How Trump lost control of the ‘best summit ever’
How Trump lost control of the ‘best summit ever’
Connor StringerFri, May 15, 2026 at 12:32 PM UTC
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This was Mr Xi’s summit, a lesson in control and a chance to show the world that China was in the ascendency – and the US should watch its back - Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool
Donald Trump stood under the lights of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and raised a crystal glass in toast to Xi Jinping.
After taking the smallest of sips, the lifelong teetotaller’s face tightened with visible discomfort, before handing the glass to a US official and taking his seat at the state banquet.
The glass was promptly whisked away, ensuring the president’s DNA and fingerprints did not fall into Chinese hands.
For a president who revels in commanding the room, Mr Trump appeared uneasy and, for once, out of control.
He had spent the morning in behind-closed-doors talks with Mr Xi as part of a two-day summit firmly on the Chinese leader’s terms.
Mr Xi had shattered any illusion of a friendly state visit when he delivered a surprise early warning to tread carefully on the issue of Taiwan.
He even squeezed in a mention of the “Thucydides Trap”, a Greek parable of an established power that is threatened by the rise of a rival.
This was Mr Xi’s summit, a lesson in control and a chance to show the world that China was in the ascendency – and the US should watch its back.
The summit was highly anticipated in the US, with Mr Trump talking up the chances of several trade breakthroughs and describing it as potentially the “best summit ever”.
But it began more auspiciously in Beijing. China announced the state visit just 48 hours before the US president was due to touch down at Beijing International Airport.
American flags were sparse and locals had little interest. Chinese state media virtually omitted any mention of Mr Trump on the day of his arrival.
Donald Trump was greeted on the tarmac at Beijing Capital International Airport by Han Zheng, China’s Vice Premier - REUTERS/Evan Vucci
The front page of the China Daily on Tuesday – the day of Mr Trump’s arrival – instead focused on Mr Xi’s meeting with Emomali Rahmon, the president of Tajikistan.
The only evidence of a major geopolitical event was found at the China World Hotel, which had become a hub for the travelling global media.
It offered a unique opportunity for its spies. Journalists and US officials alike travelled to Beijing with burner phones and laptops to avoid compromising their sources. Some took it more seriously than others.
One TV network adopted fake codenames such as “Beyoncé” and “Rick Ross” on an encrypted group chat for extra protection, causing mass confusion in the process. Others had a more relaxed approach, using their personal cellphones for the duration of the summit as if it were just another day in the office.
China laid on a red-carpet welcome for Donald Trump - Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP
Many joked about calling Mr Trump, whose personal number is in the phonebooks of practically every hack in DC, to see whether he had brought his phone. He had not.
White House officials had also swapped their phone numbers and email addresses for burner accounts as part of a “digital lockdown” for the duration of the two-day summit. Their personal devices were stored on Air Force One in Faraday bags, which block all signals, to protect them from hackers. When they returned to board the flight home, a bin for their burner phones, PINs and credentials was waiting for them.
Chinese intelligence services painstakingly pursue any information of possible value to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In Beijing, spies can read keystrokes and screens from devices that aren’t connected to the internet. They can even take full control of devices by inserting partially identical malware through Wi-Fi or a cellular network.
When Mr Trump finally met Mr Xi they were both greeted by flower-waving children to welcome them to the Great Hall of the People, the US president was charmed.
The two leaders were both greeted by flower-waving children at the Great Hall of the People - Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP
“I was particularly impressed by those children. They were happy, they were beautiful. Those children were amazing,” he said in his opening bilateral remarks, in which he also heaped praise on Mr Xi.
Diplomacy is often won in the small details during state visits. President Trump has shown a visible affection for young children in his second term. Mr Xi laid on a red-carpet welcome, a 21-gun salute, a private tour of the Temple of Heaven.
And then it was time for high-stakes talks.
The war in Iran had dominated headlines and caused the president to postpone the visit several weeks. The White House hoped China would buy more soybeans and passenger planes, and possibly microchips.
Mr Trump had brought some of the richest and most powerful people on the planet to help.
As the world waited for news from the head-to-head, a different announcement dominated the headlines.
Chinese state media appeared to catch the US entourage off guard when it published remarks from Mr Xi containing dire warnings about Taiwan.
The Chinese president said the disputed territory was the “most important issue in China-US relations” in comments released by state media on Thursday.
