Watch: Trump winces as B-1 bombers roar overhead, Xi beside him stays unfazed
A split-second moment during Chinese President Xi Jinping's arrival in the United States captured attention on Wednesday as the deafening roar of two US Air Force B-1 bombers made President Donald Trump to visibly wince, while Xi Jinping appeared largely unfazed.
Trump and Xi were standing side by side on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland during the welcome ceremony when the bombers flew overhead. The flyover took place as the US national anthem was being played, planned to add a military element to the arrival of the Chinese president.
A widely shared video of the moment showed Trump reacting to the sudden and powerful sound of the aircraft as they passed above the ceremony. Xi, standing beside him, appeared to maintain a composed expression and did not show a similarly pronounced reaction.Trump winces during loud military flyover as Xi shows no reaction pic.twitter.com/NbO2IG8BEC— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) September 23, 2026
The contrasting expressions quickly became viral on social media.
Xi arrived at Joint Base Andrews for a three-day state visit, his first trip to Washington in more than a decade. Trump personally greeted him at the military airfield, an unusual gesture that underscored the significance of the visit.
The ceremony featured a long red carpet, an honour guard, military personnel and the national anthems of both countries. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, after they descended from the Chinese presidential aircraft.
After a brief welcome exchange, the two power couples walked down the 100-foot red carpet as a 21-person honour cordon stood in attention, and the US Air Force Band played amid ceremonial cannon fire.
This was for the first time since 1962 that a US president had welcomed a leader of a foreign nation at the airport. That year, then president, John F Kennedy had welcomed British prime minister Harold Macmillan at the airport.
Trade tariffs, technology, AI, military ties, conflicts in the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine war, the arms race in space and US arms sales to Taiwan are expected to figure in talks between Xi and Trump.- EndsPublished By: Ajmal Published On: Sep 24, 2026 07:19 IST
