Trump invites Xi to inauguration, CBS News reports
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his inauguration ceremony in January, CBS News reported on Dec. 11, citing multiple unnamed sources.
Trump will begin his second term in the White House on Jan. 20, 2025. If Xi accepts the invitation, it will mark the first time a foreign leader has attended a U.S. presidential inauguration.
It is not clear yet whether Xi will actually attend the ceremony, CBS News reported. Trump's team is also considering inviting other world leaders, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Orban is "still considering" whether or not to attend, a source told CBS News.
Both China and Hungary have remained Kremlin allies throughout Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It is not typical to invite foreign heads of state to U.S. presidential inaugurations. According to U.S. State Department records dating back to 1874, a foreign leader has never attended such a ceremony.
"World leaders are lining up to meet with President Trump because they know he will soon return to power and restore peace through American strength around the globe," Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.
Trump has often expressed admiration for authoritarian leaders, including those with traditionally adversarial relationships to the U.S. He praised both Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "smart, tough" leaders during a campaign rally in July.
Trump also hosted Orban on Dec. 10 at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Orban has been a vocal supporter of Trump, repeatedly claiming that the Trump administration will cut support to Ukraine and force its leadership into peace talks with Moscow.
China, officially a neutral party in Russia's war against Ukraine, has strengthened its ties with the Kremlin since the full-scale invasion. Beijing has also positioned itself as a mediator in the conflict, trying to enlist developing nations in its six-point peace plan, which China and Brazil laid out in May.
Trump's imminent return to the White House raises concerns about the U.S. withdrawing military aid and pressuring Kyiv toward painful concessions.
Oleksiy Sorokin
