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 members; technology sector and business leaders such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple Board Chairman Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang; cabinet officials; and members of the Supreme Court.
Inside the East Room, the president gifted Xi a statue of a bald eagle and remarked about how Americans and Chinese have always exchanged goods, knowledge, customs, and ideas.
“This has been the foundation of commerce and mutual respect between our countries, and together we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations,” Mr. Trump said, inviting guests to look at the “nice and clean” ballroom construction site after the dinner.
Xi in his remarks said, “President Trump and I had sincere and in-depth exchanges and reached common understanding on many issues. This has added new substance to the constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability and provided new strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations.”
This is President Xi’s second visit to Washington as the top leader of his country. The first one happened under President Barack Obama in 2015. Xi has met and spoken face-to-face with Trump seven times in total: five times from Trump’s first term of which the first was a visit to Mar-a-Lago in April 2017.
It is their third face-to-face in Trump’s second term. They met in Busan, South Korea, in October last year, and then Trump traveled to Beijing last May. For Xi, this is his fourth visit to the United States since 2015. In November 2023, Xi traveled to San Francisco for the APEC summit and a bilateral talk with then-President Joe Biden. President Trump on this visit greeted Xi and his wife Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews. Normally, guests greet the president at the White House before the formal welcome.
Among the issues discussed between the two leaders were trade and investment, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and the Iran war and the unfolding crisis in the Middle East.
State Dinner
Instead of an evening gown, the first lady wore a button-up blouse by Saint Laurent with a dramatic, oversized bow at the neck that was paired with a black Dolce & Gabbana silk cummerbund, and black Dolce & Gabbana peony-motif brocade pants. Mrs. Trump led the preparations for the dinner, which was served on the Reagan State Service china.
The three-course dinner emphasized American fare with subtle Chinese influences, bringing the culinary traditions of both nations together, according to the White House. The meal began with a toast of Schramsberg “Blanc De Noir,” honoring the historic “Toast to Peace” shared by President Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing in 1972. The same American sparkling wine served at that historic gathering continues to be enjoyed at White House functions today, according to the White House.
The first course included a silky-smooth velouté made of sweet yellow squash gently blended to highlight seasonal flavors of earthy wild mushrooms and sautéed with fresh herbs. Together, these ingredients create a rich fricassee, complemented by crispy pancetta and drizzle of scallion oil.
The second course featured fresh seabass coated in toasted sesame seeds served with crisp baby bok choy, roasted eggplant and finished with a sauce verte of fresh herbs. Dessert was a smooth vanilla crémeux with sour cherry confit center, set a top a walnut frangipane and complimented by ice cream made with harvested White House honey.
Attendees took in performances by headliner Christopher Macchio, a classically trained tenor who performed at the 2025 Presidential Inauguration. Other performances included military musicians from the United States Marines Corps and the United States Army, including “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, “The Commandant’s Own” United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the United States Army Chorus, and the United States Army Strings.
Table and room decor drew on the color red and its longstanding cultural significance throughout Chinese history. Urns were filled with overflowing red blossoms and tables were dressed in rich red linens and adorned with dahlias and ranunculus. Among the seasonal blooms, the tables feature vermeil from the White House collection.
Smithsonian spouses tour
Midday while President Trump and Xi participated in talks, First Lady Melania Trump and Madame Peng toured the Peacock Room and other exhibits at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art. They were greeted by Chase Robinson, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art and Danielle Bennett, Deputy Director for Collections and Exhibitions at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.
The Peacock Room was designed to showcase a Chinese porcelain collection and was remodeled in 2022. The women first viewed James McNeill Whistler painting, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain. The painting features a woman in a kimono holding a fan.
“It’s beautiful, incredible” the first lady remarked as the curators described the exhibits in the room.
The blue and white Qing dynasty (1644-1911) porcelain collection dating to the 18th century is the feature display in the room. Produced in Jingdezhen during the Qing dynasty, the vase features elaborate floral decoration executed in colorful famille rose enamels, gold, and iron red over a pale glaze. The work is part of the Freer Gallery of Art’s collection and reflects the technical and decorative sophistication of imperial Chinese porcelain during the Qianlong era. The collection was acquired by the Smithsonian in 1920 from art collector Charles Lang Freer.
The women were also greeted by local schoolchildren from Hope Chinese School standing on the steps of the entrance. They performed two songs (“Jasmine Flower” and “Songs & Smiles”)—one in both Chinese and English—while waving American and Chinese flags.
The first lady smiled at Madame Peng during the performance and applauded and said, “Bravo!” after each song. At one point Madame Peng sang along with the children, smiling broadly and clapping her hands. The pair approached the children after the performance and spoke softly with them for a few minutes.
Ceremonial welcome
Earlier in the day, the state visit included the formal arrival ceremony at the White House South Portico followed by remarks by President Trump and Xi in the Grand Foyer and a gift exchange in the Blue Room.
Moments later, they observed a Silent Drill Platoon from the South Portico and a military review from the Rose Garden where The United States Army Herald Trumpets lined the roof of the West and Oval Colonnades and military demonstrations were performed by the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, the United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, and “The Commandant’s Own” United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. The ceremony concluded with a military flyover featuring a B-2 Spirit and four F-22 Raptors.
Alongside the pomp were tensions between Trump and the White House TV press pool. As of Thursday evening, video footage was still paused as a result of Mr. Trump banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House days earlier. A Washington, D.C., federal district court restored media access to the outlets early Thursday morning, but it wasn’t until closer to the lunch hour when they received their restored credentials. The networks, according to The New York Times, indicated they would not resume coverage of the president until the White House formally agreed to allow CNN to participate in the pool. As the dinner got underway, no American network aired live footage of the president hosting the Chinese leader.