Donald Trump Gifts Xi Jinping A Bald Eagle Statue. What It Symbolises

Chinese President Xi Jinping received a symbolic gift from his US counterpart during a state dinner at the White House on Thursday. Donald Trump presented him with a roughly three-foot-tall sculpture of a bald eagle.The statue was placed on a podium during the dinner. Trump said it was designed by an American artist in collaboration with him and First Lady Melania Trump. The bald eagle was chosen because it is the national symbol of the United States.Trump said the bird represents America's "free and soaring spirit" and said he hoped the statue would find a good place in Beijing."I present President Xi with a gift made by an extraordinary American artist... designed in personal collaboration with Melania and myself," Trump said while presenting the gift."The bald eagle is a national symbol of the United States and an embodiment of the free and soaring spirit of America.