U.S. Troops Get on Hands and Knees to Welcome Xi Jinping

American service members were seen on their hands and knees smoothing the red carpet for Chinese President Xi Jinping's arrival in Washington on Wednesday.

Jinping, 73, exited his plane alongside First Lady Peng Liyuan to greet President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump—but not before a 100-foot-long red carpet was rolled out. U.S. service members prepare the red carpet ahead of Xi Jinping's arrival. / White House Service members were filmed brushing off the carpet and removing imperfections while members of Jinping's staff looked down from the plane. During the later stroll, Trump gestured deferentially toward the carpet alongside Jinping, who did not look particularly impressed.

Six F-16s and six F-22s were on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews for the arrival ceremony, which also featured a Salute Battery, a 21-person Honor Cordon, the U.S. Air Force band playing the U.S. and Chinese national anthems, and a flyover by two B1 bombers.

Trump, 80, winced during the flyover. The president's choice to wear gloves in the 64-degree weather also drew attention online.

A U.S. president greeting a foreign leader—besides the Pope—at Joint Base Andrews, the military base in Maryland, is rare. Before Wednesday, the last time that had occurred was in 1962, when JFK met British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, the Daily Beast's the Swamp newsletter notes.

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Edited 7 hours ago7 hr by Macro

It’s one of those ‘I wish this were AI generated’ moments.

Make America Grovel Again.

Maybe Trump was also on his knees when this photo was taken, because Xi is 5'11", but we've regularly told Trump is 6'3". They look about the same height in this photo.

I'd hate to think the White House, as well as the President's Chief Physician, would lie to us. That makes me wonder if Trump really is the fittest President ever, as his doctor has also claimed.