Trump, Xi Jinping’s media interviews restricted at White House state banquet sparks controversy

US President Donald Trump held a state dinner at the White House on the 24th local time to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping, but a media interview controversy broke out at the scene. Foreign media pointed out through reports that a general state banquet is a manifestation of soft diplomacy, but this event turned into a private party, and the media did not have the opportunity to interview the invited business leaders during the banquet. Some media even questioned the White House's sudden change of heart, from allowing entry to being turned away. Trump even called out CNN and MS NOW on social media for lacking credibility, and accused the two media of "refuse to report" on this important diplomatic event because they were unwilling to give him a positive review.

According to the Washington Post, in the past, state banquets were a reflection of soft diplomacy, but this grand banquet was quite different from ordinary state banquets. Media who have attended state dinners with U.S. presidents in the past will have three opportunities to interact with guests and observe the dinner. The first time is when the guests arrive, and many invited VIPs will stop to answer questions; the second time is when the dinner begins, and a small number of reporters are brought into the banquet hall to observe the atmosphere of the night and the interaction between the guests; and finally, after the dinner, reporters still have the opportunity to see the guests.

However, according to the Washington Post, most of the state dinner was held behind closed doors, and the media did not have the opportunity to ask invited business leaders about issues such as recent warnings about artificial intelligence (AI) and competition between U.S. and Chinese companies.

The New York Times report also pointed out that when the Trumps and Xi Jinping arrived at the White House, the media asked questions loudly, but received no response; major television networks did not provide footage of the state banquet. "BBC" reporters also questioned through reports that the various ceremonies between Trump and Xi Jinping were conducted in an orderly, efficient and smooth manner, but the media responsible for conducting interviews fell into chaos due to strict restrictions. The main meeting between Trump and Xi at the dinner was not open to the media, and even the accompanying press corps was shut out. Although it was rumored that the meeting between the two people in the Oval Office would be open to the media, which caused the media to scramble to enter and there was a push at the scene, but in the end the White House only allowed still photographers to enter briefly.

In addition to strict control, some media outlets were directly refused interviews. CNN reported that the White House originally agreed to allow the interview team to enter the venue, but suddenly changed its mind before Xi Jinping arrived. Although they reported the interview members in accordance with the usual practice, the White House only allowed photographers and news personnel to enter, while journalists and producers were turned away.

CNN reporter Betsy Klein even mentioned that on the morning of Xi Jinping's arrival, she tried to enter the White House several times but was blocked, and access was not restored until around noon. Although CNN tried to negotiate with the White House, it was still stopped by media leaders and asked to coordinate with White House Communications Director Steven Cheung.

Afterwards, Trump even used his social platform "Truth Social" to accuse CNN of "refusing to report" on this important diplomatic event, and criticized CNN and MS NOW for their lack of credibility and poor ratings.