United States President Donald Trump briefly went off script and surprised the room with an unexpected invitation at a formal White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. After praising the US-China ties, Trump pointed guests toward the curtain and invited them to visit the construction site of the new White House ballroom, drawing instant reaction from attendees.  

Trump's Off Script Moment 

Trump first spoke about the relationship between the US and China, stating that the two countries have different political systems but that their people remain connected. “President Xi and I both understand we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we’ve never gotten along better,” Trump said. He added, “Together, we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations.” 

Trump Invites Xi And Guests To See Ballroom 

But then Trump broke from his prepared remarks and told the guests, “If I could go off script just for a second. I had to do it. I had to do it.” The comment drew laughter from the room. He then pointed toward a curtain and invited the guests to visit the construction site of the new White House ballroom. “I’d like to invite everyone in the room to visit through that beautiful curtain in the back,” Trump said. 

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He added that the ballroom project was about a year away from completion and that the guests would be among the first people to see the site. He later joked about inviting the guests to walk through the construction area. “We’ll do that. Maybe after we’ve finished with the entertainment tonight,” Trump said. He added, “Anybody wants to walk into a construction site that’s nice and sparkling, it’s our honor to have you do so.”

State Dinner For Xi 

The White House state dinner hosted for Xi was also attended by major business leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huan and  LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault. Trump also presented Xi with an eagle statue. He said the design was created with personal involvement from him and First Lady Melania Trump. 

ALSO READ: 'No Conflict But Cooperation': Xi Strikes Conciliatory Tone After Trump's Praise; What Are Key White House Summit Agendas

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