Republican senator Roger Wicker rebukes Trump for rolling out 'lavish welcome' for Xi as AI and Taiwan tensions loom over high-stakes summit

From the Newshound archive · first published 23 September 2026.

Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Roger Wicker delivered a blistering floor speech against Trump's decision to host Xi Jinping with full pomp, warning the president to remember Xi is a "brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator" whose military is aimed at the United States. Xi is expected to arrive at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday evening, where Trump will personally greet him — a rare protocol departure that experts call "quite, quite stunning" and unprecedented even for US allies. The two-day summit, beginning Thursday with 479 military personnel on the White House lawn and a flyover, is set to cover AI, trade, Taiwan and fentanyl, with a critical trade truce due to expire in November.

Republicans led by Mitch McConnell are pressing Trump to back a $14 billion military package for Taiwan — a measure Xi is expected to push back against during the summit.

Elon Musk, who is scheduled to attend Thursday's state dinner, called Xi a "great leader" in a CCTV interview, praising China's prosperity under his rule.

Analysts say Xi holds the stronger hand, with the Iran war hurting Trump's ratings and America needing the trade truce more urgently than Beijing does.