Trump gifts Xi a bald eagle sculpture at White House dinner: Here’s what it symbolises
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump gifts Xi a bald eagle sculpture at White House dinner: Here’s what it symbolises")
A sculpture of a bald eagle is presented to China's President Xi Jinping by US President Donald Trump during a State Dinner at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Donald Trump gifted Xi Jinping a roughly three-foot bald eagle sculpture during a White House state dinner, describing the bird as a symbol of American freedom. The gesture came as Washington and Beijing sought to project warmer ties.
US President Donald Trump presented Chinese President Xi Jinping with a sculpture of a bald eagle during a state dinner at the White House on Thursday (Sep 24), describing the bird as a symbol of American freedom.
The roughly three-foot sculpture was displayed atop a podium and was designed by an American artist in collaboration with Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, the US president said during his remarks.
‘Free and soaring spirit of America’
“The bald eagle is a national symbol of the United States and an embodiment of the free and soaring spirit of America,” Trump said as he presented the gift to Xi. “We hope it’ll find a nice place, a wonderful place in Beijing,” he added.
Trump also told the Chinese president that he and Melania had been involved in designing the sculpture.
The gift came at the end of a state dinner hosted for Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, during the Chinese president’s first state visit to the White House in more than a decade. The White House said the dinner was held in the East Room and included official delegations, business leaders and government officials.
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From national symbol to national bird
The bald eagle has long been associated with the United States. The US Fish and Wildlife Service says the species is solely native to North America and has historically ranged from Alaska and Canada through the contiguous United States to northern Mexico.
Congress formally designated the bald eagle as the national bird in 2024, after it had served as a national symbol for centuries.
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Trump's choice of the eagle as a gift to Xi placed one of America's most recognisable national symbols at the centre of the diplomatic dinner, with the president explicitly linking it to what he described as the country's “free and soaring spirit”.
The presentation was part of a broader state visit marked by ceremonial events, military honours and diplomatic engagement between Washington and Beijing. The White House said Xi's visit would conclude on Friday with a visit by the two presidential couples to the National Archives in Washington.
