Trump to greet Xi at Andrews Air Force Base, breaking protocol
President Donald Trump will greet Chinese President Xi Jinping at Andrews Air Force Base on Wednesday evening, breaking with standard presidential protocol that typically has lower-ranking officials receive foreign leaders at the airport. The unusual gesture aims to extend the fragile trade and diplomatic truce with Beijing, with Trump seeking to honor Xi ahead of his first state visit since 2015. Similar protocol breaks occurred with Eisenhower-Khrushchev in 1959, Kennedy-Nehru in 1961, and Reagan-Pope John Paul II in 1987. Trump previously welcomed Vladimir Putin on the tarmac in Anchorage in 2025. Xi travels with his wife Peng Liyuan, and the visit includes a military flyover, a 500-soldier ceremony, and a state dinner—only the second of Trump's second term.