US President-elect Donald Trump has extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping for his January 20 inauguration, according to CBS News sources.
Reports indicate that Trump extended the invitation in early November following the election, though Xi’s response remains unclear. The Chinese embassy’s spokesperson in Washington has not provided any immediate response.
The president-elect’s administration is preparing to welcome various international leaders at the Capitol in January.
CBS News reports that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who maintains a cordial relationship with Trump and recently visited him at Mar-a-Lago, is yet to confirm his attendance.
Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, “World leaders are lining up to meet with President Trump because they know he will soon return to power and restore peace through American strength around the globe.”
Trump has recently issued warnings about increasing tariffs on Chinese imports. The US administration has established January 19, one day before Trump’s inauguration, as the deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell the platform or face a US ban.
CBS News reports that TikTok continues its legal battle against the ban, and after losing a recent attempt to block it, is now taking the case to the Supreme Court. Trump achieved a significant political victory by securing 295 electoral votes in the 2024 presidential election, defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who received 226 votes.
This victory makes Trump the second president in US history to serve non-consecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland’s presidencies in 1884 and 1892. Trump’s previous term as US President spanned from 2016 to 2020.