U.S. President Donald Trump personally traveled to Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday (September 23), U.S. time, to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was making a state visit to the United States for the first time in 11 years. Amid the solemn official ceremony, an interaction between the two men at the airport unexpectedly became the center of attention. As a U.S. military B-1 supersonic strategic bomber swept past at low altitude, producing a deafening roar, Trump clenched his teeth for a moment, his face showing an expression as if he had been startled by the enormous noise; in contrast, Xi Jinping beside him remained expressionless throughout, and the starkly different reactions of the two men formed a striking contrast.
According to footage shot from the side of the scene, the roar produced by the B-1 bomber as it passed over was clearly beyond expectations. Trump, who was saluting the flag at the time, was momentarily shaken by the deafening sound and bared his teeth, then turned to Xi Jinping and said a few words with a smile.
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Compared with Trump’s dramatic reaction, Xi Jinping beside him appeared calm in the face of the roar overhead, his face showing no change whatsoever throughout — so composed it was as if he had pressed a “mute button” by his ear — simply calmly looking up to admire the bomber’s imposing presence; and when Trump turned to strike up an enthusiastic conversation, he seemed to be in a state of “social fatigue,” merely tilting his head slightly in acknowledgment without even turning to face Trump.
The footage of the interaction quickly sparked heated discussion on social media, with many netizens focusing on an apparent abnormality in Xi Jinping’s “hearing.” One netizen wrote, “His expressionless face is one thing, but he didn’t even glance over. There must be something wrong with those ears, right? Even in India they’re saying it’s a problem with his earpiece,” while others chimed in, “He’s up in years — is he hard of hearing?”
川习会现场，B-1轰战机从两人头顶掠过
— 李老师不是你老师 (@whyyoutouzhele) September 24, 2026
川普表情夸张，并试图与习近平交流
一旁的习近平面无表情 pic.twitter.com/T5J2sgHRtD
