Trump welcomes China’s Xi with rare planeside greeting ahead of talks
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) greets Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) during an arrival ceremony on September 23, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. President Trump is hosting President Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC where the
Chinese President Xi Jinping received a planeside welcome from President Donald Trump on Wednesday after arriving in the U.S. for the second of two summits between the world leaders this year.
Big picture view:
Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were greeted by two American children presenting bouquets and a 21-person honor guard as they stepped off the plane and crossed a 100-foot-long red carpet to shake hands with the U.S. president and First Lady Melania Trump. This level of reception is rare for Trump, who would normally wait for a visiting dignitary to come to the White House.
The backstory:
Xi’s arrival kicks off three days of meetings between top U.S. and Chinese officials and will include a formal state dinner on Thursday at the White House. The visit is expected to be filled with a high level of pomp to reciprocate the ceremonial grandeur that greeted Trump when he visited Beijing in May.
During an appearance on Fox News Channel’s "Fox & Friends," the first lady explained her husband’s decision to meet Xi in person on Wednesday was because "they have a great relationship," adding that, "He’s coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect."
Dig deeper:
Despite the flowers and friendliness, which included Trump slapping Xi on the back after saying something to him, the meeting comes at a time of heightened tensions between the two nations over issues including trade, artificial intelligence, the Iran war, and Taiwan.
What they're saying:
Pointing out that the U.S. and China are the world’s two largest economies and likely have the two largest military forces, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed out the two countries need to interact at the highest levels.
"The idea that we would not interact with them at the highest levels is irresponsible. It’s outrageous. We have to," Rubio told reporters Wednesday while he was in New York.
What's next:
On Thursday, an arrival ceremony will formally welcome Xi to the White House. There will also be a review of troops before the two presidents enter closed-door talks. Later in the evening, there will be a black-tie dinner that includes tech industry leaders like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and SpaceX’s Elon Musk.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.