President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration next month, Trump’s incoming press secretary confirmed Thursday, a longshot invitation that’s unusual not only because of Trump’s combative stance toward China, but also because foreign leaders have never previously attended a U.S. inauguration.
Then-President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrive at a state dinner on November 9, ... [+]
Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed the president-elect’s invitation on “Fox and Friends” Thursday after it was first reported by CBS News Wednesday night, telling the Fox hosts it was “an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too.”
Trump has railed against China in the wake of his election—announcing in November he will impose additional tariffs on imports from the country—but has maintained he has a positive relationship with Xi himself, saying on “Meet the Press” Sunday that he had spoken with the Chinese leader within the past week.
It’s still unclear whether Xi will attend the January 20 event—Leavitt told Fox it was “to be determined”—but either him or any other world leader attending the event would be a historic first.
State Department records dating back to 1874, when the first visit by a foreign leader took place, show no head of a foreign country has ever attended a presidential inauguration in the U.S., though CBS notes it’s common for lower-ranking foreign diplomats or ambassadors to show up.
Foreign leaders aren’t typically invited to inaugurations due to the large crowds and “security concerns,” officials told the Associated Press in 2009, when Barack Obama’s transition team declined to invite any heads of state to his inauguration, citing historical precedent.
It would also be unusual for Xi, whom the South China Morning Post notes has not attended any similar events in other countries.
Trump acknowledged Thursday when opening the New York Stock Exchange that he has been “thinking about inviting certain people to the inauguration,” the AP reports, though he didn’t mention any specific names. “And some people said, ‘Wow, that’s a little risky, isn’t it?’” the president-elect added. “And I said, ‘Maybe it is. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.’ But we like to take little chances.”
Leavitt said Thursday that other world leaders have also been invited to the inauguration, but declined to name any names. While it’s unclear who exactly could attend, Trump has reportedly extended an invitation to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—a longtime Trump ally—with sources telling CBS News the leader is “still considering” if he will attend. One leader who’s not expected to make an appearance, however, is Russia’s Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin confirmed Thursday it had not received an invitation to the swearing-in ceremony, Sky News reports.
Trump had a contentious relationship with China during his first term as president, imposing tariffs on imports from the country that sparked a trade war and deeming COVID-19 a “Chinese virus” in the early days of the pandemic, despite warnings that doing so would heighten anti-Asian American violence. He has not been expected to soften his stance on China going into his second term, promising to levy 60% tariffs on imports from the country and nominating Sen. Marco Rubio, a noted hardliner on China, to be his secretary of state. Trump and Xi met multiple times during Trump’s first term and the president-elect has praised the Chinese leader even as he’s criticized China, telling Fox in February that he likes Xi “a lot” and he was “a very good friend of mine during my term” and saying on Joe Rogan’s podcast that Xi is a “brilliant guy” who “controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist.” Xi promised to work with Trump during a meeting with President Joe Biden in November, noting it’s “critical to both parties and the world” for the U.S. and China to have a stable relationship.