Donald Trump’s White House reportedly made extensive accommodations for Chinese President Xi Jinping during his Washington visit, amid claims that the 73-year-old leader was dealing with physical difficulties and limited stamina.
The two leaders appeared to strike up a warm rapport in public, including at an elaborate State Dinner hosted for Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan.
However, a new report says a series of unusual requests from Xi’s team consumed significant time during the summit. The Wall Street Journal reported that the arrangements were made behind the scenes.
According to the report, the measures focused on the Chinese leader’s need for regular rest and concerns surrounding his physical condition, fueling renewed speculation about his health.
People involved in organizing the summit said Xi’s schedule was structured around how long he could stand or walk comfortably, as well as the points at which he would need to pause for breaks.
Chinese officials reportedly requested a private “hold room” in the West Wing where Xi could rest between engagements. Only his wife was said to have been permitted to remain with him there.
Dennis Wilder, a former senior China director at the National Security Council, described the request as highly unusual and without precedent.
The reported need for additional rest also led to the cancellation of a working lunch with Trump on September 24, creating a five-hour gap in Xi’s two-day Washington itinerary.
Donald Trump’s White House reportedly took extensive steps to accommodate Chinese President Xi Jinping amid claims about the leader’s physical condition and stamina during his Washington visit.
Although Trump hosted Xi and Peng Liyuan at a lavish State Dinner, reports indicate that the Chinese delegation made several unusual requests linked to the president’s reported health needs.
Trump and Xi had previously held a comparable meeting when the American president traveled to Beijing in May.
Xi also had no public engagements beyond the official summit on the evening of his arrival. He spent only about 10 minutes at the National Archives, despite US officials having prepared for a longer visit.
Some viewers closely watching his arrival in Washington noted that Xi appeared to grip his wife’s hand tightly while walking down the aircraft stairs, interpreting the gesture as a possible need for additional support.
The Daily Mail said it contacted the White House and a spokesperson for President Xi for comment.
Speculation about Xi’s health has circulated for years. Unverified claims have variously suggested that he suffered a heart attack, was diagnosed with cancer or survived a stroke.
More recently, conspiracy theories intensified during last month’s BRICS summit after video footage appeared to show Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pausing during a speech to check on Xi.
The footage shows Modi interrupting his opening remarks and turning toward Xi after what appeared to be a commotion nearby.
“Is it okay?” Modi is heard repeatedly asking the translator accompanying the Chinese leader, while several people who appeared to be aides or staff members moved toward Xi.
Viewers studying Xi Jinping’s arrival in Washington noted that he appeared to hold his wife’s hand tightly while descending the plane’s stairs, prompting speculation that he needed extra support.
Xi Jinping has faced speculation about his health for years, including before he became China’s president.
Later in the day, President Xi skipped the gala dinner hosted by Modi for leaders of the BRICS nations – where ally Vladimir Putin was also in attendance – spurring commentary about his ill health.
It later emerged that the exchange at the summit was because Xi’s translator earpiece had broken.
However, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, he skipped the gala because he was unwell, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi attending in his place.
Theories previously reached a peak in 2012, after President Xi mysteriously disappeared for two weeks when he was still the country’s vice-president – fueling rumors he had potentially been the subject of an attempted assassination.
In July 2024, a photo of the Chinese leader supposedly wincing in pain went viral on social media, with people claiming that he had suffered a stroke.
It turned out the image was taken from four months before, and the Chinese president was merely reacting to something he had drunk while at the National People’s Congress.
In September 2025, a hot mic caught Putin discussing immortality during a summit with President Xi and Kim Jong Un in Beijing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
The pair were heard chatting about the possibility of achieving immortality with organ transplants and advanced medical procedures.
President Trump and First Lady Melania, welcome China President XI Jinping and his wife, First Lady Peng Liyuan to the White House for an Official State Arrival
Even before Xi became president, his health was a popular topic of speculation in the country, particularly among critics of the communist regime.
This is despite the fact that the high level of internet censorship in China means that anything deemed a criticism of President Xi or the Chinese Communist Party is blocked or immediately removed.
Leaders’ health is typically considered a state secret in China.
Trump pulled out all the stops for his visit with Xi as the two spent much of his time discussing the toughest issues facing their nations.
The dramatic spectacle began the moment the Chinese president and his wife touched down at Joint Base Andrews.
As the leaders stood on the tarmac alongside rows of soldiers positioned in front of F-35 fighter jets and Air Force One, a screaming flyover shattered the air overhead.
The deafening roar caught Trump off guard, causing him to visibly wince while a stoic, stone-faced Xi didn’t even flinch.
Breaking more than a decade of presidential protocol, the Trumps personally greeted the Chinese delegation on the tarmac – marking the first time a sitting US president has met a foreign leader at an airport in over 11 years.
Thursday night’s lavish black-tie State Dinner in the historic East Room of the White House stands as one of the most star-studded evenings of the administration, offering a glitzy opportunity to smooth over notoriously fierce geopolitical friction with the Asian superpower
Accommodations allegedly included a separate room in the West Wing where Xi could rest which was only accessible to his wife
A grinning Trump also celebrated an immediate PR win when Xi announced Beijing is sending two giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, to Zoo Atlanta within days, continuing the famous ‘panda diplomacy’ tradition sparked by Richard Nixon’s 1972 trip.
That was followed by the State Dinner, a lavish black-tie affair in the historic East Room that stands as one of the most star-studded evenings of the administration, offering a glitzy opportunity to smooth over notoriously fierce geopolitical friction with the superpower.
Trump heaped praise on Xi, with whom he says he has developed a ‘truly great friendship’ over his decade in politics.
However, the two nations remain divided on the war in Iran and are still grappling to find common ground on trade and how to best navigate the jarring advances of artificial intelligence.
Trump had made clear he wanted to impress Xi with the visit.
The Republican President made sure construction of a new helicopter landing pad on the White House’s South Lawn was completed before the visit and he met Xi and his wife on Wednesday evening when they flew into Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.
The Daily Mail contacted Xi’s office for comment.