Donald Trump drew criticism on Thursday after mocking Joe Biden in front of Chinese President Xi Jinping during a White House tour.
Footage captured by an aide shows Trump pointing to an autopen image displayed in place of a Biden portrait and identifying his predecessor, as Xi laughed.
The encounter followed Trump's decision to arrange presidential portraits along the colonnade connecting the White House residence and West Wing.
Two images represent Trump's two terms. Where Biden's portrait might have appeared, the display instead shows an autopen signing his name, referencing Trump's repeated claims about Biden's fitness for office late in his presidency.
It was a deliberate substitution, placing Trump's criticism of Biden within the visual history he was presenting to Xi.
Trump's Biden Joke Becomes Part of the Tour
As he led Xi past the portraits before their Oval Office meeting, Trump stopped at his own image and gestured towards it. He then pointed across the display and said, 'Trump, and then Trump, and this is the autopen.'
'It's Biden,' Trump added, slapping Xi on the arm. Xi laughed, as per the footage. The exchange was brief, but the setting gave it a sharper edge. A sitting US president had chosen to make a former president the punchline while hosting the leader of China.
Former Congressman John Delaney criticised the episode on X. 'The President mocking a former President in front of the communist leader of China is the most un-American thing an American president has ever done,' he wrote.
Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov replied beneath Delaney's post, 'Until tomorrow.' Commentator Brian Krassenstein called the conduct 'so un-American and so disturbing' and added, 'It's just so sickening.'
Trump Shows Xi Jinping His White House Changes
The portrait stop was part of a tour that also included Marine One and Trump's White House building work. Xi's visit had a substantial diplomatic agenda, with unregulated artificial intelligence, Taiwan, tariff disputes and the conflict in Iran among the issues facing the leaders. Beijing maintains strong economic relationships with Iran.
The visit was Xi's first state visit to America in 11 years. It was an unusual backdrop for a joke about Trump's predecessor. The account of the footage establishes what Trump said and that Xi laughed. It does not establish how Xi viewed the portrait display beyond that moment.
After 90 minutes in the Oval Office, Trump escorted Xi onto the South Lawn. Marine One had been positioned on a newly constructed granite landing pad.
A Marine opened its door and saluted as the two leaders boarded with a handful of aides and translators. They inspected the interior and spoke to the pilots for several minutes. The helicopter stayed on the ground.
"This is the autopen... it's Biden." 🤣
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 24, 2026
President Trump shows off the legendary Presidential Walk of Fame to President Xi. pic.twitter.com/qUQEM6XoLj
Trump Points Out the Ballroom Site
Trump also drew Xi's attention to the ballroom he is constructing where the East Wing previously stood. Xi looked at two enormous concrete structures rising at the site while Trump discussed the project beyond the press pool's hearing.
Trump watched Xi's expression closely as he spoke. Reporters who came to witness that moment could see the building site but could not hear the conversation.
