Donald hosted a state dinner for Chinese leader Jinping at the White House on Thursday night, and the guest list reads like a who’s who of global tech and finance. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Bernard Arnault of LVMH, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI President and co-founder Greg Brockman, and Dell Technologies chairman and CEO Michael Dell all made the cut.
The dinner itself was a spectacle of opulence. The East Room featured low lighting and red and gold decor, with the menu centered on a main course of sesame-crusted sea bass. That dish came with braised baby bok choy, roasted garden eggplant, and a sauce verte, alongside a first course of yellow squash velouté with wild mushrooms, fresh herbs, crispy pancetta, and scallion oil. Dessert was vanilla crémeux with sour cherry confit and walnut frangipane, plus ice cream made from honey from the White House.
The dishes were served on red china from Ronald Reagan’s presidency, and the first lady helped craft the menu. Trump wore a tuxedo; Melania Trump wore a tuxedo-style outfit from Dolce & Gabbana featuring a white Saint Laurent cotton poplin blouse, a black silk cummerbund, and black brocade pants with a peony motif. Xi wore a black suit, and his wife, Peng Liyuan, wore a red gown.
The Guests
The tech titans in attendance include OpenAI’s Altman and Brockman, Nvidia’s Huang, and Google’s Pichai. Bezos brings the retail and logistics wealth of Amazon, while Musk splits his time between electric cars through Tesla and space exploration through SpaceX. Arnault represents luxury goods, and Dell rounds out the hardware side of the tech sector.
The Toasts
Trump’s toast focused on the enduring ties between the two nations. He said, “President Xi and I both understand we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we’ve never gotten along better. Together, we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations.”
Xi responded with his own toast, noting that “President Trump has pledged to make America great again” and that “China is committed to achieving great national rejuvenation.” He added that “These two goals are both ambitious and can surely be mutually reinforcing.”
The exchange was cordial on the surface, but the underlying message was clear: both leaders want to be seen as partners, not adversaries. The references to “different systems” and “great national rejuvenation” are diplomatic boilerplate, but the mutual reinforcement Xi offered was a notable nod to the shared ambition.
The Gifts
Trump presented Xi with an eagle statue he said was designed “in personal collaboration with Melania and myself.” Xi did not give Trump a public gift in return. The asymmetry speaks to the power dynamic at play: Trump offered a gift with a personal touch, while Xi chose not to reciprocate publicly.
Trump also invited guests to view the construction site of his White House ballroom on the South Lawn. He said it was a year from completion and that attendees would be “the first people to step foot” on it. He called the ballroom the “Great Hall of the United States” and compared it to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where he dined during a state visit there in May.
The Unusual Welcome
Trump personally greeted Xi and his wife on Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews, an unusual step since presidents normally wait for guests to arrive at the White House before offering a formal welcome.
The Issues on the Table
The dinner was not purely ceremonial. Trump and Jinping discussed Taiwan, trade, and artificial intelligence during business hours.
The dinner was a carefully staged event. Every detail — from the china to the toast — was designed to convey strength, partnership, and mutual respect.
Key Facts Box
- Date: Thursday night
- Venue: The White House
- Menu: Sea bass, bok choy, eggplant, vanilla crémeux, ice cream from White House honey
- Decor: Low lighting, red and gold
- China’s gift: None publicly announced
- Trump’s gift: Eagle statue designed with Melania
Running Order
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| Trump greets Xi at Joint Base Andrews | Wednesday |
| Dinner served in the East Room | Thursday night |
| Construction site viewing invitation | After dinner |
| Ballroom completion timeline | One year from now |
The dinner was a carefully staged event. Every detail — from the china to the toast — was designed to convey strength, partnership, and mutual respect.
Source material: “Trump's state dinner for Xi features sea bass and a long list of tech titans,” NPR.
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