DOMINANT ANGLE
The United States is rolling out the red carpet for a leader it yesterday called a "global menace", a contrast its own press notes without progress on Taiwan, trade, or AI.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The trade truce has been extended by only two months, until January 10, while "many were expecting an extension of six months or more", according to CNBC citing Scott Bessent.
- 02
The state dinner brought together 134 guests, including Tim Cook, Jensen Huang, Elon Musk, Lisa Su, Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai, according to Fox News.
- 03
Republican Senator Thom Tillis called the visit a "WTF moment", worrying that Trump spends "more time with dictators than with democratic leaders", according to CBS News.
ANALYSIS
Washington, September 25, 2026. Two days after welcoming Xi Jinping on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews — a first for Donald Trump, who had never reserved this honor for a foreign head of state, according to Axios —, the American capital rolled out the red carpet a second time on Thursday for the arrival of the Chinese presidential couple at the White House. The president offered his guest an eagle statue and praised, during the state dinner toast, a relationship where "we have never gotten along better since the first merchant ships left the port of New York to reach the shores of the Pearl River," according to NBC News. Xi Jinping announced the sending of two pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, to the Atlanta zoo, a practice that CNBC describes as a legacy of Richard Nixon's 1972 visit.
The dinner, pescatarian and without red meat according to the menu released by the First Lady's office, brought together 134 guests, including Tim Cook, Jensen Huang, Elon Musk, Lisa Su, Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai, notes Fox News.
But the American press highlights the gap between this pomp and the lack of concrete progress. The trade truce was only extended by two months, until January 10, while "many were expecting an extension of six months or more," reports CNBC, citing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. On artificial intelligence, Xi advocated for "human control," while Trump had anticipated the meeting with a message on Truth Social ruling out any negotiation of limits: "Our safeguard is the DOJ," according to the Los Angeles Times. Neither Taiwan, nor rare earths, nor Iran were the subject of an announcement.
This staging is sparking criticism even within the Republican camp. Senator Thom Tillis, from North Carolina, described the visit as a "WTF moment," worrying about seeing Trump "spend more time with despots than with democratic leaders," according to CBS News. In front of the White House, protesters chanted "Free Hong Kong" during the reception, reports Fox News. Washington and Beijing are already discussing new meetings at the APEC in November and the G20 in Miami in December.
