WASHINGTON —The state visit of President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan had several standout moments, from a ballroom tour, media mayhem, and his-and-her thermoses.
President Trump and Melania Trump played host to the Chinese couple, welcoming them with a military review and hosting a lavish state dinner.
Xi seemed to enjoy himself.
“Everything is done to the highest order of perfection, and there is thought in every little detail, and it’s greatly appreciated,” he told the Trumps at tea on Friday in the Red Room of the White House.
“America is very happy about this visit, and I’m sure China is very happy also. Great things for both countries,” Trump said.
Here are five standout moments from the visit:
1. President Xi and Madame Peng’s thermoses
The internet went crazy when eagle-eyed state visit watchers spotted two thermoses at Xi and Peng’s place settings during Thursday night’s dinner.
There, mixed in with the Reagan state china and crystal wine glasses, was a black thermos for Xi and a white one for Peng.
BYOT — or Bring Your Own Thermos — is a common cultural norm in China, where drinking hot beverages is a preference. Public fountains in the country even have a boiling water option so people can keep their thermos filled.
It’s unclear what the Chinese first couple sipped on during the courses of fish and vegetables, but usually the flasks contain goji berries, red dates, or Chinese herbs tied to traditional Chinese medicine.
The tradition continued on Friday when flasks were spotted inside Xi’s Hongqi limousine when the couple arrived at the White House for tea with the Trumps.
2) Melania’s big bow and Trump’s gloves
Clothes are said to make the person. They certainly stood out in the state visit.
Melania Trump made the unexpected choice to wear pants for the black-tie state dinner. She stunned in a white bow blouse and sleek black tuxedo-inspired pants.
The stylish Dolce & Gabbana pants, bow-adorned Saint Laurent cotton poplin blouse, black silk Dolce & Gabbana cummerbund and sky-high black Christian Louboutin heels took the internet by storm.
In choosing pants with a subtle peony pattern, the first lady was paying tribute to the “King of Flowers,” as the peony is known in Chinese culture. It symbolizes wealth, nobility, prosperity and romantic beauty.
The Chinese consider the peony the embodiment of feminine charm and perfection.
Meanwhile, President Trump left people scratching their heads about one of his fashion choices — black, leather gloves.
He donned the handwear to greet President Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday evening, despite the fact it was a balmy 60-degree night in Washington. The president has been spotted with bruising on his hands, which he said is from taking too much aspirin.
3. Chinese press stampede — and Xi’s dodge of US media
Chinese media traveling with President Xi caused quite the commotion when covering the state visit.
Several argued with White House staff and Secret Service agents over where they could stand during Xi’s arrival ceremony and military review in the Rose Garden. Video of the clashes splashed across social media.
Many tried to push American journalists out of the way, leading the US reporters to shout “hold the line” as they refused to give up their position.
The tensions increased throughout the day as Chinese photographers shoved their American counterparts out of the way several times, including during the Oval Office visit of the two leaders and the arrivals for the state dinner.
There was similar behavior during Trump’s March trip to China when the American press traveling with him were pushed around and withheld from events.
Xi, meanwhile, pointedly ignored questions from reporters, including one from The Post, about several topics including fentanyl and political prisoners.
The Chinese leader typically doesn’t answer unscripted media questions.
4. White House tours — good granite, the autopen, and the presidential ballroom
Trump is happy to play host and tour guide.
And, during Xi’s visit, Trump reveled in showing him the improvements he’s made to the White House, including his presidential walk of fame and the new helipad on the South Lawn.
“He’s an expert on stone, aside from many others, and he loves good granite,” Trump told reporters after he showed Xi the massive granite landing pad, complete with the presidential seal.
The two men even climbed aboard Marine One to tour the presidential helicopter.
Xi seemed to enjoy it and was seen smiling broadly multiple times on Thursday, as the two leaders stopped at various points around the White House for Trump to point out one of his changes.
When they walked the Presidential Hall of Fame, on the outdoor colonnade, Xi was filmed laughing as Trump showed off a faux photo depicting former President Joe Biden as an autopen.
At another point, Trump pointed out to Xi a photo of them together on a wall in the West Wing and told him, “We have a lot of respect for you. We’ve had that up for a year.”
But Trump saved his biggest treat for the state dinner, where he told the 134 invited guests — dressed in black tie — they could visit the ballroom, which is still under construction.
“As a special treat in honor of President Xi and Madame Peng, I’d like to invite everyone in the room to visit through that beautiful curtain in the back door,” Trump said during his toast in the East Room. “It’s one year away from completion, the new ballroom that you’ve heard about.”
“You’ll be the first people to step foot on that,” he told the guests, clearly imparting on them a great honor.
He waxed on about what that night’s dinner could have been if the ballroom was complete: “Tonight, if we had it, we would have had way more than a thousand people, with standing room only. And this room has about 145, that’s about it.”
And, he informed the well-heeled crowd — which included Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Jensen Huang, and Sam Altman — not to worry about ruining any pricey outfits.
“Anybody who wants to walk into a construction site that’s nice and clean and sparkling, it’s our honor to have you do so,” he noted.
Many guests did take the tour, The Post learned, which involved stepping out of the double doors in the East Room onto an emergent structure to view the construction.
To match the festive occasion, a red carpet extended out to a stand, where guests could examine the work-in-progress.
The 90,000 square feet ballroom, which Trump said is being paid for with private donations, is scheduled to be completed in August 2026.
5. Animal-inspired gifts: One big bald eagle, two panda bears
It’s customary during a state visit for leaders to exchange gifts.
Trump and Xi went for animal-themed options.
Trump gifted Xi with a large bronze statue of a bald eagle in flight, having a military aide unveil it during the state dinner.
“The bald eagle is the national symbol of the United States and an embodiment of the free and soaring spirit of America,” Trump said. “And we hope it will find a nice place, a wonderful place, in Beijing.”
Meanwhile, Xi brought out one of China’s biggest diplomatic weapons: Panda bears.
He announced two of the black-and-white bears — Ping Ping and Fuhuan — will be going to the zoo in Atlanta.
“The giant panda has been an envoy of friendship between the Chinese and Americans,” Xi noted.
The US is currently home to four of the beloved bears: two in Washington DC’s National Zoo and two in San Diego’s zoo.
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