Melania Trump appears to step back as Donald greets Xi Jinping with handshake

WASHINGTON, DC: Melania Trump drew attention during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit after appearing to step back during a brief handshake moment involving Xi and President Donald Trump.

The interaction took place during the formal ceremonies surrounding Xi’s visit to Washington on Wednesday, September 24.

The video shows a brief moment involving Melania Trump, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping during the formal welcome ceremony.

Melania Trump’s brief moment with Xi Jinping

The moment unfolded on red-carpeted stairs during the formal welcome for Xi.

Donald Trump and Xi exchanged several handshakes and were also seen patting each other on the arm, while Melania appeared to step back during one of the exchanges.

The short interaction stood out because it happened in the middle of a highly formal diplomatic welcome.

However, the available description of the moment does not establish why Melania stepped back, leaving different interpretations of what viewers saw.

The interaction came as Donald Trump made an unusual choice for the arrival ceremony, traveling to Joint Base Andrews to personally receive Xi rather than waiting for the Chinese president at the White House.

Donald Trump pulls out the stops for Xi Jinping

Trump was accompanied by Melania as he waited at the Maryland military base to welcome Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan.

The arrival featured a roughly 100-foot red carpet lined with US service members, along with a formal presentation of the US and Chinese flags and the two countries’ anthems. Two B-1 bombers also flew overhead during the ceremony.

The military welcome gave Xi’s arrival a highly formal setting before the leaders continued with the rest of the state visit.

Trump and Xi exchanged handshakes during the ceremony, with arm pats adding to the visible gestures between the two leaders.

Xi Jinping visit comes as US-China trade truce is extended

The diplomatic ceremony came alongside movement in US-China trade talks.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that Washington and Beijing had agreed to extend the Busan trade truce, moving the deadline from November to January 10.

The announcement followed Bessent’s meeting earlier that day with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

Xi’s Washington visit also came as world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

Xi bypassed the gathering, continuing a pattern he has followed for most of his presidency since 2012. He has addressed the assembly only once.

The combination of the formal welcome and the trade discussions made Xi’s visit a closely watched diplomatic event, with the brief moment involving Melania becoming one of the visual details that drew attention.