Donald Trump spared little expense for his glamorous State Dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping, while the leaders devoted much of Xi’s visit to the most difficult issues confronting their countries.

The lavish black-tie gathering in the White House’s historic East Room was among the administration’s most star-studded events. It also offered a polished setting for easing the intense geopolitical tensions between Washington and the Asian superpower.

Trump praised Xi warmly, saying the two had formed a “truly great friendship” during his decade in politics.

Despite the show of cordiality, the United States and China remain sharply divided over the war in Iran. They are also struggling to reach agreement on trade and on how to manage the rapid and disruptive development of artificial intelligence.

The Iran War was among the subjects discussed during Trump’s talks with Xi in Washington before the dinner, China’s state broadcaster, China Central Television, reported.

Trump has repeatedly argued, with limited success, that China has a strong reason to use its influence with Tehran to help end the conflict. Beijing relies far more heavily than the United States on oil from the Gulf.

Yet Trump’s decision to pursue the war has unsettled Beijing. The Chinese government has condemned U.S. and Israeli military action, while Xi has previously warned that the conflict reflected a return to what he described as the “law of the jungle.”

The Trump administration has also cautioned China, Iran’s largest trading partner, against supporting Tehran’s military campaign.

During Thursday’s discussions, Xi said China supports a return by the United States and Iran to a short-lived interim agreement reached during the summer to bring the war to an end, CCTV reported.

The agreement collapsed shortly after it was signed in June, when the two countries resumed exchanging fire over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy shipments.

Artificial intelligence was another topic on the agenda, with Trump seeking to rebrand the technology as “superintelligence.” Several prominent figures from the AI industry attended the dinner.

Trump has dismissed calls for tighter regulation as concern grows around the world that AI could eliminate jobs or, in the most extreme scenarios, pose an existential threat to humanity.

“I want to leave it exactly where it is,” Trump wrote. “That is China’s position also.”

Xi took a different emphasis in his opening remarks, saying the United States and China had “the capability and responsibility to develop and manage AI for good and ensure that the development of AI is always under human control and serves the well-being of the people.”

The countries’ finance ministers met earlier in the week, when the United States proposed establishing a new “notification mechanism” for reporting AI-related incidents between Washington and Beijing.

In their private discussion Thursday, Xi urged Trump to maintain opposition to Taiwan independence and called on him to “prudently handle the Taiwan issue,” according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.

The White House did not immediately release any readout of the talks and Trump, who frequently offers his own take of his interactions with foreign leaders on his social media platform, has yet to weigh in on the substance of his conversations with Xi.

Trump, who is in the midst of a legal fight after trying to bar CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House, did complain that TV networks ‘refused to cover one of the Biggest and Most Beautiful Events to take place in many years.’

The White House’s five-network television pool rotation refused to cover Trump’s events in response to the action against CNN.

China has made clear it views Taiwan as the most sensitive issue in the U.S.-China relationship. 

Beijing considers Taiwan to be Chinese territory and vows to annex the island by force if necessary. The United States is obligated by law to provide Taiwan with sufficient hardware to deter any armed attack from the mainland.

The US has said it opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side.

China has repeatedly pressed Washington to permanently halt the arms sales, including when Trump and Xi met in Beijing in May.

After that meeting, Trump said he was holding off on final approval for a record $14billion arms package that was in the pipeline. 

He also described arms sales to Taiwan as a ‘very good negotiating chip’ with China. 

Trump had made clear he wanted to impress Xi with the visit. 

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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.

President Trump took the podium to kick off the grand evening.  

‘You are truly outstanding, amazing people… we hope to show you the same honor as you return to Washington for the first time in over a decade,’ President Trump started in his speech. 

‘As the leaders of our two nations, President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure and we have never gotten along better.’

Trump invited guests to take a look at his new ballroom, which he lamented was not ready in time for their dinner.

‘Anybody who wants to walk into a construction site that’s nice and clean and sparkling, it is our honor to have you do so,’ Trump said to laughter, the one part of his speech he noted was ‘off script.’

Trump gifted Xi something made by an American artist; a bald eagle. He called it a ‘national symbol of the United States and embodiment of the free and soaring spirit of America.’

Xi then gave his speech, where he thanked the Trump’s for hosting them, saying they made them feel ‘truly at home.’

