Trump and Xi toasted at a White House state dinner Sept. 24, with Elon Musk, other tech leaders and cabinet officials. Trump went off script to discuss his 20,000-square-foot ballroom; Xi announced two pandas for Zoo Atlanta, and Trump gave Xi a bald eagle statue.
The dinner followed an Oval Office meeting, with technology, security and artificial intelligence among the day’s urgent topics. Trump said the countries’ ties endured despite their different systems; Xi described U.S.-China friendship as a cause with great promise.
Xi said pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang would arrive at Zoo Atlanta within days. Trump said that, if the ballroom were ready, it could accommodate more than 1,000 people, compared with 145 in the East Room.
