President and First Lady Melania Trump Host Chinese President in State Visit

President Xi and wife Peng Liyuan attend the White House State Dinner that topped off a day of ceremonies, talks, separate spouses visit and tension between the administration and the TV press.

China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan, China’s President Xi Jinping, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pose on the North Portico steps of the White House ahead of a State Dinner in Washington, D.C., on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Credit: Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images)

The State Visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuan was topped off Thursday with a state dinner inside the East Room of the White House hosted by the President and First Lady Melania Trump after a day of ceremonies, talks, a separate spouses visit to the Smithsonian and tension between the administration and the press.

Upon arrival, Xi wore a formal dark grey Mao style jacket and his wife wore a full-length red bordeaux dress as chants like “free all political prisoners” and “free Hong Kong” could be heard from protesters from outside the White House gates.

The lengthy dinner guest list included Trump family m…