RARE: President Trump Makes Chinese President Xi Jinping Laugh After Showing Him Joe Biden’s Auto-Pen Portrait

President Donald Trump escorted Chinese President Xi Jinping past a new White House display featuring portraits of U.S. presidents and a depiction mocking former President Joe Biden during the pair’s summit on Thursday, a day marked by ceremonial pageantry, public displays of friendship and high-level talks on the future of U.S.-China relations.

Pointing to his portraits along the colonnade commemorating his first and second terms, Trump then gestured toward a depiction of an autopen associated with Biden and joked, “Trump, and then Trump, and this is the autopen,” according to video shared by a White House aide, drawing laughter from Xi and his entourage.

“It’s Biden,” Trump said, nudging Xi.

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"This is the autopen… it's Biden."

President Trump shows off the legendary Presidential Walk of Fame to President Xi. pic.twitter.com/qUQEM6XoLj

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 24, 2026

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President Trump said he had “never gotten along better” with President Xi Jinping of China on Thursday during a day of military flyovers, gifts of pandas and lavish ceremonies that masked significant divides over artificial intelligence and trade.

“President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems but the ties between our people endure,” Mr. Trump said at the start of the state dinner with Mr. Xi at the White House. “Together we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations.”

The flattery capped a day in which Mr. Trump appeared focused on growing a personal relationship with Mr. Xi to strengthen ties between the two nations, while Mr. Xi at times was more pointed on the challenges before them.

After arriving to the White House earlier in the day, Mr. Xi warned that the two countries should avoid the “Thucydides Trap,” the theory that a rising power and an established power are likely to go to war.

“We do not need to avoid mentioning competition, but our competition should be a healthy one and should be kept within bounds,” Mr. Xi said. “It should be a race of catching up with one another, not a wrestle in which one either wins or loses. China and the United States must hold the line of no conflict and no confrontation between us.”

The two leaders did appear to broach pressing issues behind the scenes. Mr. Trump said they planned on discussing security and “super intelligence,” his attempt at rebranding artificial intelligence, technology that has spurred global concern in recent weeks. In their private meeting, the two leaders also deliberated trade, Taiwan, the Middle East and Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to the official Chinese summary of talks.

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