President Donald Trump pulled out all the stops for Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday — but Xi used the White House visit to deliver a warning about the rivalry between the two countries, according to a new report in The Daily Beast.
“The Thucydides trap can be overcome,” Xi said, urging the United States and China to “coexist in peace” and keep their competition “within bounds.” He was referring to the idea that tensions between a rising power and an established one can spiral into war, The Beast reported Thursday.
“It was a strikingly sober message delivered during a ceremony Trump had gone to extraordinary lengths to make spectacular,” the publication said, bluntly telling readers: “Xi humiliates Trump to his face.”
Trump had called Xi a “truly great friend” and personally greeted him and his wife with a red carpet welcome at Joint Base Andrews the night before. The White House ceremony Thursday featured hundreds of military personnel, a military review and a flyover by a B-2 bomber and fighter jets, according to the report.
The contrast was clear: “Donald Trump spent Thursday lavishing praise on Xi, while the Chinese leader used his visit to the White House to deliver a power move with a warning for America to stay in its lane,” the publication observed.
The visit also drew criticism from Republicans and MAGA influencers. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-AL) called China an adversary, while four GOP senators pressed Trump to release security aid for Taiwan, the Daily Beast reported.
“China stole the election from President Trump,” Laura Loomer wrote on social media. “So can someone please explain to me why China hasn’t been held accountable for this, and why their Communist dictator is being treated like a king on US soil today?”
