It’s a little more than one month away from President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, and his team is already preparing a star-studded guest list of attendees.
Included on Trump’s guest list? A surprise mystery guest Trump rumored could be front-and-center on inauguration day, if he accepts his invite.
Who is the mystery guest?
Yesterday, Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and other foreign leaders to his inauguration next month in Washington, according to a Trump transition spokesperson who spoke with Newsmax about the event.
Trump has invited China’s President Xi Jinping to his inauguration https://t.co/rbxR8JieaQ
— Financial Times (@FT) December 12, 2024
Trump’s incoming press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed Thursday that Trump extended an invitation to the Jan. 20 ceremony.
According to CBS News, the offer for Xi to attend Trump’s swearing-in was extended in early November, shortly after the Nov. 5 presidential election.
“This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialog with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too,” she added. “He is willing to talk to anyone and he will always put America’s interests first.”
The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it had no information to provide, according to Newsmax.
Despite the groundbreaking invite that could be a watershed moment in Trump’s international relations, experts simply don’t foresee Xi coming to Washington next month.
“Can you imagine Xi Jinping sitting outdoors in Washington, D.C., in January at the feet of the podium, surrounded by hawkish members of Congress, gazing up at Donald Trump as he delivers his inaugural address?” said Danny Russel, who previously served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.
Russel, now vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Xi would not allow himself to “be reduced to the status of a mere guest celebrating the triumph of a foreign leader — the U.S. president, no less.”
Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank, said Beijing will play it safe when there’s no protocol or precedent for a Chinese leader to attend the inauguration of a U.S. president.
“I don’t think the Chinese will take the risk,” Sun said.
However, even if Xi is unlikely to attend, insiders believe that planning is underway for Trump and Xi to meet in person soon.
Trump prefers in-person meetings with foreign leaders, especially key adversaries, and Beijing might believe it can get a better deal by dealing directly with Trump, Russel said.
Trump’s return to the White House is expected to further intensify the U.S.-China rivalry. He has picked several China hawks for his Cabinet, including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as secretary of state and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., as national security adviser.
Beijing historically has adopted a “wait-and-see” approach but says it is prepared to hit back should Washington raise tariffs on Chinese goods or make other unfriendly moves.
Sun also noted that Trump’s invitation does not exclude hostile policies toward China. Trump visited China in 2017 and “played nice,” but the following year he launched the trade war, she said.
“We’ve seen this before,” Sun said.
“For Trump, there’s no contradiction between carrot and stick. For China, that’s a contradiction. It will add to China’s desire to play safe, not to be played by Trump, whether it is a friendly or a hostile message.”