Trump team discards China-issued items before Air Force One flight
US officials and reporters travelling with Donald Trump reportedly discarded China-issued phones, badges and pins before boarding Air Force One.
US officials, aides and reporters travelling on Air Force One were told to dispose of gifts, lapel pins, identification badges and temporary mobile phones received during President Donald Trump’s visit to China before the aircraft departed for the United States.
Trump and a US delegation left Beijing on Friday (May 15) after two days of high-level talks with the Chinese government led by President Xi Jinping.
Before boarding Air Force One, White House officials and members of the travelling press were reportedly required to hand over items collected during the visit, including China-issued disposable phones, credentials and pins.
The items were then thrown into a bin placed near the bottom of the aircraft stairs, according to a journalist travelling with the White House press pool.
“Nothing from China is allowed on the plane,” Emily Goodin, White House correspondent for the New York Post, wrote in a post on X.
A World Forum Facebook post cited in the source material said Trump’s meeting with Xi appeared friendly in front of the media, but tensions reportedly emerged behind the scenes between officials and security teams from both countries over media coverage and security arrangements.
The report said US protective personnel were prevented from entering the Temple of Heaven because they were carrying firearms as part of their security duties. The US press corps was also reportedly blocked from joining the US president’s motorcade before the two sides held talks for nearly one and a half hours.
Similar friction occurred during former US President Barack Obama’s visit to China for the G20 summit in 2016, when US and Chinese officials also clashed over security arrangements.
