US Secret Service officials reportedly scuffled with members of the Chinese press corps outside the White House shortly before Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived for a state visit.
Video shared by Telegraph journalist Connor Stringer showed Chinese cameramen pushing and shoving with US government officials as both sides tried to secure positions to film Xi’s arrival.
In a post on X, Stringer described the scene as “Chaos ahead of Xi Jinping’s arrival at the White House”, saying there was “lots of shouting and raised voices” as the Chinese journalists refused to move for Secret Service officials.
White House officials reportedly threatened to remove one Chinese official after he attempted to interfere with the US government live feed.
Chaos ahead of Xi Jinping’s arrival at the White House as the travelling Chinese press corps push and shove their way into position.
Lots of shouting and raised voices as they refuse to move for Secret Service.
A reminder that they trampled a White House staff member during… pic.twitter.com/l78TYLLkaa
— Connor Stringer (@connorstringer) September 24, 2026
Xi arrived in Washington on Thursday for China’s first US state visit in more than a decade. He was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan.
The Chinese president and his wife were given a military band and red-carpet welcome on the White House’s South Lawn. They stepped out of a black limousine before briefly waving to the cameras.
Trump patted Xi on the back before the two leaders went inside the White House.
Trump Hails ‘Friendship’ With Xi
Speaking in the Grand Foyer of the White House, Trump struck a warm tone towards his Chinese counterpart. He said the two leaders had “forged a friendship” over the past decade and had “made tremendous strides on the issues facing our two countries”.
“Just as our ancestors reached across the ocean centuries ago to trade, to learn, and to build a better world, our two countries do really the same thing, and we’re very proud of it and the relationship,” Trump said.
Trump also said the two sides would discuss “pressing” security issues surrounding “superintelligence”, his preferred term for artificial intelligence.
He has been seeking to standardise the use of the term as the US and China compete in the rapidly developing AI sector.
Trump also reflected on cooperation between the US and China during World War Two and spoke positively about the Chinese term “gung-ho”, which literally means working together and has since entered common use in English.