'The sofa was clearly higher': Here's how social media reacted to Trump-Xi viral video
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'The sofa was clearly higher': Here's how social media reacted to Trump-Xi viral video")
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping Photograph: (AFP)
Viral videos from Donald Trump’s China visit sparked online debate over Xi Jinping’s sofa height, stairway moments, and diplomatic optics
A video from a meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in Beijing has gone viral on social media, sparking debate over whether Trump was intentionally made to appear shorter during the talks. The clip, widely circulated on X and other platforms, shows Xi seated on what users claim appears to be a slightly taller sofa than Trump’s during the bilateral meeting. “The sofa must be custom-made. The sofa Xi Jinping sat on was clearly higher than Trump’s sofa, while Trump is 10 cm taller than Xi Jinping. The CCP spares no effort in scheming over these details,” one X user claimed while sharing the video.
Another viral post suggested a different version of events, claiming Trump removed a cushion from his own seat. “The Chinese president measured it out to the centimeter by placing a small cushion on Trump’s chair so that they would appear to be the same height. Trump ordered the cushion to be removed... which made him look shorter than the Chinese president while sitting,” the post said. Trump was visiting China on a three-day official trip at Xi’s invitation, marking the first visit to China by a sitting US president in nine years. The US president departed China on Friday after highlighting several business agreements reached during the visit, even as Beijing cautioned Washington against mishandling the Taiwan issue and criticised the Iran war.
‘You wouldn’t find a guy like him in Hollywood’: Trump praises Xi
“We’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve,” Trump said after meeting Xi in Beijing during the second day of talks.
Social media platforms have since been flooded with memes, clips, and commentary from Trump’s visit to China. In another widely shared video, Xi pauses briefly while walking beside Trump up the stairs at the Great Hall of the People. “During the walk up to the Great Hall of the People, Xi Jinping noticed Trump appeared tired on the stairs, so he paused and gave a brief explanation of the square, allowing him a moment to catch his breath,” a post accompanying the video claimed.
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Earlier reports also alleged that Trump, who has repeatedly said he does not consume alcohol, was served wine during a ceremonial toast in China. On Friday, Trump praised Xi’s leadership and stature while speaking about the Chinese president. “You wouldn’t find a guy like him in Hollywood,” Trump said while lauding Xi. “They always criticize me when I say good things about certain leaders, and this one, but... he's led almost 1.5 billion people for a long time, and he's respected,” Trump added. Trump also commented on Xi’s physical appearance, describing him as “very tall” and suggesting Hollywood would struggle to find an actor capable of portraying him convincingly on screen.
