'President Zi' blunder goes viral as Trump campaign mocked over TikTok typo during China visit
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'President Zi' blunder goes viral as Trump campaign mocked over TikTok typo during China visit")
US President Donald Trump (R) walks with China’s President Xi Jinping (L) at Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on May 15, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
The Trump campaign reportedly deleted a TikTok video after mistakenly misspelling Chinese President Xi Jinping as ‘President Zi’
A TikTok video reportedly shared by Donald Trump’s campaign was deleted after social media users noticed a spelling mistake involving Chinese President Xi Jinping’s name. According to The Mirror US, the clip showed Trump and Xi walking together on a red carpet during Trump’s recent state visit to China, which concluded on Friday (May 15) after meetings between the two leaders. The controversy centered on text added to the TikTok video. While Trump was identified as ‘President Trump’, Xi’s name reportedly appeared as ‘President Zi’, along with a handshake emoji between the two leaders. The video was later removed from TikTok, while screenshots continued circulating online after the X account Headquarters highlighted the typo.
Social media reacts to ‘President Zi’ typo
The mistake quickly sparked reactions across social media, with critics mocking the campaign over the apparent error. “It’s literally two letters. You had a 50/50 chance,” one user wrote on X after screenshots of the post spread online. Another commenter criticised what they described as repeated diplomatic mistakes, writing: “The incompetence of the ENTIRE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION is staggering.” Neither the Trump campaign nor TikTok publicly commented on the reported deletion or the typo.
TikTok continues to face scrutiny in the United States over national security and data privacy concerns related to its Chinese ownership. Although Trump’s Republican administration has reportedly approved a potential sale arrangement involving TikTok, the process has not yet been finalised.
Watch the post by White House here
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Trump’s China visit focused on key global issues
The deleted TikTok video surfaced during Trump’s multi-day visit to China, where he met Xi for talks on Taiwan, Iran, and broader US-China relations. The two leaders held discussions at Zhongnanhai, the Chinese leadership compound in Beijing, before Trump departed aboard Air Force One. Despite the public display of diplomacy during the visit, tensions between Washington and Beijing remain over trade, regional security, and Taiwan. During remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump also addressed ongoing discussions about TikTok’s future ownership structure in the United States. “I will decide,” Trump said when asked about the issue.
