A pair of B-1 bombers screamed over Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, and Donald Trump’s face said it all. The president’s reaction to the noise, captured as he greeted Chinese leader Xi Jinping, has become one of the most talked-about moments of the summit’s opening hours.
Donald Trump goes viral after his expression during President Xi’s welcome
As the bombers passed low above the tarmac, Trump painfully squinted and flinched. Xi, standing next to him, looked unbothered and gave no visible sign that the noise had registered.
The flyover was only one piece of a lavish military-style reception. Guests walked a 100-foot red carpet, with a salute battery, an honour cordon of 21 people, and flag-bearing colour teams looking on. The Air Force Band opened with a fanfare and then performed both countries’ anthems, while service platoons stood in formation.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump met Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, as they stepped off their Air China plane at 17:39 local time. After handshakes and a short chat, the two couples strolled the carpet together, stopped for photographers, and then drove separately into the capital.
Presidents rarely do this. The last time a US leader personally received a foreign counterpart at the base was 1962, when John F Kennedy met Harold Macmillan, Britain’s prime minister. Speaking to Fox News, Melania Trump explained that her husband wanted to greet Xi himself “because they have a great relationship.”
Hours earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington and Beijing had agreed to push their tariff truce back to January. It was previously set to lapse on November 10. Under that arrangement, Trump cut duties on certain goods, and Xi relaxed limits on rare earth minerals.
Xi has not been to Washington since 2015. Over the next two days, discussions are expected to span trade, technology, artificial intelligence, Taiwan, Iran and the war in Ukraine. A state dinner follows on Thursday, with AI industry leaders on the guest list, before Xi leaves on Friday.
