Xi has left Washington, but remains in Trump’s photos on White House walls

Chinese President Xi Jinping has left Washington, but he still has a place at the White House. At least two, in fact.

Two different photographs of Xi with US President Donald Trump feature on its walls: a handshake image that Trump showed his guest during last week’s state visit, and another beside a Palm Room doorway showing the presidents standing side by side.

Journalist Jacqueline Alemany shared an image of the Palm Room display on X, noting that photographs of Trump with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin lined the doorway area.

The Xi photograph sits in an ornate gold frame against a white lattice-patterned wall, beside an arched doorway and beneath a crystal chandelier. The two presidents face the camera, with Chinese and American flags behind them.

It differs from the photograph Trump showed Xi during his visit, which shows the leaders facing each other and shaking hands.

In the separate handshake photograph, the leaders face each other. Pointing to it during Xi’s visit, Trump asked: “Who is that? I don’t recognise him.”

Xi turned towards members of his delegation and appeared to give a brief laugh.

The Palm Room’s photographic collection predates last week’s summit. CNN Newsource reported in January that the renovated room featured gold-framed images of Trump with Xi, Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside photographs of the US president alone and with football star Cristiano Ronaldo.

It remains unclear whether the Trump–Xi image currently beside the doorway is the same one reported in January, or whether it has been moved. The SCMP has asked the White House when it was installed, which meeting it depicts and who selected the photographs.

Across town, the presidents’ encounters also featured prominently at the Chinese embassy’s reception to mark China’s National Day on Wednesday evening.

Large photographic panels on easels highlighted their meetings in Beijing in May and Washington in September. Three were labelled “Beijing, May 14, 2026”, including one showing Trump and Xi at the Temple of Heaven.

Beneath that image was a message urging the countries to “lengthen the list of cooperation and shorten the list of issues”.

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Another panel, dated September 24 in Washington, showed the presidents seated with their wives, Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan. Its caption called for friendship, expanded cooperation and improvements to the well-being of both countries’ people.