CNN clearly has a bone to pick with Trump when they just need to be reporting the news.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper reached more than a decade into the archives Friday, airing a 2015 video of Donald Trump criticizing the decision to give Chinese President Xi Jinping a formal White House state dinner.
The clip resurfaced shortly after President Trump welcomed Xi to Washington for a high-profile state visit that included military ceremonies, diplomatic talks and a state dinner at the White House.
The old footage gave CNN an opportunity to contrast Trump’s campaign-era rhetoric with the ceremonial treatment his administration gave Xi in September 2026.
CNN Resurfaces Trump’s 2015 Comments About Xi
The video shown by Tapper came from an August 2015 interview with then-Fox News host Bill O’Reilly.
Trump was campaigning for president at the time, and O’Reilly asked what he would do differently from then-President Barack Obama when dealing with the Chinese leader.
Trump said he would not give Xi an elaborate dinner. Instead, he joked that he would serve him a McDonald’s hamburger and immediately get down to business.
The remarks were consistent with one of Trump’s central campaign messages during the 2016 presidential race: that American leaders needed to take a tougher approach toward China on trade and other economic issues.
Eleven years later, however, Trump was the president hosting Xi at the White House.
Trump Hosts Xi at White House State Dinner
Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for an official state dinner on Thursday, September 24.
The event was one part of a broader state visit that included a formal arrival ceremony, bilateral discussions, a military review, a flyover, a gift exchange and additional events in Washington.
The dinner also attracted prominent figures from American business and technology.
Reuters reported that guests included Elon Musk and other major corporate executives, with the gathering putting some of America’s most influential business leaders in the same room as the U.S. and Chinese presidents.
For CNN, however, the most notable part of the occasion was the contrast with what Trump had said as a presidential candidate in 2015.
Jake Tapper Questions What The U.S. Gained
After showing the old footage, Tapper questioned Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana about the administration’s treatment of Xi.
Tapper acknowledged that presidents sometimes change their positions after entering office, but he pressed Stutzman on what the United States actually gained from the elaborate reception.
That question reflects a broader debate surrounding the visit.
The Trump administration portrayed the meetings as productive and said they advanced American economic interests. Trump said the discussions produced positive developments and expressed optimism about benefits for American farmers.
Independent reporting offered a more cautious assessment.
Reuters reported after the meetings that the visit produced considerable ceremony but relatively few publicly announced breakthroughs, while the two governments continued dealing with disagreements over trade and other major issues.
Trump Gives Xi A Rare Personal Airport Welcome
Trump’s treatment of Xi began even before the Chinese leader reached the White House.
The president and first lady personally greeted Xi and Peng when they arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, September 23.
Video from the arrival showed military personnel preparing and adjusting a red carpet before the Chinese delegation stepped off its aircraft. The presidents later participated in an elaborate welcome that included ceremonial guards and a military flyover.
Such presidential airport greetings are uncommon.
Reuters noted that the September 23 greeting marked the first time in 11 years that a sitting U.S. president had welcomed a visiting leader at Joint Base Andrews. President Barack Obama had greeted Pope Francis there in 2015.
The White House presented the ceremonies as part of an effort to combine American hospitality with a display of military strength.
White House Says Talks Advanced American Interests
While CNN focused on Trump’s old comments, the administration emphasized the substance of Trump’s meetings with Xi.
According to the White House, the two leaders held bilateral discussions covering matters important to the economic relationship between the United States and China.
Trump described the meetings as productive and said progress had been made for both countries. The administration also pointed to agriculture and broader economic concerns as important components of the talks.
The White House characterized the state visit as evidence that diplomacy backed by American strength could advance U.S. interests.
That is the administration’s assessment. Other reporting was more reserved about the amount of concrete progress immediately visible after Xi’s visit. Reuters reported that there was little sign of major new breakthroughs as the visit concluded.
Campaign Rhetoric Meets Presidential Diplomacy
Trump’s comments from 2015 and his actions in 2026 illustrate a familiar reality of presidential politics: governing can look considerably different from campaigning.
As a candidate, Trump used the prospect of serving Xi a hamburger to make a larger point about his belief that Washington should focus less on ceremony and more on securing favorable results for the United States.
As president, Trump used many of the traditional tools of diplomacy — including formal ceremonies, personal hospitality and a state dinner — while negotiating with the same Chinese leader.
CNN chose to highlight that contrast by replaying Trump’s old comments.
But the larger question is not simply whether the dinner menu matched something Trump said 11 years ago.
The more consequential issue is what the United States ultimately receives from its negotiations with China on trade, agriculture, technology, national security and other matters affecting Americans.
Those results will provide a more substantive measure of the 2026 Trump-Xi meetings than either an old television clip or the pageantry surrounding a White House dinner.
