{"id":28260,"date":"2026-09-24T15:43:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T15:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=28260"},"modified":"2026-09-24T15:43:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T15:43:35","slug":"from-red-carpet-to-flypast-to-banquet-trump-lays-it-on-thick-for-xi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=28260","title":{"rendered":"From red carpet to flypast to banquet, Trump lays it on thick for Xi"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134465990,imgsize-67872,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/xi-trump.jpg\" alt=\"From red carpet to flypast to banquet, Trump lays it on thick for Xi\" title=\"US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi\u2019s state visit to the US\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi\u2019s state visit to the US\">US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi\u2019s state visit to the US<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">TOI correspondent from Washington:<\/span> If diplomacy is the art of keeping a straight face, China\u2019s leader Xi Jinping won hands down during the opening act on Thursday at Andrews Air Force Base where US President Donald Trump received him on a state visit.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/>For a fleeting moment, the changing balance of the US-China relationship was captured not in a joint communique, but in a visual metaphor. As American bombers roared overhead in a flypast intended to wow the visitor, it was Trump who winced, while Xi watched impassively &#8212; an unintended piece of geopolitical choreography more eloquent than any statement.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/>Beyond those few revealing seconds, there were other cues that pointed to the new phase of the relationship that indicated China is seen as a peer, even as some pundits believe it is starting to eclipse America. <!-- -->The Chinese president received something few recalled in living memory &#8212; a planeside red carpet welcome that saw Trump himself waiting at the foot of the stairway, a presidential gesture so rare that historians recalled Prez Kennedy welcoming British PM Harold Macmillan at an airport in 1962 as the last comparable instance.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>\u201cI met President Xi at the plane (Airport!) yesterday and he looks strong, vibrant, and fit &#8211; Better than ever. Madam Xi, of course, BEAUTIFUL! \u201c Trump said later on his social media platform, laying it on thick. All this is remarkable coming from a man who roasted Barack Obama in 2012 for giving then Xi a ceremonial welcome. \u201cSo wrong! @BarackObama is hosting China&#8217;s VP Xi Jinping today at the Pentagon with a full honor ceremony with music and cannons\u2026\u201d Trump had tweeted.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>And Washington did not merely roll out the red carpet. It literally measured it, ironed it and, according to one wag, made sure Xi\u2019s shoes would not gather any dust. <!-- -->It also announced that the two sides have agreed to extend their trade truce till January, removing at least one immediate irritant before the summit, despite Trump having signed a bill that will empower him to impose100 percent tariff on countries &#8212; notably China and India &#8212; buying Russian energy.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>More pomp and pageantry is to follow over the next 48 hours with a ceremonial welcome at the White House followed by a banquet and a private tea party involving the first couples. <!-- -->In fact, Trump appears so anxious to court China that he has even deployed First Lady Melania Trump \u2013 who has maintained a relatively low public profile for long stretches of the second Trump presidency \u2013 for a starring diplomatic role. She was at the airbase with Trump and will host Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan separately, including a visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art.<!-- --> On Friday, the presidential couples are scheduled for private tea before visiting the National Archives, where they will review archival material on US-China ties.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>The First Lady herself offered the philosophy behind the extravaganza on Fox &amp; Friends, saying, \u201cHe\u2019s coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect.\u201d The White House later released details of Thursday\u2019s banquet, revealing that the First Lady led the preparations for the dinner. On the menu, \u201cAmerican ingredients with subtle Chinese influence, bringing the culinary traditions of both nations together\u201d \u2013 including a toast of Schramsberg &#8220;Blanc De Noir,&#8221; honoring the historic \u201cToast to Peace\u201d shared by President Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing in 1972.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"27\"\/>Not everyone from the Trump universe is in tune with the over-the-top welcome. \u201cChina should be held accountable for disrespecting President Trump and our country. For stealing an election. For murdering 1.2 million Americans. For helping Iran kill American service members,\u201d raged Laura Loomer, a Trump whisperer who has the President\u2019s ear, fuming that \u201cthe hospitality is way more than Xi deserves.\u201d But a more sobering perspective came from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who asserted that it would be irresponsible not to engage Beijing at the highest level despite differences.<!-- --> \u201cThe relationship between the United States and China will define the 21st century,\u201d Rubio said, echoing words that the US till recently had used for its ties with India, which is probably watching the scenario with consternation.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>Still, there are many skeptics in the global commentariat who think Trump may have overplayed the welcome.\u201dGreeting him personally is a real gamble, because Trump spent his own leverage before the talking started, and the list he needs to work through is long: fentanyl, tariffs, chips, rare earths, and China&#8217;s role in both Ukraine and Iran,\u201d noted popular podcast host Mario Nawfal. \u201cIf he (Xi) walks away from three days of pageantry without a single commitment, Beijing got the photographs for free,\u201d he added.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/us\/from-red-carpet-to-flypast-to-banquet-trump-lays-it-on-thick-for-xi\/articleshow\/134465924.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi\u2019s state visit to the US TOI correspondent from Washington: If diplomacy is the art of keeping a straight face, China\u2019s leader Xi Jinping won hands down during the opening act on Thursday at Andrews Air Force Base where US President Donald Trump received him [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi\u2019s state visit to the US TOI correspondent from Washington: If diplomacy is the art of keeping a straight face, China\u2019s leader Xi Jinping won hands down during the opening act on Thursday at Andrews Air Force Base where US President Donald Trump received him [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":5,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xi-trump.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28260\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}