During a high-profile visit to Beijing, President Donald Trump used the opportunity to take a sharp jab at his predecessor, Joe Biden. In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping would never have agreed to meet with Biden, stating, "Joe Biden wouldn't even get a meeting with Xi." The comment, made after Trump's own lengthy meeting with Xi, immediately drew widespread criticism and fact-checking from social media users and political commentators.
The remark was part of a broader discussion about the success of Trump's meeting with Xi, which he described as high-stakes and highly productive. Trump asserted that under Biden, such a meeting would have been impossible. "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 then interjected, suggesting Biden might not have the focus to manage such a meeting, to which Trump replied, "He wouldn't come here. But assuming he came, I don't think he'd even have a meeting."
However, the historical record directly contradicts Trump's claims. Joe Biden and Xi Jinping held multiple official meetings during Biden's presidency. Their last formal meeting took place on November 16, 2024, in Lima, Peru, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. That meeting was characterized as a "farewell" session, aimed at stabilizing bilateral relations ahead of the US presidential transition. Prior to that, in November 2023, Xi Jinping traveled to the United States to meet with Biden at the Filoli Estate in Woodside, California, near San Francisco. That meeting coincided with the APEC summit hosted by the US, where both leaders discussed a range of issues including trade, technology, and climate change.
The 2023 meeting was particularly significant because it marked Xi's first visit to the US since 2017, when he met with then-President Trump at Mar-a-Lago. During Biden's term, the two leaders also held several virtual summits and phone calls, including a notable video call in November 2021 where they discussed Taiwan, human rights, and economic cooperation. Trump's assertion that Xi would not meet Biden ignores these well-documented diplomatic engagements.
Social Media Reactions: Fact-Checking Trump
Following Trump's interview, social media platforms erupted with reactions. Many users posted photos and videos from the 2023 Xi-Biden meeting in California. One user on X (formerly Twitter) shared a photo of Xi and Biden walking together at the Filoli Estate, captioned: "Xi came to see Biden, not the other way around. Donald Trump is an idiot." Another wrote, "I love reading these posts from the people Trump has completely broken."
Supporters of Trump, however, defended his remarks. One user commented, "Biden doesn't even know where he is, who he is and 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." Others pointed out that Xi never visited the White House during Biden's term, but noted that Xi is scheduled to visit Washington in September 2026, as invited by Trump. "Xi is coming to the White House later this year…," one individual stated, referring to the planned visit.
A user also highlighted the difference in invitation patterns: "Xi never visited Biden at the WH. They did meet on the sidelines of APEC Summit. 2017: President Xi met with President Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Xi has been invited to the WH Sept 2026." Another netizen praised Trump, saying, "PESKY FACT: Joe Biden was not invited to China during his presidency." While it is true that Biden never visited China as president, the Biden administration maintained active diplomacy through summits and high-level visits by officials like Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Historical Context of US-China Presidential Meetings
The relationship between US presidents and Chinese leaders has a long history of both formal and informal meetings. Since the normalization of relations in 1979, every American president has met with his Chinese counterpart. Richard Nixon's historic 1972 visit to China set the stage for diplomatic engagements, and subsequent leaders continued the tradition. Under Barack Obama, meetings with Xi were frequent, including a 2013 summit in California (the Sunnylands Summit) and several APEC and G20 encounters.
Trump himself hosted Xi at Mar-a-Lago in 2017, a meeting that produced trade agreements and personal rapport but later deteriorated into a trade war. During the Biden years, the US-China relationship became more adversarial, with tensions over Taiwan, technology restrictions, and human rights. Despite this, Biden and Xi managed to maintain a channel of communication, culminating in the 2023 California summit where they agreed to resume military-to-military talks and address fentanyl trafficking.
The claim that Xi would refuse to meet Biden ignores the pragmatic nature of great-power diplomacy. Leaders meet not out of personal affinity but because of strategic necessity. China and the US are the world's two largest economies, and their interaction shapes global stability. Meetings between Biden and Xi were held to manage competition and prevent conflict, not because of personal fondness. Trump's assertion, therefore, appears to be a rhetorical tool to portray himself as a stronger negotiator and more respected leader.
The Beijing Visit and Its Significance
Trump's own meeting with Xi in Beijing was carefully staged. The two leaders discussed trade imbalances, technology transfers, and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Trump emphasized the warm personal relationship he claims to have with Xi, a contrast he used to criticize Biden's inability to secure similar rapport. During the Fox News interview, Trump also noted that many top business leaders present at the meeting had never met Xi before, implying that his presence facilitated unprecedented access.
The visit comes at a time when US-China relations are at a delicate juncture. The Biden administration had imposed tariffs and export controls, which Trump has promised to escalate or renegotiate. Trump's strategy appears to be one of personal diplomacy combined with transactional threats. By highlighting that Xi met with him but allegedly would not meet with Biden, Trump aims to undermine Biden's foreign policy legacy and bolster his own image as a decisive leader.
However, diplomatic experts caution against oversimplification. Meetings between heads of state are scheduled based on mutual interests, logistical feasibility, and broader geopolitical context. Biden's decision not to visit China during his term was partly due to the pandemic and partly due to a strategic choice to avoid giving China undue prestige. Instead, Biden hosted Xi in the US and met him at international summits. Trump's claim that Biden could not get a meeting is factually inaccurate and ignores the reality that Biden and Xi met multiple times in various formats.
The backlash on social media reflects a broader polarization in American politics. Supporters of Trump see his comments as evidence of his effectiveness, while critics view them as yet another example of his willingness to distort facts. The incident also highlights the power of digital platforms to instantly fact-check public figures. Within hours of Trump's interview, news outlets and individual users had compiled evidence of Biden-Xi meetings, making the falsehood easily debunkable.
As of now, the White House has not officially responded to Trump's remarks. However, former Biden administration officials have pointed out that the claim is demonstrably false. One former senior official commented anonymously that "the record speaks for itself. President Biden met with President Xi multiple times, including hosting him in the United States. Pretending otherwise is simply dishonest."
In the coming months, the US-China relationship will continue to evolve. Trump has signaled a desire to maintain open lines of communication with Xi, while also pursuing aggressive trade policies. Whether the personal rapport between Trump and Xi leads to tangible results remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the memory of Biden's diplomatic engagements with China remains fresh, and attempts to rewrite history are likely to be met with strong resistance from those who recall the actual events.
The episode serves as a reminder that in the age of instant information, political claims are quickly scrutinized. For Trump, the risk of being caught in a falsehood is high, but his base may remain unswayed. For the broader public, the incident underscores the importance of verifying claims before accepting them as truth.
Source: AOL.com News