President Donald Trump recently made a state visit to China, where he was hosted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. During this time, he learned a surprising thing about the events of the trip. He also had a bit of a favor in mind from his host, which ended up getting a surprising response.
President Donald Trump Previously Made A State Visit To China During His First Presidency
President Donald Trump recently made a state visit to China from May 13 to 15, 2026. This was Trump’s second state visit to the country and the first during his second presidency.
During the visit, Trump was received by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The two leaders held talks and shared that they agreed to develop a constructive relationship between their two countries, with Trump even inviting the Chinese leader to a state visit to the United States.
During his visit, Trump visited the Great Hall of the People, the Temple of Heaven, and the Chinese leadership compound Zhongnanhai. In fact, during a walk within the Zhongnanhai Garden for a “friendship photo,” Trump had a question for Xi Jinping.
While on tour, the U.S. president asked Xi’s interpreter, “Ask the president… when other people came from other countries… presidents and prime ministers, does he bring them here?” Xi shook his head “no,” telling Trump that this was indeed a special honor.
As Xi explained, Zhongnanhai “is the place where leaders of the (communist) party and the central government of China work and live, including myself,” Xi told Trump on Friday.” He explained, “After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, we (the communist party) have been here.”
Amid The High Honor, President Trump Also Had A Special Favor In Mind To Ask The Chinese Leader
As Xi continued, this included “Chinese leaders: Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and so on.” During their stroll, Trump was quoted as saying, “Nice place. I like it. I could get used to this.”
Trump also shared a few words of praise toward his host. As he told the press, “He’s a man I respect greatly… We’ve become really good friends, we’ve known each other 11 years, nearly 12 years, that’s a long time.”
.@POTUS tours the gardens with President Xi at Zhongnanhai pic.twitter.com/tZsVNZJ0m1
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 15, 2026
Seeing the flowers, Trump also had a bit of a favor to ask Xi. As he explained, “I asked the president, ‘Could you get me some for the Rose Garden?’, and he said yes. I’ve never seen roses so big!”
Being invited to the garden is indeed a high honor, with only a few presidents being given this privilege over the years. As noted by CNN, former U.S. President Richard Nixon met Mao in Zhongnanhai during his trip in 1972, the first time an American president visited the country.
Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama were also given this honor. Reportedly, Xi granted Trump this honor to thank him for hosting him at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida back in 2017. This was the first time the two had met. This was also just a few months after Trump took office during his first term.
Trump and China’s President Xi are meeting at Zhongnanhai, the Chinese leadership compound in Beijing.
Xi says that Trump had shown interest in some famous Chinese roses growing outside, so he’s sending him home with seeds from those roses as a gift.
TRUMP: “I love that.” pic.twitter.com/a7QWuFlF9b
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) May 15, 2026
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.
