Donald Trump looked visibly irritated as he found himself waiting on China’s Xi Jinping, who seemed in no rush to greet the U.S. president.
Cameras caught Trump fidgeting, glancing around, and forcing a stiff smile as the seconds dragged on — a rare sight for someone used to being the one who keeps others waiting.
When Jinping finally appeared, his expression stayed calm, almost amused, while Trump’s face shifted between confusion and impatience. By the time the two leaders finally shook hands, the tension — and the memes — had already done their damage.
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The brief delay quickly became a viral moment online, with viewers noticing, Jinping took his sweet time as he walked onto the red carpet, flanked by translators and handlers.
The pause before Jinping walked up was brief but sparked immediate commentary about everything from the two leaders’ body language to far less diplomatic observations about personal space and comfort levels.
The meeting was scheduled to address serious matters of international trade and diplomacy, with both nations looking to ease tensions. But critics and commentators immediately seized on the greeting itself, dissecting whether Xi’s timing was an intentional power play.
The stern, unflinching expression on the Chinese leader’s face as he approached sparked a wildly popular online narrative that had nothing to do with tariffs.
One Threads user wrote, “Xi made him wait. Took his time … Hated every second and then did the lean away!!!”
Another said, “Xi does NOT like Trump at all. His body language and facial expressions say it all.”
Even Trump’s trademark handshake came under scrutiny. Known for his forceful grip-and-pull technique meant to assert dominance, the president appeared momentarily thrown off when Xi didn’t play along.
“Yesssss! You see that aggressive handshake [stuff] didn’t work here?” said one observer.
A few believed the same theory, claiming it was a “Serious power play there but someone didn’t notice that at all.”
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The diplomatic substance of the meeting couldn’t compete with the viral moment of that greeting.
Beyond the social media circus, the meeting did produce tangible results.
Trump and Xi discussed lowering tariffs on China, while Xi agreed to delay rare earth export controls. Trump characterized the sit-down as “amazing,” announcing he’d secured a deal trading reduced tariffs for a crackdown on fentanyl flowing from China, according to NBC News.
The president also revealed plans to visit China in April, suggesting the relationship between the two nations might be warming despite the awkward red carpet reception that launched a thousand memes.
