Donald Trump’s White House reportedly made extensive arrangements to accommodate Chinese President Xi Jinping’s alleged physical difficulties and limited stamina during his visit to Washington, according to a new report.
Trump appeared to form a warm rapport with Xi during the Chinese leader’s time in Washington, which included an elaborate State Dinner attended by Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan.
However, behind the scenes, a series of unusual requests attributed to the 73-year-old Chinese president reportedly consumed valuable time during the summit, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The reported accommodations focused on Xi’s need for rest and his alleged physical problems, as speculation about the state of his health continues to circulate.
People familiar with the summit’s planning said the schedule was largely organized around how long Xi could comfortably stand and walk.
Chinese officials also reportedly requested a private “hold room” for Xi in the West Wing, allowing him to rest between engagements. His wife was said to be the only person permitted to remain with him there.
Dennis Wilder, a former senior China director at the National Security Council, described the request as unusual and said it had no clear precedent.
Xi’s reported need for additional rest led to the cancellation of a working lunch with Trump on September 24, creating a five-hour gap in the Chinese president’s two-day visit.
Donald Trump’s White House reportedly went to significant lengths to accommodate Chinese President Xi Jinping’s alleged physical difficulties and limited stamina during his Washington visit.
Trump hosted an elaborate State Dinner for Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, but reports have since emerged of several unusual requests during the visit that were reportedly linked to the Chinese leader’s health needs.
Trump and Xi had previously held a similar meeting when the US president visited Beijing earlier this May.
Xi also took part in no activities beyond the working summit on the evening of his arrival. He spent just 10 minutes at the National Archives, despite US officials having prepared for a longer visit.
Viewers who watched Xi leave his plane after arriving in Washington were quick to note that he appeared to grip his wife’s hand tightly, prompting speculation that he may have been seeking additional support while walking down the stairs.
Our News Outlet has contacted the White House and a spokesperson for President Xi for comment.
This is not the first time Xi’s health has been the subject of public speculation. Over the years, unverified claims have suggested that he suffered a heart attack, received a cancer diagnosis or survived a stroke.
Last month, fresh conspiracy theories emerged during the BRICS summit after footage appeared to show Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pausing his speech to check on the wellbeing of his Chinese counterpart.
The video shows Modi interrupting his opening remarks and turning toward Xi after what appeared to be a commotion drew his attention.
“Is it okay?” Modi repeatedly asked the translator accompanying the Chinese leader, as several people who appeared to be aides or staff members moved quickly toward Xi.
Viewers watching Xi leave his plane after arriving in Washington were quick to point out that he appeared to grip his wife’s hand tightly, as if he needed extra support on the stairs.
Xi has faced speculation about his health since before he became China’s president.
Later in the day, President Xi skipped the gala dinner hosted by Modi for leaders of the BRICS nations – where ally Vladimir Putin was also in attendance – spurring commentary about his ill health.
It later emerged that the exchange at the summit was because Xi’s translator earpiece had broken.
However, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, he skipped the gala because he was unwell, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi attending in his place.
Theories previously reached a peak in 2012, after President Xi mysteriously disappeared for two weeks when he was still the country’s vice-president – fueling rumors he had potentially been the subject of an attempted assassination.
In July 2024, a photo of the Chinese leader supposedly wincing in pain went viral on social media, with people claiming that he had suffered a stroke.
It turned out the image was taken from four months before, and the Chinese president was merely reacting to something he had drunk while at the National People’s Congress.
In September 2025, a hot mic caught Putin discussing immortality during a summit with President Xi and Kim Jong Un in Beijing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
The pair were heard chatting about the possibility of achieving immortality with organ transplants and advanced medical procedures.
President Trump and First Lady Melania, welcome China President XI Jinping and his wife, First Lady Peng Liyuan to the White House for an Official State Arrival
Even before Xi became president, his health was a popular topic of speculation in the country, particularly among critics of the communist regime.
This is despite the fact that the high level of internet censorship in China means that anything deemed a criticism of President Xi or the Chinese Communist Party is blocked or immediately removed.
Leaders’ health is typically considered a state secret in China.
Trump pulled out all the stops for his visit with Xi as the two spent much of his time discussing the toughest issues facing their nations.
The dramatic spectacle began the moment the Chinese president and his wife touched down at Joint Base Andrews.
As the leaders stood on the tarmac alongside rows of soldiers positioned in front of F-35 fighter jets and Air Force One, a screaming flyover shattered the air overhead.
The deafening roar caught Trump off guard, causing him to visibly wince while a stoic, stone-faced Xi didn’t even flinch.
Breaking more than a decade of presidential protocol, the Trumps personally greeted the Chinese delegation on the tarmac – marking the first time a sitting US president has met a foreign leader at an airport in over 11 years.
Thursday night’s lavish black-tie State Dinner in the historic East Room of the White House stands as one of the most star-studded evenings of the administration, offering a glitzy opportunity to smooth over notoriously fierce geopolitical friction with the Asian superpower
Accommodations allegedly included a separate room in the West Wing where Xi could rest which was only accessible to his wife
A grinning Trump also celebrated an immediate PR win when Xi announced Beijing is sending two giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, to Zoo Atlanta within days, continuing the famous ‘panda diplomacy’ tradition sparked by Richard Nixon’s 1972 trip.
That was followed by the State Dinner, a lavish black-tie affair in the historic East Room that stands as one of the most star-studded evenings of the administration, offering a glitzy opportunity to smooth over notoriously fierce geopolitical friction with the superpower.
Trump heaped praise on Xi, with whom he says he has developed a ‘truly great friendship’ over his decade in politics.
However, the two nations remain divided on the war in Iran and are still grappling to find common ground on trade and how to best navigate the jarring advances of artificial intelligence.
Trump had made clear he wanted to impress Xi with the visit.
The Republican President made sure construction of a new helicopter landing pad on the White House’s South Lawn was completed before the visit and he met Xi and his wife on Wednesday evening when they flew into Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.
Our News Outlet contacted Xi’s office for comment.
