowers, and yet somewhat apt for such a love-fest.
Fancy wine is over-rated:
Trump delivered the opening toast at the state dinner with Schramsberg Blanc de Noir, the same American sparkling wine associated with Richard Nixon’s 1972 “Toast to Peace” with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.
But Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan came with something conspicuously less glamorous: a thermos. It’s unclear what the pair sipped in between their sesame-crusted sea bass with baby bok choy and eggplant. But for many in China, it’s not unusual to fill the flasks with hot water and healthy additions such as goji berries or Chinese medicinal herbs, particularly when one reaches middle age. Xi might be a ruthless authoritarian, but he’s still a mortal man making healthier choices.
Billionaire musical chairs:
The guest list for Trump’s lavish state dinner looked less like a traditional diplomatic affair than a confab of America’s technology and corporate elites, with attendees such as Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Jensen Huang and Tim Cook.
But even billionaires have to play musical chairs sometimes, and it seems Amazon’s Jeff Bezos did. He arrived with his wife, Lauren Sanchez, who ended up at the same table, a few seats away from her husband, next to Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who barely speaks English. Bezos, meanwhile, got a prime seat next to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
"A protester makes a gesture during a protest on June 12, 2019 in Hong Kong China. Large crowds of protesters gathered in central Hong Kong as the city braced for another mass rally in a show of strength against the government over a divisive plan to allow extraditions to China."
Anthony Kwan/GettyThe Soundtrack of Defiance:
Then came the dinner performances, including a rendition of “Can You Hear the People Sing”—the stirring song from Les Misérables. So while Trump was laying out the red carpet for Xi, the White House supplied the visiting Communist Party leader with the musical equivalent of a protest playlist.
Trump bragged about China’s press corps, while banning Americans:
Trump told Xi that the Chinese leader had the “friendliest press corps,” as he fought with CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO over White House access.
But China’s state-run media caused chaotic scenes during their visit, with several arguing with Secret Service agents and White House aides over where they could stand during Xi’s arrival ceremony. Some even tried to push their American counterparts out of the way several times en route to the Oval Office and during arrivals for the state dinner.
Autopens and stone:
When Trump visited China in May, Xi gave the U.S. president a rare private tour of the garden at Zhongnanhai, the heavily restricted headquarters of China’s communist party, where he pointed out trees hundreds of years old.
In return, Trump gave Xi a tour of the West Wing (where a photo of Trump and Xi sits on the wall); the “presidential walk of fame” (where Trump pointed to an image of an autopen and explained it was Joe Biden); and a tour of his new helipad (where the president showed off the new granite surface). For a few moments, the summit became less about geopolitics and more about the finer points of stone.
Trump took Xi to see the Constitution:
Trump’s grand finale was taking Xi to the National Archives to see the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The latter, of course, holds various constitutional amendments, including the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to protest.
It was a remarkable tableau: the leader of a one-party communist state standing before the founding documents of American democracy, alongside a president who had spent the week undermining press freedom.
The Iran question:
Trump was standing beside Xi at the National Archives when a reporter asked whether the two had discussed the war with Iran. “We did,” Trump replied. “I think we’re gonna do great.”
The breezy answer came as Republicans on Capitol Hill were pressing Trump to confront Beijing over its support for Tehran, including allegations that Chinese entities provided satellite imagery used by Iran before a July strike that killed three American troops.
Eye Spy:
Trump spent weeks insisting his enormous White House ballroom project was necessary for national security. But during his state dinner toast, the 80-year-old veered off script and invited his Chinese counterpart and all his guests to have a look at the construction site.
Because apparently nothing says national security quite like giving America’s top strategic competitor a guided tour of your soon-to-be “integrated military complex”.
Service members on their knees
The red carpet at Joint Base Andrews needed a little extra presidential primping. But much to MAGA’s chagrin, service members were filmed literally getting down on their hands and knees to smooth it out before Xi’s arrival, while Chinese officials looked down from the plane.
Trump had already broken tradition by personally greeting Xi at the airport—the first president to do so since JFK welcomed British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1962. MAGA had a meltdown.
“Truly embarrassing that American men and women in uniform were asked to greet Xi Jinping, the communist dictator of China today, at Joint Base Andrews while the GOP pushes out messaging about the need to combat communists and never forget what communism has done,” quipped MAGA acolyte Laura Loomer.
