President Donald Trump departed Beijing, China, with two gifts: a promise of rose seeds from Chinese President Xi Jinping and an additional argument for the construction of his White House ballroom project.
Trump wrapped his whirlwind, two-day bilateral summit with a stop at Zhongnanhai, the Chinese government’s central leadership compound located next to the Forbidden City for a garden walk, tea service, and lunch with Xi.
While strolling through Zhongnanhai grounds, the traveling press pool reported that the president was particularly captivated by the pink, yellow, and red Rosa Chinensis.
TRUMP AND XI GO BIG ON THE POMP BUT LIGHT ON THE SUBSTANCE
“These are the most beautiful roses anyone’s ever seen,” Trump later told the press. “I asked [Xi,] ‘Could you get me some for the rose garden, and he said yes. I’ve never seen roses so big!”
Xi, through a translator, responded in kind that he would “provide the president with some of our Chinese rose seeds, as he wants to plant some in the rose garden.”
Last year, Trump’s first major White House renovation was the “Rose Garden Club,” which replaced the original White House Rose Garden installed by former first lady Ellen Wilson in 1913 and later updated by former President John F. Kennedy in 1962. First Lady Melania Trump additionally altered the design in 2020 before Trump replaced the lawn with a hardscape patio and outdoor dining tables last year. The president routinely hosts events for administration, staff, and White House visitors, though rose bushes still line the space’s perimeter.
Following his departure, the president used his trip to justify his main renovation project: the replacement of the East Wing with a new ballroom, security complex, and visitor center.
“China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.! It’s under construction, ahead of schedule, and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, accompanied by a photo of himself and Xi outside of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. “Thank you for all the support I have been given in getting this project going. Scheduled opening will be around September of 2028.”
WHITE HOUSE SAYS XI AGREED IRAN CAN ‘NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON’
During the tea service, Trump briefly touched on his private conversations with his counterpart, undermining that the U.S.-China “relationship is a very strong one.”
He claimed the two countries “feel very similar” about how to end the war in Iran.
“We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon. We want the straits open,” the president stated. “We want them to get it ended because it’s a crazy thing there, a little bit crazy. And it’s no good, it can’t happen.”
Before Trump flew back to the states, he and Xi shared a lavish lunch, featuring minced codfish and seafood soup, crispy and stir-fried lobster balls, pan-seared beef fillet stuffed with morel mushrooms, and king pao chicken and scallops, all served with braised season greens, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, beans, stewed beef buns, and steamed pork and shrimp dumplings. For dessert, the two presidents shared fruits, ice cream, and chocolate brownies.
Reporters were not present for the meal and lunched on the president’s favorite, McDonald’s, in the motorcade.
TRUMP INVITES XI JINPING TO VISIT WASHINGTON, DC
At Beijing International Airport, the present was sent off by a cadre of Chinese government officials and the same 300, white-and-blue-clad, flag-waving youths who greeted him upon his arrival.
