Topline
President Donald Trump on Friday declared that the U.S. must have a presidential ballroom like China’s, as he once again hailed Xi Jinping as “one of the World’s Great Leaders” in one of several Truth Social posts he made after departing Beijing.
President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at the Beijing Capital International Airport.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Key Facts
In the post, the president shared an image of himself and the Chinese president walking outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where the two leaders attended a summit meeting and a banquet dinner on Thursday.
Trump wrote, “China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.,” as he claimed the construction of the building was “ahead of schedule.”
The president added the White House Ballroom will open around September 2028.
In an earlier post, Trump also hailed his supporters who commissioned the “Don Colossus” golden statue of him that was placed outside his Doral golf club earlier this week.
Trump wrote that these supporters just wanted a statue “of yours truly,” that he “very much appreciates their support,” and claimed that, over time, it will “become a Landmark!”
The statue sparked controversy among some religious groups, who argued it was idolatry, prompting pastor Mark Burns—an ally of the president who was present at the unveiling—to push back, saying it was not a “golden calf.”
Trump Posts About Statue Garden For American Heroes
In his first post after leaving China, Trump announced the site of his planned National Garden of American Heroes, saying this “magnificent exhibition of statues will be located in West Potomac Park.” Trump claimed the area is currently a “BARREN field of Prime Waterfront Real Estate.” The president said this garden will feature statues of “our Illustrious Founding Fathers, Military Warriors, Religious Leaders, Civil Rights Champions, World Class Athletes, Artists, Entertainers, and MORE,” without naming anyone specifically. Trump first floated the idea of such a statue garden in 2020 and last year, Congress approved $40 million in funding for the project as part of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill”—Trump’s signature spending legislation.
What Did Trump Post During His Time In China?
Trump only posted four times on Truth Social during his two-and-a-half-day stay in Beijing. Three of the posts were videos of him attending various official events, but the fourth mentioned Xi “elegantly” referring to the U.S. as a “declining nation.” Although it’s unclear which comments by the Chinese president he was referring to, Trump insisted this was a reference to the United States under former President Joe Biden. The president wrote that Xi was “referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100% correct.” He then added: “Two years ago, we were, in fact, a Nation in decline. On that, I fully agree with President Xi! But now, the United States is the hottest Nation anywhere in the world.”
Tangent
Other posts Trump made overnight include a screenshot of a CNN article featuring a Chinese academic who rated the Trump-Xi summit a “9.99 out of 10.” Trump also made a post promoting an upcoming book by Fox & Friends host Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is also the wife of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. He noted that Campos-Duffy had dedicated her book to him.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2026/05/15/trump-says-us-should-have-a-ballroom-like-china-says-itll-open-in-september-2028/
