US President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders to his inauguration next month, an unorthodox move that would fold US allies and adversaries into a very American political tradition. Trump said on Thursday during an appearance at the New York Stock Exchange, where he was ringing the opening bell to kick off trading for the day, that he's been "thinking about inviting certain people to the inauguration" without referring to any specific individuals. "And some people said, ‘Wow, that’s a little risky, isn’t it?'" Trump said. "And I said, 'Maybe it is. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.’ But we like to take little chances."
Trump's unprecedented move
His comments came soon after his incoming White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed during a Thursday morning appearance on “Fox & Friends” that Trump had invited Xi and other world leaders to attend his inauguration. No head of state has previously made an official visit to the US for the inauguration, according to State Department historical records. The unprecedented invitations come at a moment when much of the world is bracing for what comes next when Trump and his “America First” worldview return to the White House.
The president-elect has vowed to levy massive tariffs against the United States' chief economic competitor, China, as well as neighbours Canada and Mexico unless those countries do more to reduce illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. Trump also pledged to move quickly to end Russia's nearly three-year war in Ukraine and press NATO allies who are spending less than 2 per cent of their GDP on defence to step up or risk the United States not coming to their defence, as required by the transatlantic alliance's treaty, should they come under attack.
“We’ve been talking and discussing with President Xi some things, and others, other world leaders, and I think we’re going to do very well all around,” Trump said.
“We’ve been abused as a country. We’ve been badly abused from an economic standpoint, I think, and even militarily, you know, we put up all the money, they put up nothing, and then they abuse us on the economy. And we just can’t let that happen.”
Xi Jinping unlikely to attend January 20 event
Xi is likely to see the invitation as too risky to accept, and the gesture from Trump may have little bearing on the increasingly competitive ties between the two nations as the White House changes hands, experts say. “Can you imagine Xi Jinping sitting outdoors in Washington, DC, in January at the feet of the podium, surrounded by hawkish members of Congress, gazing up at Donald Trump as he delivers his inaugural address?” said Danny Russel, who previously served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.
Danny Russel, vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Xi would not allow himself to "be reduced to the status of a mere guest celebrating the triumph of a foreign leader, the US president, no less." Still, Leavitt saw it as a plus.
"This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies, but our adversaries and our competitors, too,” she said on "Fox & Friends." “We saw this in his first term. He got a lot of criticism for it, but it led to peace around the world. He is willing to talk to anyone, and he will always put America’s interest first.” Asked at a Chinese Foreign Ministry briefing on Thursday about Trump's invitation, spokesperson Mao Ning responded, “I have nothing to share at present.” Leavitt did not detail which leaders beyond Xi have been invited.
Should Trump's move be considered a business negotiation?
But Trump's decision to invite Xi, in particular, squares with his belief that foreign policy, much like a business negotiation, should be carried out with carrots and sticks to get the United States' opponents to operate closer to his administration's preferred terms. Edward Frantz, a presidential historian at the University of Indianapolis, said the invitation helps Trump burnish his “dealmaker and savvy businessman” brand. “I could see why he might like the optics," Frantz said. “But from the standpoint of American values, it seems shockingly cavalier."
White House officials said it was up to Trump to decide whom he invited to the inauguration. “I would just say, without doubt, it's the single most consequential bilateral relationship that the United States has in the world,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said. “It is a relationship both fraught with peril and responsibility.” It's unclear which leaders, if any, might show.
(With inputs from agencies)
