President-elect Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration next month in Washington, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
Karoline Leavitt, who will serve as White House press secretary, said on “Fox & Friends” that Trump extended the invitation to the Chinese leader and adversary and that it was “to be determined” if Xi would attend.
“This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too,” Leavitt said.
She called it “precedent” for the inaugural committee to invite foreign dignitaries to attend the inauguration, something Trump’s team was doing as well. While diplomats and ambassadors typically attend, it would be unusual for a foreign leader to personally attend.
CBS News first reported that Trump had invited Xi to the inauguration.
Trump has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Xi through the years. He has regularly praised the Chinese leader for his tough approach to governing such a large country and called him “brilliant.” But the president-elect has also expressed frustration over China’s role in the spread of COVID-19, and he engaged during his first term in tit-for-tat tariffs with Beijing.
CBS also reported Trump’s team is weighing the possibility of inviting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an authoritarian who Trump has a close relationship with. The two men met at Mar-a-Lago earlier this week.
