Top 5 Shocking Moments From Trump Before His China Summit With Xi Jinping

A Chaotic State Visit to China

President Donald Trump embarked on a state trip to China, marking the first visit by a U.S. president in nine years. The trip was marked by a whirlwind of events, including surprise announcements related to his ongoing redesign of the White House, sharp remarks directed at reporters, and several diplomatic missteps.

The president arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, starting a three-day summit. During his time in China, Trump spoke about "fantastic" trade deals and claimed he was addressing "a lot of different problems." However, no major agreements or breakthroughs were announced during the visit.

Reporters questioned Trump about progress on trade tariffs or computer chips, but he admitted that these topics were not discussed. This came after he faced criticism for a comment that was described as "disgusting" and "creepy" regarding Chinese children who lined up to greet him.

Social Media Outbursts and Controversial Remarks

Trump shared a video comparing former First Lady Michelle Obama to JD Vance, suggesting they both had ungrateful attitudes toward living in the White House. After the trip concluded, he quickly released five frantic social media posts.

Before departing for Beijing, Trump made headlines with remarks that suggested he doesn't consider Americans' financial situations when negotiating with Iran. "The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran is that they can't have a nuclear weapon," he told reporters. He added, "I don't think about Americans' financial situation, I don't think about anybody."

When asked to clarify his comments about Americans struggling with rising costs of essentials like groceries and gas, Trump doubled down on his stance. "The most important thing by far is Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Every American understands it. If the stock market goes up or down a little bit... the American people understand it," he said.

Criticism of a Female Journalist

During a presser before boarding Air Force One, Trump reacted harshly to a reporter's question about the controversial White House ballroom project. The reporter asked about the increasing costs and a proposal by Senate Republicans to allocate taxpayer funds for upgrading the ballroom's security. Trump previously promised the project would be entirely privately funded.

"I've doubled the size of it because we obviously need that, and we're right now on budget, under budget, and ahead of schedule," the president said. "I doubled the size of it, you dumb person."

This wasn't the first time Trump criticized a female journalist. A week earlier, he called a reporter's question about renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool "stupid."

Threats of ICE Involvement in Elections

During another presser, Trump refused to rule out sending Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers or the National Guard to polling places during the midterm elections in November. When pressed on whether he would send federal officers, he replied, "I do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections."

His comments followed an announcement that the Republican party would form an "Election Integrity Army" in every state for the midterms.

A Controversial Handshake with Xi Jinping

Upon landing in China, Trump attempted his signature handshake with President Xi Jinping, aggressively gripping the leader's hand and pulling him toward himself as the two leaders greeted each other and posed for photos.

"This is a juvenile power move, a tug-of-war handshake," one user on X wrote. "Xi knows exactly how to handle a malignant narcissist." Xi was praised online for resisting Trump's power play. "Xi comes across as the one quietly dominating the interaction by refusing to play long or show any tension," another user wrote.

Disruptive Incident Before Meetings

Shouting erupted before a meeting between Trump, Xi, and their administration officials on Thursday. The proceedings were interrupted as someone yelled "get the f--k out." This happened as Trump entered an enormous meeting room to begin talks with Xi. A camera appeared to fall to the ground as angry shouts from what seemed to be a cameraman were heard.

Meanwhile, the Chinese public gave Trump a controversial nickname as he touched down in Beijing with a complex relationship with China.