Donald Trumpwas allegedly caught on camera in Beijing leafing through what social media users claim was Chinese President Xi Jinping's private notebook during the US leader's recent state visit, according to a short video clip circulating online. The footage, said to have been taken during events in the Chinese capital this week, appears to show Donald Trump glancing down at a folder or pad of paper on a table while Xi steps away.
For context, Trump had just wrapped up two days of talks with Xi in Beijing that focused on trade, Taiwan, and the war involving Iran, before departing China on Friday afternoon local time. The visit was billed by both sides as a chance to stabilise a fraught relationship, withTrump praising what he called a 'very strong' personal rapport with Xiand hailing the trip as 'a very important moment in history.'
Against that heavily choreographed diplomatic backdrop, the viral clip has given online critics and supporters fresh material to argue over Trump's behaviour.
The short video, shared on X, shows Trump standing near a table, appearing to look at and briefly sift through a paper notebook or pad as Xi is out of shot. At one point,Senator Marco Rubiocan be seen glancing towards Donald Trump, then quickly turning his head away, a reaction that eagle-eyed users have seized on as evidence that something improper was happening.
ME MUERO Trump literalmente fue captado por las cámaras mirando el cuaderno privado de Xi Jinping cuando se alejó 😭🤣😂Marco Rubio lo notó pero inmediatamente giró la cara hacia otro lado 🤣pic.twitter.com/L6GFykyq7u
The content of the alleged notebook is unknown. There is no information in the clip about what the pages contained, who they belonged to, or when exactly the moment occurred.
IBTimes UK cannot independently verify the authenticity of the footage, the circumstances in which it was filmed, or whether it actually captures a private document belonging to Xi Jinping, so any claims based on the video should be taken with a grain of salt.
The clip has nevertheless taken on a life of its own. As of publication, it has attracted around 1.2 million views on X and hundreds of comments, with users reading radically different meanings into the same few seconds of footage.
Trump is illiterate, and an imbecile. Wouldnt have mattered.Besides, Xi probably left it there just to elicit this reaction. Now he has Trump’s pee tapes AND a video of Trump spying on Xi’s thoughts.
One commenter, speculating about a set-up, wrote that Xi 'left it to him on purpose to see what he would do, and now they already have his fingerprints.' Another used the video as a springboard for a sweeping personal attack on Donald Trump, calling him 'illiterate, and an imbecile' and claiming it 'wouldn't have mattered' what he saw. That same post pushed an unverified theory that Xi 'probably left it there just to elicit this reaction' and invoked long-running internet rumours about kompromat on Trump.
Source: International Business Times UK
