Trump hosts Xi for state dinner as pomp masks tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a lavish state dinner at the White House on Thursday (September 25, 2026), after a day of pomp and ceremony that masked deep tensions between the rival superpowers.

Numerous U.S. tech titans attended the banquet, including Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Sam Altman of OpenAI, underscoring that trade and artificial intelligence were high on the agenda for Mr. Xi's visit.

Protesters gathered outside the White House as Mr. Trump and his wife Melania welcomed Mr. Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan for dinner, chanting slogans including "Xi Jinping is not welcome" and "Free Hong Kong," AFP reporters witnessed.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Trump proclaimed that he and Mr. Xi had made "tremendous strides" as he laid on pageantry including a military parade, a flyover and a tour of his new White House helipad.