United States President Donald Trump hosted a state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, featuring a guest list that included tech executives and business leaders. The dinner took place on Thursday night, concluding a day of discussions between the two leaders, marking Xi's first visit to Washington in over a decade and their second meeting in 2026.
During the dinner, Trump described the meeting with Xi as a "great meeting," emphasizing the importance of dialogue between the two nations despite ongoing differences regarding issues such as Iran, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, and trade.
"President Xi and I both understand we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we’ve never gotten along better," Trump stated during his toast, as reported by The Associated Press. He added, "Together, we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations."
Throughout Xi's three-day visit, Trump aimed to impress him, highlighting their personal relationship while also criticizing top Democratic candidates. The discussions between the two leaders included topics such as Taiwan, trade, and artificial intelligence, occurring alongside a First Amendment dispute regarding press access at the White House.
Trump showcased updates to the White House, including a tour of his Marine One helicopter and a new helipad. He also invited guests to view the site of a new ballroom he is constructing.
In his toast, Xi acknowledged Trump's commitment to making America great again and expressed China's goal of achieving national rejuvenation, stating, "These two goals are both ambitious and can surely be mutually reinforcing."
Notable attendees included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault. The dinner followed Trump's unusual gesture of personally greeting Xi and his wife upon their arrival at Joint Base Andrews the previous day.