From ‘cheats’ to ‘great friendship’: How Trump’s rhetoric on China changed

When Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday evening, United States President Donald Trump rolled out a warm and unusually lavish welcome for his Chinese counterpart.Trump went down to Joint Base Andrews near Washington to greet Xi on the tarmac – the first time a US president has greeted a foreign leader in such a way since 1962, when John F Kennedy welcomed UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.Though the Xi-Trump meeting delivered little significant shift in relations beyond extending a fragile trade war truce for another two months, Washington laid on hours of pageantry, more pomp and lavish tours for Xi’s entourage, and praise for the Chinese president and his wife.But the warmth on display in Washington this week contrasts starkly with the language Trump has used to characterise Beijing and Xi in the past. We map how the language of communication, and the larger relationship, has changed over a decade.China’s President Xi Jinping looks on as United States President Donald Trump remarks during an arrival ceremony at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026 [Annabelle Gordon/EPA via Pool]How has Trump talked about China in the past?Here are ...