Trump’s Inauguration Invites Include CCP Leader Xi, Says Spokesperson

Former President Donald Trump speaks at Trump Tower in New York City on Sept. 26, 2024. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has extended an invitation to China’s Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration ceremony in Washington next month, a spokesperson of his transition team confirmed on Dec. 12.

When asked about the invitation to the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that it’s “true.”

“This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialog with leaders of countries that are not just our allies, but our adversaries and our competitors, too,” she said.

“We saw this in his first term. He got a lot of criticism for it, but it led to peace around this world. He is willing to talk to anyone, and he will always put America’s interest first.”

When asked whether Xi had responded, Leavitt said that was “to be determined.”

Leavitt confirmed that the invitation had also been extended to other foreign leaders, describing this move as a “precedent” for the Inaugural Committee when reaching out to dignitaries from around the globe. She didn’t elaborate on the details of the invitation.

During a speech at the New York Stock Exchange on Dec. 12, where Trump rang the opening bell to open the market, he mentioned that he was “even thinking about inviting certain people to the inauguration.”

“Some people said, ‘Wow, that’s a little risky, isn’t it?’ And I said: ‘Maybe it is. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens,’” Trump said. “But we like to take little chances, but that’s not a bad chance.”

If Xi were to attend the U.S. presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, it would be unprecedented. No record on China’s foreign ministry website indicates that any leader from the communist regime has attended such an event in the United States or elsewhere. Typically, Beijing sends a special envoy for such occasions instead.

During Trump’s first inauguration in January 2017, Cui Tiankai, then China’s ambassador to the United States, received an invitation, according to Beijing’s foreign ministry, whose spokesperson said it was customary for Washington to extend invitations to foreign envoys.

Records from the U.S. State Department, which date back to 1874, show that no foreign head of state has ever attended a swearing-in ceremony. Instead, invitations and tickets are usually allocated to members of Congress and the general public.

Trump has outlined a series of new tariffs that he plans to implement on his first day in office, with a particular focus on products from China. During his presidential campaign, Trump floated the idea of imposing tariffs as high as 60 percent on Chinese imports. More recently, he also threatened to introduce an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports because of the regime’s role in the fentanyl crisis and illegal immigration in the United States.

Meanwhile, China is grappling with a sluggish economy. The country has faced a real estate crisis, rising local government debt, record-high youth unemployment levels, and weak domestic consumption, which are all dragging down the growth of the world’s second-largest economy.

Adding to the economic woes, political tensions are simmering within the CCP’s upper echelons. Last month, a high-ranking commander who was widely seen as Xi’s ally was suspended over corruption allegations. The abrupt shake-up follows the ousting of two defense ministers, fueling speculations about Xi’s grip on power. Some analysts have interpreted these events as an indication of intensified factional struggles within the CCP.