President Donald Trump, fresh off a high-profile meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, used the moment to take a sharp jab at his predecessor, Joe Biden. In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Friday, Trump declared, “Joe Biden wouldn’t even get a meeting with Xi.” The remark was part of a broader discussion about the success of his own visit and the state of U.S.-China relations.
Trump’s comments quickly drew backlash online, as fact-checkers and users pointed out that Biden and Xi have held multiple bilateral meetings. The most recent official encounter was a “farewell” meeting in Lima, Peru, on November 16, 2024, aimed at stabilizing ties ahead of the U.S. presidential transition. Prior to that, in November 2023, Xi Jinping made a rare visit to the United States for a summit with Biden at the Filoli Estate in Woodside, California, on the sidelines of the APEC summit. During that visit, the two leaders discussed everything from fentanyl trafficking to artificial intelligence risks and military-to-military communications.
Trump’s interview with Hannity covered his lengthy meeting with Xi at the Great Hall of the People. The president framed the encounter as a diplomatic success, contrasting it with what he described as Biden’s inability to secure a similar meeting. “Our country, two years ago – if Biden came here, I don’t even think he would get a meeting with President Xi. I don’t think they’d even meet with them,” Trump said. Hannity interjected with a dig of his own, saying, “I don’t know if he’d be able to focus long enough.” Trump then elaborated, “He wouldn’t come here. But assuming he came, I don’t think he’d even have a meeting. It’s amazing actually, a lot of people... I noticed even with the business leaders. They’re the biggest businessmen in the world. And women... A couple of women... And most of them, almost all of them, but most of them never met President Xi.”
Social Media Users React to Donald Trump's Comments
Trump’s assertion that Xi would refuse to meet Biden was met with a wave of corrections and ridicule on social media. One user on X (formerly Twitter) posted a photo of Xi’s arrival in California in November 2023, writing, “Xi came to see Biden, not the other way around. Donald Trump is an idiot.” Another user wrote, “Biden and Xi have met more times than Trump ever did with Xi.” Indeed, Biden’s presidency saw two in-person summits, plus a series of phone calls and virtual meetings, including a November 2022 face-to-face in Bali, Indonesia.
Others pointed out that Xi is actually scheduled to visit the White House later this year—in September 2026—a fact that directly contradicts Trump’s claim. One netizen wrote, “Xi is coming to the White House later this year…” Another user stated, “PESKY FACT: Joe Biden was not invited to China during his presidency.” That comment seemed to support Trump’s broader argument that Biden never received an invitation to Beijing, though it ignored the fact that Xi himself traveled to the U.S. for the 2023 summit. The debate also highlighted the differences in diplomatic styles: Trump met Xi at Mar-a-Lago in April 2017 and later in Beijing in November 2017, while Biden favored multilateral settings for his encounters.
Historical Context of U.S.-China Presidential Meetings
To understand the accuracy of Trump’s claim, it’s helpful to review the recent history of U.S.-China presidential diplomacy. Under the Obama administration, President Barack Obama and Xi met multiple times, including a 2015 state visit to Washington, D.C., where Xi was honored with a formal dinner at the White House. During the Trump administration, the two leaders met at Mar-a-Lago in April 2017, again at the G20 summit in Hamburg in July 2017, and during Trump’s state visit to China in November 2017. Trump also met Xi at the G20 in Osaka in June 2019. Under Biden, the first in-person meeting was in Bali in November 2022, followed by the Woodside summit in November 2023, and the Lima meeting in November 2024. All of these meetings were bilateral and included extensive private discussions.
Trump’s rhetoric seems to ignore these facts, instead framing his own meeting as unprecedented. During the Fox News interview, he described his talks with Xi as “very productive” and hinted at progress on trade issues and the situation in Taiwan. Yet analysts warn that Trump’s combative remarks risk undermining the cooperative spirit of the meeting. “It’s not unusual for a sitting president to tout the success of a summit, but directly attacking a predecessor in the same breath can be seen as petty and could strain future diplomatic engagements,” said Dr. Li Wei, a professor of international relations at Peking University (in a separate media report).
