World3 min(s) read
Published 09:22 15 May 2026 GMT
Former secret service agent makes 'creepy' observation about kids cheering Trump during his visit to China
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A former Secret Service special agent has shared a 'creepy' observation about the children who greeted Donald Trump during his visit to China.
The 79-year-old president arrived at the Great Hall of the People overlooking Tiananmen Square on Thursday (May 14) morning for high-stakes talks with Xi Jinping.
As Trump and Xi walked across a red carpet during the welcome ceremony, rows of children waved American and Chinese flags while others held flowers and jumped excitedly as the two leaders smiled and waved back.
Trump praised the grand reception during the summit inside the hall, and said he was especially 'impressed' by the children.
"That was an honor like few I’ve ever seen before," he said, per the NYTimes.
"And I think I was particularly impressed by those children. They were happy. They were beautiful."
"The military is obvious. It couldn’t be better. But those children were amazing," he added.
Former Secret Service agent claims ceremony was 'staged'
Not everyone was convinced the ceremony was genuine, as during an appearance on Newsmax, former Secret Service special agent Richard Staropoli compared Trump's trip to a previous presidential visit he attended with Bill Clinton in 1998.
Staropoli claimed the earlier China trip 'felt staged and fake' and suggested similar tactics may still be used during official state visits.
"Well, everything back during that Clinton visit was completely staged," he said.
"You know, we'd go out somewhere at 9:00 in the morning, we'd see the faces in the crowd, we'd see the same faces in the crowd throughout the course of the day as we went from event to event.”
"Everything was choreographed and staged. I can guarantee you the Chinese are hating the fact that President Trump is there taking control and doing things that were not choreographed and carefully controlled and spoken about prior to him coming out there," he added.
The interviewer then showed footage of the cheering children and remarked: “These kids... the media love these kids.
"This was just That was creepy to me, very bizarre.”
Staropoli responded simply: "Yup."
Trump and Xi hold a major summit in Beijing
The two presidents later shared a formal handshake as Xi also welcomed members of the American delegation, including White House aide Stephen Miller and Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.
Trump and Xi then stood together on a red-and-gold platform while a Chinese military band played the US national anthem as cannons fired in the background.
China’s national anthem was played afterward before the two leaders took part in a troop review.
Xi raises concerns over 'Thucydides Trap'
The summit officially began around 10:30pm ET and marked the seventh face-to-face meeting between Trump and Xi since their first meeting in 2017.
During the meeting, Xi referenced the 'Thucydides Trap,' a theory often used to describe rising tensions between powerful nations.
"Whether China and the United States can transcend the so-called Thucydides Trap and create a new normalization of relations between major powers," he said, would determine "whether we can join hands to address global challenges and inject greater stability into the world."
He also spoke about 'the future destiny of humanity' and the need to build 'a better future for bilateral relations'.
Meanwhile, Trump struck a warm tone, telling Xi: "You’re a great leader...sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it’s true."
"It’s an honour to be with you. It’s an honour to be your friend," he said, adding that "the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before".