‘Today, President Trump and I had sincere and in-depth exchanges and reached common understanding on many issues,’ Xi stated. ‘Chinese modernization has reached new ground. These goals are ambitious and can surely be mutually reinforcing.’

‘Together let us write a new chapter in our friendly relations,’ Xi added, before asking for a toast.  

Some of the CEOs there were Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, Michael Dell, Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, Jane Fraser and Tim Cook. 

Huang, Musk and Cook were seated at the Trumps’ table. 

Beyond the corporate executives, key political attendees include Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Speaker Mike Johnson, as well as family members like Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, and foreign dignitaries including LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault. Prominent media figures are also present, including Fox News anchors and hosts Bret Baier, Laura Ingraham, and Jesse Watters.

Behind closed doors in the East Room tonight, Melania’s office says they personally orchestrated the evening’s extravagant arrangements, transforming the space with red linens, Reagan-era vermeil, and overflowing urns of crimson dahlias – a striking aesthetic that the First Lady notes ‘draws on the color red’s longstanding cultural significance throughout Chinese history.’

As the leaders and their guests dine, there were several performances, including military musicians and inauguration tenor Christopher Macchio setting a grand soundtrack.

Inside the dining room, guests were raising glasses of Schramsberg ‘Blanc De Noir’ for a symbolic toast, reviving the historic 1972 ‘Toast to Peace’ between Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai in China. 

White House chefs fused classic American ingredients with subtle Asian flavors across a lavish multi-course menu. 

VIPs enjoy a silky yellow squash velouté topped with crispy pancetta, followed by sesame-crusted sea bass served over braised baby bok choy, before rounding out the feast with a fruit-shaped vanilla cremeux paired with ice cream churned directly from White House honey.

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 Trump’s 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.

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.

This week’s three-day visit is packed with cultural events alongside tough bilateral negotiations, where trade battles and thorny conflicts from tech dominance to Tehran are set to take center stage.

According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the two leaders could face each other up to four times before the year is out, with November’s APEC summit in Shenzhen and December’s G20 at Trump’s Doral golf resort in Miami already on the schedule.

The diplomatic charm offensive continues Friday, when the Trumps, Xi, and Madame Peng tour the National Archives to view America’s original founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

A New York City Episcopal priest has claimed that Jesus Christ was transgender and that God is nonbinary—views once also held by seminarian and Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.

Father Flourish Klink, who identifies as nonbinary and transgender, made the claims during a recent sermon at Christ & St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

“God is nonbinary,” Klink said, according to a clip from the church’s livestream that was shared on X Wednesday. “But I’m going to go further than that, and I’m going to say God is actually also trans.”

Klink, who uses “they/elle/hen” pronouns, compared the experience of transgender people—whose gender is assigned at birth based on physical appearance—to the nature of God.

“When we’re old enough, we realize that wasn’t right and we’re not, in our deepest selves, the gender that everyone thought we were. Reasonable working definition of a trans person, right?” Klink asked the congregation.

“When God, who—as we have established is nonbinary—was born in human form as our Lord Jesus Christ, Mary said, ‘Oh look, a baby boy.’”

Klink, who has a spouse and daughter, paused before continuing: “God isn’t a boy, we have established this. God is beyond boy and girl.”

“God was assigned a gender at birth, and later on it became clear that that gender wasn’t right.”

“So if you’re gonna deny that God is trans, I think you’re going to be denying the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and I have some notes about that,” Klink said.

Klink later argued that Jesus did not live according to the traditional expectations placed on a first-century man. The priest pointed to Jesus’ unmarried life and his interactions with women, which Klink described as differing from a “traditionally masculine way” of living.

Klink also cited biblical accounts describing Jesus as appearing different after his resurrection as support for the claim that Jesus was transgender.

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“There was something different about Jesus,” Klink said, while acknowledging that the Bible does not specify what had changed.

“The Bible doesn’t tell us why it is that Jesus’ best friends, his disciples, the people who had walked with him to the end of his life, the people who had buried him in the tomb when it was politically difficult, who were committed to him still didn’t recognize Jesus for a good long time,” Klink said.

Klink’s concluding argument relied on personal interpretation and speculation rather than specific biblical evidence.

“Now I don’t know for sure, I wasn’t there,” Klink acknowledged.

“But based on everything else I know about God, I have an idea. I think Jesus was resurrected as Jesus’ true self, which is beyond male or female. I think Jesus was not only transfigured; I think Jesus transitioned.”

