The White House on Thursday turned into a glittering arena for the state dinner, where President Trump welcomed President Xi in a display of diplomatic pageantry that included a military parade and a flyover.
Around the mahogany table, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sat beside the two leaders, underscoring how trade and AI sit at the heart of the visit.
Xi spoke of coexistence, urging the United States to act responsibly and to ‘not let conflicts arise’, while Trump assured that the two nations would ‘cooperate on global challenges’.
Outside the South Lawn, protesters chanted ‘Free Hong Kong’ and ‘Xi Jinping is not welcome’, creating a sharp contrast to the polished ceremony inside.
After the dinner, Trump presented Xi with a custom bald‑eagle statue, and the two‑month extension of a trade truce was signed, setting the stage for the couples’ tour of the National Archives tomorrow, marking the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary.