沙发肯定是特制的，习近平座的沙发明显高过川普的沙发，而川普比习近平身高10厘米，中共在这些细节上处处用尽心机。 pic.twitter.com/qP4ifU8im7
— David Tsai/蔡慎坤 (@cskun1989) May 15, 2026
"How come this seat is at such a low level? You know, I'm looking at him. He's got this stage rigged, folks.... That seat is a good six inches higher than my seat."
Even better, the dictators cranking up barber chairs in "The Great Dictator" — here.
Mga Post
75 komento:
It's too bad Trump couldn't have beaten Xi to his chair. Lol
Xi can almost swing his feet. Looks like his cushion is hard and uncompressible, but Trump's is squishy.
"Trump's is squishy" -- Trump's weight has something to do with that.....
The visual impact is substantially less impressive than he planned, I’m sure. Maybe if his shoes could touch the ground it would have worked. But from what I’ve seen this is a small mistake in an otherwise extraordinary State Visit Plus, a special designation invented by China in 2017.
If we ever slumped over like this guy sits the nins would have beat us with a phonics book.He is always bent over like the generations of the NEANDERTHAL MAN , worst posture ever. Makes him look so "kyphosis" SIT UP!
Supposedly Trump imbibed the champaign during the toast at the state dinner yesterday. Broke decades of teetotaling for Mr. Xi...and now this.
Btw the Chinese are big on ritual symbolism and protocol. They don't miss stuff like this or having Xi not welcome Trump personally at the airport.
This is what every single interaction and deal with China will be like for America.
"...Trump's weight has something to do with that...."
What is Trump's weight? Or, don't you know?
Trump’s disclosure shows hundreds of millions of dollars in US securities traded in first quarter ~ Yahoo
"Financial disclosures for US President Donald Trump showed hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of transactions involving
securities in major American companies including Nvidia, Palantir, Paramount and Boeing in the first three months of 2026.
"Regulatory filings published by the US Office of Government Ethics show transactions involving Tesla, Nvidia, Apple, Meta, Visa, Citi, Boeing, Qualcomm and GE Aerospace."
"Top executives of all of those companies accompanied the US president on his trip to Beijing this week to meet Chinese leader President Xi Jinping."
I don’t think this requires any comment. It speaks for itself.
Trump's weight has something to do with that.
Yup. He is getting close to Hillary and Pritzker territory, but he is a lot taller.
You can trust Yahoo.
TEMU cushions
Leland said...
TEMU cushions
LOL!
Devious Chinese communists gave a firmer cushion to Xi and a squishier cushion to the taller, heavier Trump to make him appear shorter.
"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'
That's what I said.
The looser the waistband, the deeper the quicksand.
Or so I have read"
-David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap
Xi's feet barely touch the carpet.
"You can trust Yahoo."
Kakistocracy in action.
Trump's drink was brought to him by a White House steward. I'm thinking it's from his own supply of Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Juice or some other champagne substitute. As a billionaire, germophobe, teetotaler, and world's #1 assassination target, he's going to be very demanding as to what he drinks. CC, JSM
Why doesn’t the mainstream media stop publishing what Trump says and instead report his stock purchases and sales? We would all then know what his intentions really are.
He seems to be net bullish, especially on Nvidia. I’m assuming the Boeing purchase was made ahead of Xi Jinping’s announcement that China would buy 200 jets from Boeing. The details matter, though: they were all small jets. By comparison, in 2019 Macron persuaded Xi to buy 300 Airbuses—larger ones at that. Translation: Boeing makes much worse jets than Airbus (China’s leadership is full of engineers, unlike the U.S. leadership, which is full of lawyers).
The main thing China needs from the U.S. is soybeans. Seems like Trump’s alternative career is as a farmer—just like Jimmy Carter, who also lost a few helicopters in Iran, as I recall.
Laughable. Xi looks like Lily Tomlin’s Edith Ann character; little girl in a big chair.
Fred says, and that's the truthhhhphthphth! CC, JSM
"We’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve,” Trump said
Or rather, “we have been unable to solve a lot of problems that I have created”.
YouTube : Andy Kaufman lampooned the Tonight Show chair disparity practice.
ai: "Yes, The Tonight Show popularized the late-night talk show staging format, but the deliberate choice to seat the host noticeably higher than the guests became a distinct, heavily discussed industry standard under Johnny Carson. While early versions of the show under Steve Allen and Jack Paar established the basic concept of the host sitting behind a desk on the right side of the screen, it was Carson’s 30-year run that permanently codified these rigid power dynamics."
The Chinese are offended at hosts who host a state dinner in a tent…state visit minus…
Will Trump reciprocate when Xi comes to the White House in a few months?
@JSM, I'd hope so. It's getting a lot of chatter online, so perhaps more info from the White House will be forthcoming.
That is hilarious. Trump needs to bring seat cushions the next time.
Chair Man Xi in his booster seat.
This cheap trick is so pathetic, obvious and petty it backfires and makes Xi look like some kind of backward, 3rd world tribal chieftain sitting on a higher stump rather than the President of a modern country hosting a summit.
Chair Man Xi brings the Beijing phone book with him wherever he goes.
Trump should bring one of those collapsible top hats.
Well Bob, “Chair Man Xi” is an instant classic.
Prediction: Trump will definitely NOT pull the same chair trick when Xi visits the White House. But he WILL hold the handshake longer than Xi as per usual.
The major question is whether they can avoid
the Two-sit-at-ease Trap.
Sorry.
@ Mike (MJB Wolf)
Chairman Xi is his actual title and clearly he takes it seriously.
Xi is compensating.
It is Winnie the Pooh.
Trump is letting Xi look good. He is trying to help Xi stay in power.
Only Xi would have signed a deal to buy from Boeing and agree to stop shipping weapons to Iran.
China has purged ~90 percent of the top ranks in the military over the last year. It is most likely Xi is trying to stop an invasion of Taiwan and stop confrontation with the US.
Xi is being called a coward and sellout in China.
And by traitors in the USA who want China to start a war against Trump.
I recall reading about some titan of industry who had the front legs of the chairs facing his desk cut off an inch short. Everyone sitting facing him was thus made uncomfortable. I forget who it was.
"Chair Man Xi brings the Beijing phone book with him wherever he goes."
I heard everybody in the American delegation (journos included) that traveled with Trump to China, had a "burner phone".
ai: "A burner phone is a cheap, prepaid mobile device designed for temporary use and short-term communication privacy. They do not require a long-term service contract or identity logging during checkout, making them useful for travelers, online dating, or separating your personal life from temporary business transactions."
Chinese Spying counter-measures.
This just shows the chinese commies are the real enemy.
“Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides Trap and create a new paradigm of major-country relations?” President Xi Jinping asked his guest.
His guest, nodding politely, realized that there were two, perhaps even three words in that question he literally did not understand.
I know King Charles did a bit of "over his head" stuff in his speeches but this was next level.
Loved the seeds for the rose garden too :-)
Both J. Edgar Hoover and Hyman Rickover are said to have had specially altered chairs for job interviewees--with shorter front legs so the occupant was kept uneasy about sliding off.
I noticed some business with a seat cushion at one of the big principals and entourages meetings, but it wasn't clear to me what the issue was.
It's all happened before.
Trump, once he realized he was in a low chair, should have just reclined and sprawled his legs out like Jacob Rees-Mogg. CC, JSM
This reminds me of the time I interviewed Shelby "the mushmoufed Missippian" Foote at his home. We sat in his spare bedroom/office (as can be seen online) but while he was in his usual rolling office chair I was in a narrow but deep armchair, with my knees up near my chin.
Other than that, it was OK.
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...
“Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides Trap and create a new paradigm of major-country relations?” President Xi Jinping asked his guest.
His guest, nodding politely, realized that there were two, perhaps even three words in that question he literally did not understand.
lol!
Every now and then Chuck shows everyone just how stupid he is.
Xi is begging Trump for help right now.
Democrats keep pretending China is some unified monolith we have to serve because they are taking Chinese money. There are tanks in the streets in China right now and their military leaders have been disappeared en masse over the last months.
Democrats are just dumb lemmings.
My nephew did advance work for Obama for a trip to Russia. Part of the work included agreement on chair sizes.
Not a quote from Xi. Chuck uses the TEMU translation. I think it’s on Chuckak to explain why a statement about an intra-European scuffle 2400 years ago has any bearing on the just concluded State Visit Plus.
At least Trump didn't fall for the banana in the tailpipe.
The funniest part is Kak pretending to know any Thucydides to get over on Trump. Y’all continually underestimate him at your peril. In contrast Chair Man Xi shows the utmost respect for our President and takes his counsel seriously.
It clearly has the opposite effect of what was intended. You treat a guest like that and you look insecure and petty, which they are. Of course, TDS will make this impossible to comprehend for some.
"YouTube : Andy Kaufman lampooned the Tonight Show chair disparity practice."
Ha ha. He went big with the concept.
"It's all happened before."
LOL
https://open.substack.com/pub/donsurber/p/trump-conquers-red-china?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2czur
Xi looks like he’s in a high chair. His feet barely touch the floor. Poor Pooh bear.
While the two leaders seemed to give the world what they wanted—cordial and friendly meetings on the surface—the lack of anything substantial resulting from the meeting suggests there was a lot of difficulties below the surface that remain unresolved.
The visit must have gone very well if this is all they've got.
Xi doesn’t look confortable in his own chair in his own house. Trump looks like he owns the joint.
The fact that the band played YMCA at the state banquet was awesome. MAGA is everywhere.
"...the lack of anything substantial resulting from the meeting suggests there was a lot of difficulties below the surface that remain unresolved."
I bet you already had that typed out before your secret inside intelligence sources sent you the report.
At moments, Xi's feet didn't touch the floor and that's a very strained and uncomfortable position. So the trick backfired. But there was substance to be discussed and more was done than petty tricks. Xi diversified his oil supply. Trump got help on Hormuz. It comes back to one thing - King Oil won't save Iran. China was getting its oil from Iran via Hormuz; the US closed Hormuz to Iranian exports; China moved sideways to get its oil, not forward to assist Iran.
And I think we'll win the midterms. MAGA
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...
While the two leaders seemed to give the world what they wanted—cordial and friendly meetings on the surface—the lack of anything substantial resulting from the meeting suggests there was a lot of difficulties below the surface that remain unresolved.
lol the cope is off the charts! Buying from Boeing and Alaskan oil and no more weapons for Iran is nothing substantial.
Do you realize how stupid you all will look when Trump over the next 6 months announces peace agreements around the entire world and gas prices are falling to decade lows?
If you haven’t noticed Ukraine and Cuba are next.
Starmer and Merz and Macron are all getting removed by their own people.
These people can’t see 30 seconds into the future because everything they believe is predicated on Trump hate.
Their cranial inversion is total
wildswan said...
And I think we'll win the midterms. MAGA
The biggest wins are in the midterms.
The number of democrats being removed from the Republican Party grows.
No presents, people.
https://x.com/Osint613/status/2055326839560679662
Re Don Surber 05/15: Good column. Surber went wobbly on the Donald post-2020. Kicked a man when he was down. So I always read his columns with a bit of wariness.
Here's Trump on Xi's Height:
If you went to Hollywood and you look for a leader of China, to play a role in a movie, he’s central casting …you couldn’t find a guy like him,” Donald Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity before commending President Xi Jinping’s height.
The POTUS added, “Even his physical features, you know, he’s tall, very tall, and especially for this country, because they tend to be a little bit shorter…but no, if you went to Hollywood, you wouldn’t find that, you’re not going to find a guy to play the role who’s good. I say it about him, and I could say it about some, not as complimentary, frankly, for the most part, but I say about him.”
But Trump knows he'll take flak for liking Xi
“They always criticize me when I say good things about certain leaders, and this one, but he’s a leader for China. He’s led almost 1.5 billion people for a long time, and he’s respected. It’s sort of interesting when the fake news…they’ll say President Trump said that President Xi was a brilliant leader. That’s a terrible thing. What am I going to do?”
Achilles said: "Buying from Boeing and Alaskan oil and no more weapons for Iran is nothing substantial."
"The White House hasn't released a detailed account of the agreements in writing, but Trump in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News said China would be buying lots of soybeans and Boeing aircraft.
Trump announced China had agreed to order 200 jets – before equivocating.
"I sort of, I think it was a commitment. I mean, you know, it was sort of like a statement, but I think it was a commitment," Trump added." ~ Fox News
I will note Trump's equivocation there. China has yet to confirm these purchases.
This isn't the first time Trump has announced trade deals with China, only to have them fall short.
So... in review: we're back to the status quo before Trump's Liberation Day Tariffs. It must have been a rude awakening from his cabinet meetings at home.
Looking it up, it seems Trump wanted the meeting not the Chicoms. Which means Xi probably wont give him what he wants. Anyway, the Chinese play the long game - unlike us. And they have a China first foreign policy - unlike us.
For example, China needs energy and they're making themselves as independent of the USA as possible. Which means Wind power, nuclear, etc.
Under its 15th Five-Year Plan, China is targeting 110 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2030, and aims to reach 150 GWe by 2035. China’s ultimate objective is to become a major exporter of nuclear technology to the rest of the world.
Given this, are they really supposed to help us keep Iran "Nuke free"? Not unless we bribe them with something big.
By comparison France has the more nuclear power than anyone in Europe and has 63 GwE. Which produces 2/3 of its electricity. UK has 7 GwE. Germany has zero.
The present condition of American power is not merely a report on diplomacy, but a portrait of a hegemon caught between strategic overreach, commercial dependency, and intellectual contradiction.
One cannot endlessly arm, politically elevate, and strategically integrate a territory while simultaneously claiming neutrality over sovereignty. This is the contradiction at the heart of modern American policy.
The inconsistency becomes even more striking when viewed through strategic realism. No great power would tolerate a rival arming and politically cultivating a territory viewed as central to its national integrity. The United States itself enforced the Monroe Doctrine for generations on precisely these grounds. Yet Washington treats Chinese objections as uniquely unreasonable while refusing to apply the same logic to its own sphere of influence.
Washington acknowledged that there is one China and that Taiwan forms part of that framework. Yet over the past two decades, the US has steadily hollowed out this understanding by increasingly treating Taiwan as a quasi-independent military client while insisting it has not altered policy.
The proposed US $14bn–20bn Taiwan arms package is presented almost routinely, as though security itself has become a financial product. This mirrors the experience of America’s Gulf allies, who have spent extraordinary sums on Western defense systems for decades while remaining strategically vulnerable to relatively inexpensive asymmetric threats.
The recent Iran conflict illustrates this starkly. Vast purchases of missile defense systems and advanced weaponry have not produced genuine invulnerability. Expensive defense architectures often provide political reassurance more effectively than actual security.
Another striking feature of the summit is the juxtaposition of existential geopolitical issues with transactional commercial bargaining. Taiwan, war, tariffs, soybeans, Boeing orders, and semiconductor controls are discussed almost interchangeably. Strategic doctrine gives way to deal-making.
Ironically, Xi Jinping emerges from the summit appearing more strategically coherent. China’s emphasis on “strategic stability” and “manageable differences” reflects a classical balance-of-power mentality focused on avoiding systemic instability.
The deeper issue running through the summit is that the United States continues attempting to preserve the psychology of unipolar dominance in an increasingly multipolar world. Taiwan becomes not merely a democratic question, but a test of whether Washington can indefinitely maintain strategic primacy along the periphery of a rising peer competitor.
RCOCEAN II said...
Looking it up, it seems Trump wanted the meeting not the Chicoms. Which means Xi probably wont give him what he wants. Anyway, the Chinese play the long game - unlike us. And they have a China first foreign policy - unlike us.
Keep hope alive!
The Chicoms will defeat those filthy american capitalist swine!
Xi has cards to play.
There was a lot of Achilles claiming as fact about a large Boeing order, but no confirmation from Boeing. With China Southern placing an order for 137 Airbus aircraft in April 2026, and China Eastern ordering 101 Airbus aircraft in March 2026, it is difficult to believe another large Chinese government order will be forthcoming. In fact -- Xi promised Trump a rose garden.
One suspects that the meeting did not go as well as some of the Achilles/Althouse sources have indicated.
Trump’s approach to Taiwan mirrors his approach to Ukraine.
He’d rather squeeze the weaker party in the conflict to achieve his preferred outcome than maintain ties with a trusted partner and U.S. allies more broadly.
I wonder if Trump is thinking, “What could I have achieved if we didn’t attack Iran?” Nah….he isn’t capable of being that smart.
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