The sermon drew criticism online, with some viewers questioning Klink’s authority and condemning the remarks as “blasphemous.”

“I dont understand how so many Christians just stand by and let this happen? Where is the push back?” one commenter wrote.

Another commenter disputed Klink’s description of Mary’s reaction, writing: “Mary didn’t say ‘oh look a baby boy’ and decided his gender!? This is a lie. The angel Gabriel says ‘You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.’”

“There is a special place in hell for these pernicious blasphemers,” a third added.

Klink’s views follow Talarico’s similar remarks, but the pol has since backtracked as he seeks victory in the closely watched Senate race against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is nonbinary,” Talarico said on the State House Floor back in 2021 when he was a state Rep.

“I was being provocative with that statement. I get that,” Talarico admitted, explaining, “What I was trying to say is that you can’t use human categories to define God, and that’s not controversial theologically. In fact, the late Charlie Kirk, the late Pope Benedict all said the same thing.”

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs warned Wednesday that expanding military cooperation between Russia and Iran is becoming an increasingly serious security threat. In an on-camera interview with News Media, he said Iranian drone technology has supported Moscow’s war in Ukraine as Latvia prepares to contribute to a U.S.-led mission in the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Rinkēvičs said Latvia has made the political decision to send military specialists to support international operations in the Middle East after President Donald Trump appealed to European countries for assistance. Latvia, home to about 1.84 million people, remains a key NATO member on the alliance’s eastern flank.

“Yes, I am concerned. Actually, we have already seen Iran helping Russia a lot, especially at the very beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” Rinkēvičs said when asked about the deepening partnership between Moscow and Tehran.

“The first drones made by Iran, or based on Iranian designs, were used by Russia. Now the Russians are modernizing them and developing entirely new technologies. But the design is still Iranian.”

News Media reported earlier this week on documents obtained from Russia’s Foreign Ministry that outline a 2024-2026 cooperation roadmap between Russia and Iran. The agreement covers several areas, including nuclear issues, finance, aviation and infrastructure.

Asked whether Europe should play a more active role in opposing Iran’s military activities and answer Trump’s request for support, Rinkēvičs said Latvia had already begun taking steps to join an international operation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“From our side, we have already made a parliamentary decision that our EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) diver specialists could be sent to the Strait of Hormuz or to the Middle East to help the United States and the coalition that is being formed,” he said.

Rinkēvičs said he hoped military operations would ultimately be followed by a political settlement and the restoration of global energy supplies. At the same time, he expressed doubts about the likelihood of successful negotiations with either Tehran or Moscow.

“It’s very, very difficult to have diplomacy with Iran. It’s very difficult with Russia,” he said.

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Addressing Europe’s broader security outlook, Rinkēvičs said Latvia had not seen signs of an imminent Russian military invasion, despite mounting concern over Moscow’s intentions toward NATO’s eastern flank.

“If Russia were able to attack us … that would have happened already,” he said. “The Russian military is not the same as it used to be back in 2022. Remember, they tried to take Kyiv in three days. They are still trying to seize certain small pieces of Ukrainian territory 4½ years after the full-fledged [war began].”

Rinkēvičs said Latvia’s more immediate threats come from sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, which he described as intensifying. European leaders, he added, face the difficult challenge of preparing the public for potential dangers without fueling unnecessary panic.

The Latvian president also urged NATO to speed up its adaptation to the changing character of warfare, particularly as drones and missile systems assume a larger role on the battlefield.

Although conventional equipment such as tanks and armored personnel carriers remains important, Rinkēvičs said the war in Ukraine has shown how rapidly emerging technologies are reshaping modern combat.

Rinkēvičs welcomed higher NATO defense spending and credited Trump with pressing allies to invest more. However, he cautioned that additional money alone would not solve the alliance’s military readiness problems.

“You have money, but you cannot always buy the equipment immediately, or even place orders for it. And it may not be delivered soon enough,” he said.

Rinkēvičs said he plans to meet with U.S. defense companies during his visit to the U.S., saying, “When it comes to the U.S. support, let me just say that the United States does an amazing job already. We do have U.S. troops, not big numbers, but I think sufficient numbers are now stationed in our airbase in Lielvārde.

“U.S. presence in the Baltics is very important, and we are working with our U.S. partners about further rotations.”