- President Trump described Chinese officials as "scared" during his meeting with Xi Jinping
- Trump noted that officials did not respond when he addressed them, saying, "They were at attention."
- Trump and Xi met in Busan for their first face-to-face talks since Trump’s White House return in August
In a meeting with Republican senators at a White House breakfast on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump recounted his bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and his officials.
He described how there were six officials on either side of Xi, and all of them were standing straight. "And every one of those people were standing like this," Trump said, with his arms behind his back and his chin up. "They were at attention."
When Trump spoke to one of them, he did not get any response. "I said, 'Are you gonna answer me?' I got no response. And President Xi didn't let him have any", adding, "I want my Cabinet to behave like that."
Trump: 'I want my Cabinet to be like Xi's. I've never seen men so scared in their lives'
— RT (@RT_com) November 5, 2025
'JD doesn't behave like that. He budges into conversations!'
Says he wants him to be like the Chinese for a couple of days pic.twitter.com/Lo51mAUAA7
"I've never seen men so scared in my life," the US leader said as the room echoed with laughter.
"Why don't you behave like that? JD doesn't behave like that. JD butts into conversations. I want to have that for at least a couple of days, OK, JD?" Trump said to Vice President JD Vance, after which Vance pretends to sit up straight; this was again followed by laughter.
However, it is interesting to note that Trump's cabinet meetings are also an exercise in sycophancy. A televised Cabinet gathering in August looked more like a competition on who could praise Trump more than a government meeting.
Jen Psaki, who once served as President Joe Biden's press secretary, described the meeting as "sycophantic," adding that the flattery from Trump's senior officials "would make North Korean leaders like Kim Jong Un or Russian President [Vladimir] Putin blush."
Trump and Xi met in Busan last month for a bilateral meeting ahead of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, marking their first in-person interaction since Trump's return to the White House.
Trump described Xi as a "very tough negotiator," indicating that their dialogue would centre on long-standing economic disputes.
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