Audible protests erupted during the welcome for Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at the White House on Thursday night. At times, these protests even overshadowed the state dinner event.
Chants like “Free Hong Kong,” “Xi Jinping, you’re not welcome,” and “Freedom for political prisoners” echoed through the air. Protesters gathered in Lafayette Park, opposing the visit of the communist leader, while Trump and Xi were set to engage in discussions about artificial intelligence, trade practices, and other pressing issues.
Interestingly, before the Marine Corps band began to play, the protesters’ cries could be heard clearly and continued throughout the performance, albeit more quietly. Various groups, including Tibetan, Uyghur, and Chinese pro-democracy activists, rallied to draw attention to the Chinese government’s alleged human rights violations.
In a past remark, President Trump called Xi Jinping “Pooh Bear,” a nickname stemming from a meme likening him to the beloved children’s character. This humorous jibe fueled the protests, with demonstrators dressing as Winnie-the-Pooh outside the White House.
The dinner, which hosted 134 guests, included significant tech figures like Tim Cook of Apple and Mark Zuckerberg from Meta. Amid the festivities, many demonstrators, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have urged for the release of political prisoners, such as Dr. Gulshan Abbas, a retired Uyghur doctor who vanished in September 2018 and was later sentenced to 20 years in prison for charges her family claims are false.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House concerning whether discussions about her release or others might take place during the summit. The entertainment for the evening was provided by famous American tenor Christopher Macchio and military musicians from the Army and Marine Corps.
After the dinner, both leaders were expected to call it a night before visiting the National Archives the following day.
