Trump's entourage discards gifts from China before boarding Air Force One
President of the United States, Donald Trump’s entourage is reported to have discarded items given by Chinese officials. They threw them away before boarding the presidential aircraft, Air Force One.
As reported by The Daily Express via detikNews, Saturday (16/5/2026), it was mentioned that staff and delegates took the items distributed by Beijing to the press entourage, and threw them away.
According to Emily Goodin, a journalist from the New York Post, the items included “identification cards, disposable phones from White House staff, and delegation badges.”
“American staff took all the items distributed by Chinese officials - identification cards, disposable mobile phones from White House staff, delegation badges - collected them before we boarded AF1 (Air Force One) and threw them in the trash under the stairs,” Goodin wrote on social media X.
“No items from China are allowed on the plane. We will be departing for America soon,” she added.
It is known that during the bilateral meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Trump at his official residence, Zhongnanhai, before Trump returned to Washington.
The two leaders of the world’s superpowers took a short walk in the courtyard, which featured ancient trees and Chinese roses. Afterwards, they had tea and lunch, surrounded by aides and chief translators, and talked for almost three hours before Trump completed his visit.
“These have truly been some amazing days,” Trump told reporters.
According to Chinese government officials, Xi warned Trump during a private conversation that their differences regarding the self-governing island of Taiwan, if not handled properly, could lead the dominant world powers towards “clash and even conflict.”
US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, told NBC News that US policy towards Taiwan “has not changed.” He warned that it would be a “big mistake” for China to try to seize Taiwan by force. He also described Xi’s comments as standard practice.
(apu/apu)