Washington: President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his January 20 inauguration, as reported by CBS News. The invitation was reportedly extended in early November following Trump’s electoral victory, but it remains uncertain if Xi will accept. The Chinese embassy in Washington has yet to issue a statement regarding the matter.
Trump’s administration is planning to welcome various world leaders to the Capitol for the ceremony. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Trump ally, is among the invitees and is still deciding whether to attend. According to Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, global leaders are eager to meet Trump, viewing him as a proponent of American strength and global peace.
Meanwhile, Trump’s hardline stance on China continues with renewed tariff threats and a looming deadline for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app. Failure to comply by January 19 could result in a U.S. ban on TikTok. The app is currently appealing the ban in court after a failed attempt to block it last week.
In a remarkable political comeback, Trump won the 2024 presidential election, securing 295 electoral votes and defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who garnered 226 votes. Trump’s return to the presidency marks him as only the second U.S. leader to serve two non-consecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland in 1884 and 1892. Trump’s first term spanned from 2016 to 2020.
