Donald Trump arrived in Beijing, and cameras captured the moment he slipped from feeling like a king to an overwhelmed senior citizen.
The president landed mid-week ahead of a two-day visit and trade meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The 79-year-old’s entourage included a dozen businessmen as well as several U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to name a few.
Air Force One stopped on a tarmac decked with a red carpet.
Chinese dignitaries lined the aircraft’s steps, watching Trump gingerly navigate his way to flat ground.
Trump was then greeted by China’s Vice President Han Zheng and others.
The welcome chants, the military band and honor guard’s presence, and 300 youth waving the Chinese and American flags were the exact pomp and pageantry that delude Trump into feeling respected by world leaders.
The former reality star-turned politician would call it a greeting fitted for a king.
Humiliating for everyone involved https://t.co/Zca4T7zjYN
— Brian (@Is_Not_Brian) May 13, 2026
Yet, onlookers called it a “humiliating for everyone involved” and an obvious snub that Trump could not see through. The case of their mocking has everything to do with a noticeable absence.
An IG Threads user caught on and wrote, “So, not important enough for Xi himself to attend. Is the Chinese VP as well regarded as the US VP?”
Some people assumed that Xi’s absence indicated his feelings about Trump. They wrote comments like, “At least Xi didn’t meet him at the airport. Its a Petty victory but its typically PRC protocol to have a visiting dignitary be met by a reciprocal official.”
Another reaction states, “Xi Jinping was not present at Beijing Capital International Airport to receive Trump.
Others noted, “Xi didn’t bother to greet Trump. He sent a couple of lackeys.”
Some believe Xi Jinping avoided greeting Trump on purpose, giving the cold shoulder over what took place during their meeting last year.
Though, critics quickly began comparing his noticeably warmer exchanges with other world leaders, such as Kim Jong Un.
“This is no match when North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un visited China. President Xi Jinping and his wife personally came to welcome him and gave him a grand welcome.”
This is no match when North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un visited China.
President Xi Jinping and his wife personally came to welcome him and gave him a grand welcome. pic.twitter.com/fNLkn5KmVI
— Jhon Chen (@JhonChen25) May 13, 2026
Another brutal blunder from the U.S. president’s arrival painted him as a bewildered man.
His face drooped into a dazed expression mid-handshake with Han. A female official looked on as the strange interaction played out.
A heckler decided, “Her look says, ‘do you need a medic?’” A second reaction states, “Completely lost, I’ve seen that look on the face of elderly dementia patients!”
While China rolled out the red carpet for the high-profile state visit, Xi’s decision to stick to protocol instead of offering a personal greeting is being seen as a subtle but telling signal.”
Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul explained that it was not the case in an X post.
He tweeted, “Typically, heads of state don’t greet presidents when they land. That’s not protocol. It’s no big deal that Xi wasn’t on the tarmac. It was highly unusual when Trump was waiting for Putin on the tarmac in Alaska.”
Trump greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin on a red-carpet runway at a military base in Anchorage last August. It was the foreign leader’s first visit to the U.S. in a decade.
Xi greets visiting leaders, just not at the airport.
Xi actually came out for President Obama.. He sent his VP out to welcome Trump 😂 He doesn’t respect Trump 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/APw0WEjAP9 pic.twitter.com/Js6WtCCzZz
— Pistol Pete Genovese (@PeteGenovese187) May 13, 2026
Ruthless critics chimed in, saying, “He looks afraid…good” and “Looks like Xi is pressing on that hands IV vein hole.”
Trump has been covering bruises on both hands with makeup for months. His team alleges excessive handshaking is to blame.
Trump’s last meeting with Xi in 2025 set off heckling when he submitted to the Chinese president during power-struggle handshake. Critics didn’t expect the foreign leader to take it easy on Trump this go-round either. But he did.
The U.S. president tried it again, as viewers noted, “The look on Xi’s face says moron.”
This time folks noticed “his usual and childish pull handshake” failed miserably.
Xi Jinping kept his hand firm and was unamused by Trump’s attempt to assert his dominance and take control of the moment.
His expression led some viewers to believe he was there purely for optics.
Zoomed-in clips of Xi’s arm also fueled speculation that he intentionally kept Trump at a distance, shutting down the president’s usual pull-and-lean handshake tactics.
