President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Chinese leader Xi Jinping Thursday night — formally inviting him and first lady Peng Liyuan to the White House while celebrating what he described as the “rich and enduring ties” between the American and Chinese people.
“It is my honor to extend an invitation to you and Madame Peng [Liyuan] to visit us at the White House this September 24, and we look forward to it,” Trump declared during a toast at a lavish state banquet inside Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
“It’s a very special relationship, and I want to thank you again,” the president added, borrowing a phrase traditionally associated with America’s alliance with the United Kingdom.
At the State Banquet, President Donald J. Trump invites President Xi to the White House this September. pic.twitter.com/VQ9GAoUELj
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 14, 2026
The high-profile banquet capped the first day of talks between Trump and Xi during the first visit by a sitting American president to China since Trump’s own 2017 trip to Beijing during his first term.
Trump used much of his 10-minute toast to spotlight centuries of economic and cultural connections between the United States and China.
“Chinese workers helped lay the railroad tracks that connected our Atlantic coast to the Pacific,” Trump recounted.
“American travelers to China helped spread literacy and modern medicine, and at the request of China’s ambassador, it was President Theodore Roosevelt who provided the funds to establish President Xi’s alma mater, Tsinghua University.”
The president also mixed in a dose of trademark Trump-style humor and Americana.
“Many Chinese now love basketball and blue jeans,” Trump said, before adding that “Chinese restaurants in America today outnumber the five largest fast food chains in the United States all combined. That’s a pretty big statement.”
President Trump: “Chinese restaurants in America today outnumber the five largest fast food chains in the United States all combined. That's a pretty big statement.”
“Just as many Chinese love basketball and blue jeans.” pic.twitter.com/KLkAZhG53f
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) May 14, 2026
The unusually warm rhetoric came amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to stabilize relations with Beijing after months of escalating tensions over trade, shipping disruptions tied to the Iran conflict, and global economic uncertainty.
Xi responded with conciliatory language of his own — even giving a nod to Trump’s signature political slogan.
“Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand,” Xi said during his toast.
“We can help each other succeed and advance the well being of the whole world.”
🚨 WOW! Chinese President Xi Jinping just stunned the world, saying President Trump is "MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN" at the banquet with 47 in attendance
Trump has officially converted Xi to MAGA 🤣🔥
"The 250th anniversary of American independence, the over 300 million American… pic.twitter.com/fV5awyutD1
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 14, 2026
Xi also stressed that Washington and Beijing must avoid direct confrontation despite what he described as increasingly “changing and turbulent” global conditions.
“We both believe that the China-US relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world,” Xi said. “We must make it work and never mess it up.”
“Both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation,” the Chinese president concluded. “Our two countries should be partners rather than rivals.”
The public warmth between the two leaders now sets the stage for a potentially pivotal White House summit later this year — one that could shape everything from trade and energy markets to security tensions across the Pacific.
More over at The New York Post:
Trump invites Xi to visit White House later this year, touts 'special relationship' with China https://t.co/qDuoos6Z65 pic.twitter.com/qAezOotR46
— New York Post (@nypost) May 14, 2026
