BS BULLETIN:
- In 2015, Donald Trump mocked Barack Obama for giving Chinese President Xi Jinping a White House state dinner.
- Trump said he would give Xi a McDonald’s hamburger instead and tell him it was time to “get down to work.”
- Eleven years later, President Trump just hosted Xi for a full state dinner of his own.
Donald Trump had a very different menu in mind the last time Xi Jinping came to Washington for a state dinner.
CNN’s Jake Tapper dug up a 2015 clip Friday showing then-candidate Trump ridiculing President Barack Obama for hosting the Chinese leader at the White House.
Bill O’Reilly asked Trump whether he would throw Xi a big dinner if he were president.
Trump’s answer was pretty straightforward.
“I would get him a McDonald’s hamburger and say we’ve got to get down to work.”
Trump was hammering China at the time over trade, jobs and currency devaluation. He went even further when O’Reilly pressed him, saying he might spring for a “double sized Big Mac.”
Fast-forward 11 years.
Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, arrived at the White House this week for an elaborate state visit hosted by President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
And there was no Big Mac on the menu.
Thursday night’s East Room state dinner began with yellow squash velouté with wild mushrooms and crispy pancetta.
The main course featured sesame-crusted sea bass with baby bok choy and roasted eggplant.
Dessert was vanilla crémeux with walnut frangipane, sour cherry confit and White House honey ice cream.
Trump also toasted Xi, gave him a custom bald eagle statue and praised the visit as productive for both countries.
The two leaders held talks during a visit focused heavily on trade, fentanyl precursor chemicals, technology and the broader U.S.-China relationship.
None of that makes Trump’s 2015 criticism disappear.
It just means the hamburger never made it to the East Room.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Fox News — 2015 Bill O’Reilly interview transcript with Donald Trump
- Mediaite — Jake Tapper airs Trump’s old Xi state-dinner clip
- White House — Melania Trump releases details of Xi state dinner
- White House — Trump and first lady conclude Xi state visit
- Associated Press — Trump hosts Xi amid trade, AI and Iran tensions
