U.S. President Donald Trump hosted a lavish dinner in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a three-day visit to Washington.
During the dinner, Trump said that he and Xi “understand that they represent different systems,” but that the ties between the American and Chinese peoples endure and that the two countries “have never had better relations.” He added that the U.S. and China can continue to build relations that will contribute to the prosperity and security of future generations.
In his toast, Xi said that Trump had promised to “make America great again,” while China is committed to a “great national rejuvenation.” According to him, these two goals are ambitious and can support each other.
Earlier in the day, Trump and Xi discussed Taiwan, trade, and artificial intelligence.
Among the guests at the official dinner were Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, as well as Dell Technologies chairman and CEO Michael Dell.
During the dinner, Trump presented Xi with a statue of an eagle, which he said was made in collaboration with First Lady Melania Trump. The Chinese president did not publicly present a gift to Trump during the dinner.
The menu included cream of yellow squash soup with wild mushrooms, fresh herbs, crispy pancetta, and scallion oil, sesame sea bass with young bok choy and roasted eggplant, as well as vanilla cream with cherries and walnuts and ice cream with honey from the White House.
Trump arrived at the dinner in a tuxedo, while First Lady Melania Trump wore a tuxedo-inspired ensemble: a white cotton blouse by Saint Laurent, a black silk sash, and black Dolce & Gabbana trousers with a peony motif.
Xi wore a black suit, while his wife Peng Liyuan was in a red dress.
The dinner was held in the East Room of the White House, with subdued lighting and decorations in red and gold tones.
During the dinner, Trump also showed guests the construction site of the new White House ballroom, which he called the “Great Hall of the United States” and said that the work should be completed in about a year.
During Xi’s visit, Trump sought to emphasize his closeness with the Chinese leader, praising their personal relationship, even as he simultaneously referred to leading Democrats ahead of the November congressional elections as “communists.”
The U.S. president personally welcomed Xi and his wife upon their arrival at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington on Wednesday, which is unusual since U.S. presidents typically officially welcome guests on state visits at the White House.
This year’s lavish dinner marked a major shift compared to 2015, when Trump, then a presidential candidate, criticized the pomp surrounding preparations for Obama’s reception of Xi.
“Just take them to McDonald’s and get back to the negotiating table,” Trump said at a campaign rally in South Carolina at the time.
Later, in an interview with Fox News, he said that Xi might deserve “probably a double Big Mac.”
Xi hosted a similar state dinner for Trump in May in Beijing, in the Great Hall of the People. At that time, the guests also included prominent figures from the technology sector, including then-Apple CEO Tim Cook and Elon Musk.
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