Trump becomes the first president to personally invite China’s Xi Jinping and other world leaders to his inauguration
President-elect Donald Trump invited world leaders to attend his inauguration as president in January, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, his spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.
The new White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed the reports during an appearance on Fox and Friends, describing Trump’s invitation to Xi as a “precedent” for the United States.
It would be unprecedented if Xi were to accept the invitation and appear at Trump’s inauguration.
Leavitt said Xi had not yet responded to the invitation and that his actions were “to be determined.”
Trump revealed on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that he has already started his diplomatic relationship with President Xi, even though he has not yet been sworn in as president.
“I have a very good relationship with President Xi,” he said. “We have communicated with each other.”
Trump and President Xi first met in person in April 2017. He welcomed the Chinese president to his club at Mar-a-Lago. Trump also made a state visit to China in November 2017 and held several bilateral meetings at international summits.
Trump said Sunday he remains committed to leveling tariffs on Chinese goods and other foreign countries.
US President Donald Trump, left, meets Chinese President Xi Jinping
“Tariffs are going to make our country safe, because China, for example, doesn’t want to play games with us if we start imposing tariffs against them,” he said.
Trump has proposed tariffs on Chinese goods high as 60 percent.
Last month, Trump took to social media to propose an additional 10 percent tariff on goods from China unless they took action to stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States.
Trump is determined to get China to stop supplying Mexican drug cartels as the main source of chemicals used to produce fentanyl.
“I’ve had many conversations with China about the massive amounts of drugs, particularly Fentanyl, being sent into the United States – but to no avail,” Trump said. wrote on social media.
China responded to the tariff threats by warning Trump against initiating a trade war.
“No one will win a trade war or a tariff war,” Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said in a statement, describing the trade relationship between China and the United States as “mutually beneficial in nature.”
The former and future president’s tariff proposals for Mexico, Canada and China have fueled negotiations between their leaders even before Trump took office.
US President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China,
President-elect Donald Trump makes a gesture after ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange
Leavitt said Trump is committed to diplomacy with all world leaders as he prepares for his second term.
‘We saw that in his first term. He received a lot of criticism for it, but it led to peace throughout the world,” he said. “He is willing to talk to anyone, and he will always put American interests first.”
Trump spent Thursday morning at the New York Stock Exchange, where he rang the bell to open the stock market and celebrate being named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year.
“I think we’re going to have a great run,” Trump told stock traders on Thursday, conceding there was a lot of economic work to be done, especially on inflation.