Trump extends invites to China's Xi and other world leaders for his inauguration
FILE-Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump arrives to a Q&A with Pastor Paula White at the National Faith Advisory Summit on October 28, 2024 in Powder Springs, Georgia. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders to his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Experts tell the Associated Press that Xi is likely to see the invitation as too risky to accept, and the gesture from Trump may have a minor impact on the competitive ties between the U.S. and China.
A top aide to Hungarian President Viktor Orban, one of Trump's most vocal supporters, said Thursday that Orban isn't scheduled to attend the inauguration.
During an appearance at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, Trump said he was thinking about "inviting certain people to the inauguration."
No head of state has previously made an official visit to the U.S. for the inauguration, per State Department historical records.
According to the AP, the unprecedented invitations come at a moment when much of the world is bracing for what comes next when Trump and his "America First" worldview return to the White House.
Trump has pledged to levy massive tariffs against China, Canada, and Mexico unless the countries do more to lower illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs like fentanyl in the U.S.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also responded to Trump's threats, warning that these tariffs would be dangerous for the U.S. economy too.
Trump is also promising to end Russia's nearly three-year war in Ukraine and pressure NATO allies who are spending less than 2% of their gross domestic product on defense to improve or risk the U.S. to help them, as required by the alliance’s treaty, if the countries were to come under attack.