Report: Trump Invites Xi Jinping to Inauguration
The Facts
- US Pres.-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping, among other foreign dignitaries, to the presidential inauguration in January 2025, CBS News has reported citing multiple official sources.
- While it isn't yet clear if Xi has accepted Trump's invitation for the Jan. 20 swearing-in, the president-elect said last week that he's recently "had communication" with Xi, though didn't share any further details.
- Trump, who has appointed multiple China hawks to be part of his upcoming administration, reportedly referred to the Chinese leader as someone he "got along with very well." The Chinese embassy in Washington has not yet commented on the matter.
Sources Split
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The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Trump's invitation to Xi hints at a complex diplomatic dance. Despite surrounding himself with China hawks, Trump offers a paradoxical approach — aggressive yet willing to negotiate. His unique foreign policy style suggests an opportunity for engagement, potentially disrupting the Cold War narrative and offering a nuanced path forward in US-China relations that defies conventional diplomatic expectations.
Pro-establishment narrative
Xi is unlikely to attend Trump's inauguration. Historically, no Chinese head of state has personally graced a US presidential transition, instead sending representatives. The intricate diplomatic choreography and Trump's transitional uncertainties make Xi's attendance improbable, and reflect ongoing, unresolved complexities in US-China relations.
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 9% chance that there will be a US-China war before 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
