China · Friday, September 25, 2026
White House hosts State Dinner for Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan
The File desk · Sep. 25, 2026, 6:27 a.m. ET
Confirmed2 primary sources
Status
Confirmed (White House / First Lady release, Sept. 24, 2026)
On Sept. 24, 2026, the White House said President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump would welcome China’s President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan for a State Dinner in the East Room that evening. The First Lady’s office posted menu, entertainment, and décor details. A separate White House statement said Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art the same day. No joint bilateral readout was located on the White House news hub in the desk pass.
On Sept. 24, 2026, the White House said President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump would welcome President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan for a State Dinner in the East Room that evening.
The First Lady’s office said she led the preparations. The release says the dinner would include the official delegations, business leaders, and government officials.
That office posted menu, entertainment, and décor details with the release.
A separate White House statement the same day said Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, where they looked at works of art and met students from the Washington area.
No joint bilateral readout or joint statement turned up on the White House news hub in this desk pass. A State Department press list for Sept. 24 showed a Guinea-Bissau National Day message, which this desk did not treat as a dinner readout.
How we know
What is still unknown or disputed
- Full joint statement or toast transcript; any new treaty or memorandum text from the visit that is not on the First Lady’s pages.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
First Lady Melania Trump Releases Details on the State Dinner with Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan
The White House · September 24, 2026
President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will welcome His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of The People’s Republic of China, and Madame Peng Liyuan for a State Dinner in the East Room of the White House this evening. The First Lady led the preparations for the dinner, which will be attended by the official delegations as well as business leaders and government officials.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/09/first-lady-melania-trump-releases-details-on-the-state-dinner-with-his-excellency-xi-jinping-president-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china-and-madame-peng-liyuan/
Source 2
First Lady Melania Trump and Madame Peng Liyuan Visit Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art
The White House · September 24, 2026
First Lady Melania Trump and Madame Peng Liyuan visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC today, where they explored works spanning centuries of artistic achievement and cultural exchange and shared a special moment with students from the Washington, DC area.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/09/first-lady-melania-trump-and-madame-peng-liyuan-visit-smithsonian-national-museum-of-asian-art-highlighting-sino-american-artwork-culture-and-the-next-generation/