Donald Trump's lavish banquet for China's Xi Jinping resembled a 'tenth circle of hell,' according to a searing opinion piece by Mikey Smith, US Political Editor. The event, held at the White House, saw Trump attempting to outdo the Chinese premier in a display of 'dictator-maxxing,' with Elon Musk and several chip company CEOs among the guests.
Trump's wining and dining of Xi had a real 'anything you can do I can do better' vibe, the article notes. The menu featured Yellow Squash Velouté, Sesame Crusted Sea Bass, Vanilla Cremeux, and White House Honey Ice Cream, a far cry from Trump's earlier suggestion of a McDonald's hamburger for Xi.
A banquet of discomfort
The top table was described as looking like a 'tenth circle of hell so miserable Dante thought it might be a bit much.' Melania Trump appeared increasingly grumpy, and her sour face might have been partly due to being seated next to Elon Musk. Tim Cook was also present, despite having stepped down as Apple CEO earlier in the month, leading to speculation about why he attended.
The event also highlighted a grim irony: Chinese communist party propagandists were welcomed into the White House complex to cover the arrivals, while CNN remained excluded.
Minimal progress on key issues
Trump didn't seem to mind that little progress was made on trade rows, human rights, or AI safeguards. However, the pair did apparently agree that super-intelligent bots should remain 'under human control,' which the article describes as 'the bare minimum one could hope for.'
After dinner, Trump invited everyone to view the construction site on the ruins of a third of the White House, where he is building a cavernous ballroom to rival China's great hall. The article concludes that it was all about Trump trying to impress 'the world's most successful living dictator' with his tribute act.
