President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping compared the lengths of their respective countries’ histories during a visit to the National Archives.
“We’re just comparing,” Trump told reporters Thursday in the National Archives’ rotunda. “Ours goes 250 years. Which is great, and we’re proud of. Theirs goes 6,000 years. So there’s a little difference between 6,000 and 250. But we’re very proud of our 250.”
The visit was intended to indirectly underscore the importance of democratic principles instilled in U.S. documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, to the communist Chinese president.
Donald Trump, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump and Xi’s wife, Peng Liyuan, also told reporters he and his Chinese counterpart had a great meeting.
“Great for the farmers,” he said. “Great for everybody.”
Amid reports that Trump asked Xi not to keep helping Iran amid the United States’s war with the Iranian regime, the U.S. president confirmed the two world leaders spoke about Tehran and said, “I think we’re going to do great” when asked whether the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened soon.
During an earlier morning tea at the White House, Trump repeated that he and Xi had “a tremendous visit” and that “we’ve really enjoyed it.”
“We’ve made tremendous strides,” the U.S. president said. “We’ve made great strides, very positive for both countries. So, thank you very much, and we appreciate the fair coverage. It’s been very fair. We appreciate it,” he added one day after the apparent end of his ban on CNN, MS Now, and Politico from White House grounds.
Trump continued: “I think our farmers are going to be very happy. A lot of very positive things happened, but America is very happy about this visit, and I’m sure China is very happy also. Great things for both countries, and it’s been just very, very productive.”
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Xi and his wife are scheduled to depart Washington on Friday afternoon after Wednesday’s arrival ceremony and Thursday’s state visit and dinner.
The pair could see each other again in November, when China hosts the APEC Summit, and in December, when the U.S. hosts the Group of 20 summit at one of Trump’s Florida golf courses, Trump National Doral Golf Club.