Donald Trump feasted on a private lunch with Xi Jinping insideBeijing's secluded Zhongnanhai compoundon Friday, while much of the US president's travelling team – from White House aides to embassy staff – sat outside in a car park eating McDonald's, according to reports.
The split-screen moment unfolded during Trump's three-day visit to the Chinese capital, his first trip back to Beijing since returning to the White House. The summit with Xi, held behind heavy security and with minimal press access, was billed by both sides as a chance to reset a relationship strained by trade disputes, military tensions, and competing influence in Asia. Instead, the most vivid image to emerge so far has been the contrast between the leaders' polished choreography inside Zhongnanhai and the paper bags of fast food handed out to the Americans left waiting outside.
The reporters in the White House press pool described bags from McDonald's being delivered to staff and journalists confined to vans and vehicles in the Zhongnanhai car park as Trump's lunch with Xi stretched on.
Trump and Xi lunch menu:Minced Codfish in Seafood SoupCrispy and Stir-Fried Lobster BallsPan-Seared Beef Fillet Stuffed with Morel MushroomsKung Pao Chicken and ScallopsBraised Seasonal Greens, Bamboo Shoots, Mushrooms, and BeansStewed Beef in a BunSteamed Pork and…pic.twitter.com/mr5GRqZaqU
Some of those tucking into burgers and fries were US Embassy workers and members of Trump's own travelling staff, who had been excluded from the closed-door meal inside China's historic seat of Communist Party power. The press, kept at arm's length from the talks, received their McDonald's through van windows while they waited for the presidential motorcade to re-emerge.
It was an oddly on-brand detail for this presidency. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has previously said Trump eats McDonald's every day, and the president has leaned into that image. On the 2024 campaign trail, he briefly worked a drive-thru window at one of the chain's outlets. More recently, he had a McDonald's order delivered directly to the Oval Office during an event touting his elimination of taxes on tips for service workers.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said it wasn't President Trump's idea to work at a McDonald's for a campaign event in 2024, but revealed the president "eats it every single day."She credited the campaign team for the idea, which became a viral moment.pic.twitter.com/oiUeoje7Fr
Here, though, it was everyone except Trump who ended up with the fast food.
Inside Zhongnanhai, the president was treated to a considerably more formal setting. Before lunch, Xi led Trump on a walking tour of the compound, which once housed imperial gardens and now houses China's top leadership.
'Zhongnanhai is where the CPC Central Committee and the State Council work, and it is also where I work and live,' Xi told Trump, according to Chinese state accounts. 'After the founding of New China, Chinese leaders including Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and others all lived here.'
Source: International Business Times UK
