Trump Hosts Opulent White House Dinner for Xi Jinping, Defying Earlier McDonald’s Pledge
Donald Trump held a lavish state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House, contradicting his 2015 promise to serve the leader a McDonald’s meal.
At a recent White House gala, Donald Trump entertained Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Madam Peng with a high-profile state dinner that included seafood, squash velouté, and a cherry-topped dessert, far from the McDonald’s burger he once suggested for the Chinese leader. The ceremony was attended by tech moguls such as Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, as well as senior defense and Justice Department officials.
Media outlets like one outlet and MS NOW were denied entry, while Trump used his Truth Social platform to criticize them as “fake news.” During the event, Trump and Xi discussed artificial intelligence, with Trump coining the term “super intelligence” for the technology. The dinner took place amid broader U.S.-China frictions, including disputes over AI regulation, trade, Taiwan, and the ongoing war with Iran, and it highlighted the administration’s effort to project diplomatic goodwill while tightening press restrictions.
Why it matters
The dinner signals a dramatic shift from Trump’s earlier anti-China rhetoric to high-level diplomatic overtures, affecting U.S.-China relations and media freedom.
How this story developed
- Sep 9 UK Prime Minister warns of AI security threats as expert cites >10% extinction risk
- Sep 9 AI safety minister Kanishka Narayan was elevated to a Cabinet position.
- Sep 16 Jacob Coxon resigned from Anthropic after issuing the warning.
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