Trump brushes off Xi's breathtaking 300-year-old trees with one burning question before heading home

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 14:11, 15 May 2026 | Updated: 14:29, 15 May 2026 Before Donald Trump departed China, Xi Jinping charmed him one last time, walking him through the walled-off imperial garden of his opulent palace.  The two leaders toured Zhongnanhai, the guarded complex where China's top leaders live and work. Cameras captured Xi guiding Trump by the hand through an archway to a grove of 300-year-old trees. As Xi explained how some of the trees had merged together, Trump stopped the tour with a blunt question. 'Can you ask the President: when other presidents or prime ministers from other countries visit, does he bring them here?' Trump said, turning to his translator. 'Very rarely,' Xi replied with a chuckle. 'For example, Putin has been here.' At the end of the tour, Trump stops in front cameras to say how much loves the Chinese leader's fortified compound: 'I could get used to this.'  The viral moment was one of the few unscripted interactions between Xi and Trump at the high-stakes summit.   Hours later, before boarding Air Force One, Trump's team dumped the Chinese gifts and items collected during the trip, a standard precaution against listening devices and other intelligence threats. As Xi explained how some of the trees had merged together, Trump stopped the tour with a blunt question 'Can you ask the President: when other presidents or prime ministers from other countries visit, does he bring them here?' Trump said, turning to his translator Trump's team dumped the Chinese gifts and items collected during the trip, a standard precaution against listening devices and other intelligence threats After sitting down for afternoon tea, Xi spoke through a translator and explained why he had invited Trump to Zhongnanhai, a rare invite to outside leaders. 'I have chosen this place especially to reciprocate the hospitality extended to me in 2017 at Mar-a-Lago,' Xi said. Trump smiled and thanked the Chinese leader for the rare invitation. Trump has faced criticism throughout the summit for showering personal praise on Xi, the authoritarian leader of America's most formidable rival. In his opening remarks at the Great Hall of the People, Trump called Xi a 'great leader' and said it was an honor to be his friend.  The President went on to predict that the U.S.-China relationship would be 'better than ever before.' In a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, Trump also complimented Xi's physical appearance by calling him 'very tall' and claiming Hollywood couldn't have cast a better-looking leader of China.  The high-stakes summit gave the two leaders a chance to confront the most consequential issues between their countries: the rise of AI, China's designs on Taiwan, and the war in Iran. Trump has faced criticism throughout the summit for showering personal praise on Xi, the authoritarian leader of America's most formidable rival In a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, Trump also complimented Xi's physical appearance by calling him 'very tall' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.