The Backlash and Defense of Biden’s Record
Many users on social media came to Biden’s defense, citing his administration’s efforts to reopen diplomatic channels with China after a period of tension during Trump’s last years. “Biden restored high-level military comms, resumed climate talks, and managed to get Xi to come to the US for the first time in years. Trump is just jealous,” one comment read. Another user compared the two presidents’ handling of foreign policy: “Under Trump, relations with China deteriorated to the point of a trade war and near-collapse of communication. Biden stabilized things. Now Trump is claiming credit for a meeting that Xi likely agreed to as a standard diplomatic courtesy.”
Even some of Trump’s supporters rallied to his side, with one writing, “Biden doesn’t even know where he is, who he is. Under Biden, Russia invaded Ukraine, Hamas invaded Israel, and Iran created thousands of drones and missiles. Biden is literally the worst president ever after Carter.” This sentiment, while not directly about the Xi meeting, reflects the partisan divide that Trump’s comments have inflamed. Notably, the user failed to mention that the Ukraine invasion and Gaza conflict occurred after Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and amid ongoing global tensions, factors that preceded his presidency.
Yet the core factual dispute remains: Did Xi reject a meeting with Biden? There is no public evidence to support Trump’s claim. In fact, diplomatic records show that Xi and Biden met as equals at every summit. The 2023 meeting in Woodside was a full bilateral summit, with the Chinese president traveling thousands of miles to California. The 2024 Lima meeting was arranged as a farewell gesture. If Biden had sought a meeting in Beijing, it is possible that Xi would have declined, given that Chinese presidents typically do not travel to the U.S. for meetings but expect reciprocation. However, Trump’s phrasing—”wouldn’t even get a meeting”—implies that Xi would have refused any request, which is contradicted by the 2023 invitation to the U.S.
The Broader Implications for U.S.-China Relations
Trump’s comments come at a delicate time. The world’s two largest economies are navigating tensions over trade, technology, Taiwan, and human rights. A presidential trip to China is a major diplomatic event, and Trump’s meeting with Xi was widely covered by global media. By using the moment to attack Biden, Trump may have undercut the very seriousness of the visit. Some experts argue that constant political bickering at home weakens U.S. negotiating power abroad. “When one president openly derides the other on the world stage, it signals disunity to foreign leaders. Xi can exploit that,” noted Susan Thornton, a former acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs (in an earlier panel discussion).
Meanwhile, Xi’s anticipated visit to Washington in September 2026—announced before Trump’s latest trip—was seen as a sign of improving relations. That visit now hangs in the balance, as Trump’s taunts may create an awkward atmosphere. Chinese state media has not directly commented on Trump’s remarks, but analysts expect Beijing to maintain a cautious tone, focusing on the positive outcomes of the summit rather than reacting to domestic U.S. politics.
The meeting between Trump and Xi lasted several hours and touched on a range of issues, including technology transfer, North Korea, and climate cooperation. According to official readouts from both sides, the talks were “frank and constructive.” No major breakthroughs were announced, but both leaders agreed to continue dialogue. Trump’s decision to highlight Biden’s supposed lack of access to Xi may have been an attempt to rally his base, but it also risks alienating swing voters who see the attack as unpresidential.
In the end, the episode underscores the prevalence of misinformation in political discourse. With a simple search, anyone could verify that Biden and Xi have met multiple times. Yet the claim continues to circulate in certain media circles, amplified by partisan outlets. For the average American trying to understand foreign policy, such distortions make it harder to assess the true state of relations. As Xi prepares to set foot in the White House later this year, the debate over who gets a meeting—and why—will likely persist, shaped more by political loyalty than by facts.
Source: AOL.com News