Chinese President Xi Jinping landed outside Washington on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, for a three-day state visit, and that same day brought First Lady Melania Trump back into public view after a light public schedule through much of her husband’s second term.
She appeared that day on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” and explained why President Donald Trump would set aside protocol to meet Xi at the plane: because of the rapport between the two leaders. Speaking of Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, the first lady said, “He’s coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect.”
Trump went to Joint Base Andrews himself to greet Xi, an unusual step for a U.S. president, who normally waits for a foreign guest to reach the White House. A 100-foot red carpet lay at the bottom of the plane’s staircase, a 21-person honor guard stood by and two B-1 bombers passed overhead. Trump and Melania Trump greeted Xi and Peng with handshakes.
Presidents have made plane-side exceptions before. Pope Francis got a plane-side welcome from then-President Barack Obama in 2015; Pope Benedict XVI got one from then-President George W. Bush in 2008, each pontiff having just arrived in the United States.
A Summit and a Truce
Trump and Xi met for around three hours on the afternoon of Thursday, September 24, at the White House, on the first day of a two-day summit. Xi concluded his three-day state visit on Friday, September 25.
In a Truth Social post on the morning of September 24, Trump wrote that artificial intelligence would be a major topic in his meetings with Xi. “but I want to leave it exactly where it is. That is China’s position also. Our guardrail is the DOJ!” he wrote.
As Trump welcomed Xi at Joint Base Andrews on September 23, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Fox News Channel that the two countries’ top officials had agreed to extend their trade truce — scaling back tariffs and refraining from new trade restrictions — to January 10. “I don’t know whether a bigger deal can be done. I don’t know whether we will just roll the current deal,” Bessent said. He noted the extension could allow more talks at upcoming international summits in China in November and Florida in December.
The visit came amid real friction. Commerce, AI, the president’s conflict with Iran and Beijing’s ambitions regarding Taiwan make up a string of disputes that has dragged on relations between the two countries, and few expect a breakthrough. Trump has lavished praise on Xi and called him a friend.
Ceremony on the South Lawn
A statement from the first lady’s office published the details of the visit on Monday, September 21, using the honorific “Excellency” eight times. The release billed the trip as a significant milestone for relations between the two countries and pointed out that Xi and Peng had not been at the White House in more than a decade. That earlier visit, also a state visit, came in September 2015, when Obama was the host.
The Trumps hosted a state arrival ceremony on Thursday, September 24. It took in the South Lawn, the State Floor and the Rose Garden and drew 479 military personnel from every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. American and Chinese flags stood on display at the top of the South Drive, which an Armed Forces Full Honor Cordon lined, and the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets sounded a fanfare from the South Portico.
Inside, both national anthems came from “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band before the two leaders spoke. Out on the South Lawn, the U.S. Marine Silent Drill Platoon and U.S. Joint Forces Command then delivered a presidential salute. A military review in the Rose Garden came next, with performances by the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and “The Commandant’s Own” U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. A flyover by a B-2 Spirit bomber and four F-22 Raptors closed the ceremony.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art drew Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan for a tour afterward. The North Portico brought the couples together again that evening ahead of a black-tie dinner in the East Room — the same room where the Trumps hosted Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla on April 28.
The September 24 state dinner had 134 guests, of whom only 19 were part of the Chinese delegation. Chinese business leaders who traveled to Washington expecting to attend were ultimately excluded, according to multiple sources cited by the South China Morning Post. Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, AMD’s Lisa Su and Apple executive chairman Tim Cook were seated at the main table with the leaders and first ladies.
Criticism in the Senate
A Senate speech on Tuesday, September 22, brought criticism of the welcome from Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said Trump should not have invited the Chinese leader “based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party.” Wicker suggested topics for the state dinner, among them China’s military buildup and its support for Iran.
Reporters have heard Trump say he is delighted his new helicopter landing pad will be ready in time. He has also complained that construction keeps his planned White House ballroom from serving as a venue for Xi.
When Xi received Trump in Beijing, the Chinese leader was not at the airport; Chinese Vice President Han Zheng handled the arrival. Organizers rolled a red carpet out to Air Force One and assembled a military honor guard and a military band, while about 300 Chinese youths waved Chinese and American flags — the children in white and light blue uniforms that mirrored the colors of the presidential plane.
A Rare Turn in Public
Melania Trump’s public appearances have been infrequent. She did not join the president for his May trip to Beijing. The Republican midterm convention in Dallas went ahead without her, as did his September trip to Ireland.
Select occasions have drawn her out: the Pentagon ceremony marking 25 years since the September 11 attacks; the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., in August; and a trip to North Carolina for her Be Best initiative. China was a destination she did share with Trump during his first term.