Xi Jinping in discussion at the Temple of Heaven with Donald Trump’s son, Eric, who was joined on the trip by wife Lara - Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP
“If it is handled well, bilateral relations can remain generally stable. If it is not handled properly, the two countries could collide or even come into conflict,” he said. That would be “very dangerous”.
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Although similar to previous warnings, the timing set the tone for the rest of the day.
Little had been achieved on the sidelines with any of the key business deals, it later transpired.
Even the deals that made it across the line fell short. The agreed sale of Boeing planes that Mr Trump said Mr Xi had agreed to – around 200 Boeing 737 Max jets – was far lower than the 500 originally discussed.
The US president referred to Mr Xi as his ‘friend’ on multiple occasions during the two-day trip - Kenny Holston/Pool Photo via AP
There was some agreement, however, on Iran.
Beijing’s official readout of the closed-door meeting said only that the two sides “exchanged views” on the Middle East. The leaders said that Iran could not have a nuclear weapon and that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open, though offered no details.
Meanwhile, chaos was erupting behind the scenes. As part of an effort by Chinese officials to keep a tight hold of their American guests and dictate coverage of the event, US reporters were subject to strict controls. Bathroom breaks were limited and water bottles and portable chargers were confiscated.
Tempers soon flared when a Chinese press pack charged into Mr Trump’s bilateral meeting with Mr Xi, trampling over a White House aide in the process.
Anger followed and a Secret Service detail was overheard telling the journalist to “get the f--- out”.
1605 Key players at US-China summit in Beijing
Shortly after, a secret service agent had an intense standoff with a Chinese security officer who refused to let them into the Temple of Heaven with their weapon.
“It’s a s--t-show,” one agent said. In one incident, the press pool found themselves trapped in a room, prevented from joining the presidential motorcade.
The moment was captured by a cameraman accompanying Brett Ratner, the Rush Hour director, as he prepared to shoot a fourth instalment of the film franchise.
The United States delegation finally headed into the banquet hall, working hard to gloss over the unsteady relationship.
The menu at the state banquet included lobster in tomato soup, crispy beef ribs and slow cooked salmon in mustard sauce - AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
As the guests dined on deep-fried squirrel fish, a house band played a number of local favourites and also threw in a rendition of YMCA, a favourite of Mr Trump’s.
But one man appeared to steal the show – Elon Musk. The tech billionaire, who had been brought back into the fold after a dramatic falling out with the president in 2024, fended off countless requests for photographs. In some, he pulled faces, including Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple.
The American delegation appeared to be blown away by the grandeur of the Great Hall of the People.
Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, marvelled at the roof of the vast room in which the two sides conducted their bilateral talks. To avoid the sanctions by the CCP and to allow Mr Rubio into the country, the Chinese changed his name. He took his seat in front of a name tag that read “From Rubio” rather than “Marco Rubio”.
On the second day, Mr Xi greeted Mr Trump in Zhongnanhai gardens where the US president was impressed by the roses. Mr Xi promised to send him the seeds. No doubt they will be intercepted.
Mr Xi boasted that only a small number of foreign leaders have ever been invited inside Zhongnanhai, the exclusive compound in Beijing that houses China’s political elite – China’s White House.
Mr Trump was in good company, Mr Xi pointed out.
“We usually don’t hold diplomatic events here. Even after we started having some, it’s still extremely rare,” said Mr Xi, seemingly playing to Mr Trump’s ego.
“For example, Putin,” Mr Xi said. “The Russian president has visited Zhongnanhai several times during previous visits to China.”
More one-to-one talks for more than three hours with tea appeared to have come to little more than warm words, although some deals may materialise later.
A short clip of the meeting showed Mr Xi and Mr Trump sitting opposite each other on grand white chairs. Observers noted how Mr Trump’s was softer, leaving him at a lower height, where Mr Xi could look down on him in front of the cameras.
Chinese state media was at it again, meanwhile, publishing a statement from the foreign ministry saying that the Iran war should “never have happened”.
Mr Trump hoped Mr Xi would offer a solution to the war in Iran and trade deals before difficult midterm elections. The US president did claim in an interview filmed during the first day that Mr Xi had agreed not to arm Iran – something China has always denied in any case.
Mr Trump’s final public remarks before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington were notably flat.
“This has been an incredible visit,” he said to reporters. “I think a lot of good has come of it, and we’ve made some fantastic trade deals.”
China’s next visitor? Vladimir Putin in five days’ time.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
