Trump relishes showing Xi his Marine One chopper and new White House helipad

President Donald Trump demonstrated his favored amenities to the visiting Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, at the White House on Thursday. Xi, embarking on his first state visit to the U.S. in 11 years, was accompanied by a list of contentious issues, including artificial intelligence, Taiwan, trade tensions, and the Iran war. Despite these topics, Trump allocated time for a tour of his White House developments, starting after 90 minutes in the Oval Office.

Upon exiting, the two leaders exited to the South Lawn, where a parked Marine One helicopter awaited. As they approached the aircraft, a Marine saluted Xi and Trump, who then boarded with a few aides and translators. The helicopter never took flight, but the two leaders spent a few minutes conversing with the pilots before the aircraft departed.

During the tour, Trump displayed his new granite landing pad for the Marine One helicopter and the construction site nearby, which will eventually house a ballroom. Xi observed the towers under construction as Trump animatedly discussed the project, engrossed in observing Xi's reaction. The president emphasized that Xi was an expert in stone, and Xi reciprocated, grinning once with a gesture back at Trump.

Trump also took pride in the decorative elements inside the West Wing, such as framed photos of himself around the world in gold frames. He showed Xi a picture of the two of them during a visit to Beijing in May and quipped, "Who is that? I don't recognize him!" Xi responded, "That's great," while Trump continued to assert his presence. The tour culminated with Trump pointing to the two portraits of himself hanging in the Oval Office and the satirical autopen gag referencing President Joe Biden, provoking laughter from Xi.