Americans fume over US troops tidying up red carpet for Xi Jinping
Footage of US service members on their hands and knees preparing a red carpet moments before Xi Jinping‘s arrival in Washington has gone viral, sparking ridicule and criticism for the Chinese president’s welcome.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, arrived in the US on Wednesday, 23 September. US president Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump personally met them on the tarmac, an unusual protocol gesture for an arrival at Andrews airbase. The ceremony also included military honours, fighter aircraft and a B-1 bomber flyover.
Later in the day, clips made rounds online, showing US troops smoothing and brushing the carpet at the tarmac before Xi emerged from his aircraft.
That seemed to be a last-minute protocol activity — but the footage did not sit well with some X users.
Chinese officials look on as some final adjustments to the red carpet are made for President Xi. pic.twitter.com/aG8Jwtg6Nx
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 23, 2026
What X users said
The photographs and short video clips gave oxygen to both critics and defenders of the Trump administration.
One X user described the scene simply as «American efficiency.» Another mocked the administration by asking why officials had not used White House communications director Steven Cheung to roll the carpet instead.
Why didn't they just roll Steven Cheung across it? pic.twitter.com/7H8zDRKf5w
— BuffaloPhil™ (@buffalophil21) September 23, 2026
Other posts cast the image as humiliating for the US or contrasted Xi’s welcome with that given to other visiting leaders.
Trump is such an embarrassment to the world and to America.
— Fozon Capital (@FozonCapital) September 24, 2026
No wonder China disregards every demand Donnie makes. pic.twitter.com/Ij4u03nAcu
But one user argued that personnel preparing and straightening ceremonial carpets immediately before an arrival was standard operating procedure and usually went unnoticed because cameras did not focus on it.
If you weren't such fuckin' idoits, you'd know this is SOP. You can't roll the carpet out till everything else is in place. You usually don't see this, because the media doesn't show it. But they have the redass now.
— Diogenes Sarcastica (@KonanBarBarron) September 24, 2026
Joint Base Andrews’ protocol office routinely coordinates ceremonies for foreign leaders and other distinguished visitors.
Official US Air Force material from King Charles III’s state visit in April likewise describes personnel preparing the flight line for a military arrival ceremony, which included an armed-forces honour cordon and red carpet.
高市早苗と習近平、アメリカ到着時の比較をどうぞ pic.twitter.com/nPe5Pbch84
— 桃太郎＋ (@momotro018) September 23, 2026
Read more: Up to four Trump–Xi meetings expected in 2026 as US–China ties stabilise
The optics were already part of the story
Trump’s decision to meet Xi personally at Andrews was itself a rare protocol move. The White House then scheduled a full state arrival ceremony, military review and state dinner, making symbolism an unusually prominent part of the visit.
That closely matches what US media and foreign-policy analysts had predicted before Xi landed. A Kursiv review of American commentary found broad expectations of a summit heavy on ceremony but unlikely to produce a sweeping strategic agreement.
Read more: ‘He will see a weakened superpower’: Analysts on Xi Jinping’s US visit
The underlying relationship is nevertheless considerably calmer than during the tariff escalation of 2025. Trump and Xi agreed last year to a one-year trade arrangement that lowered US tariffs on Chinese goods to 47% in exchange for measures including renewed agricultural purchases and continued rare-earth supplies.
