Add The New York Post on Google WASHINGTON — Next week’s White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping is turning into the hottest ticket in DC, with big tech and hedge fund bosses literally lobbying President Trump for a seat at the table.
Many of the same honchos who traveled to Beijing with Trump this past May — a group that included Elon Musk, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, and Facebook’s Dina Powell — are angling for a coveted invite to the Sept. 24 fete, sources tell The Post.
Huang is expected to attend, a source tells The Post. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is also attending, the company’s Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane told CBS Mornings on Wednesday.
Tensions are high between the US and China as they battle for technological dominance. Beijing is worried about the US easing off guardrails on artificial intelligence, allowing the new technology unlimited growth. And the US is concerned about China stealing advanced American technology.
Trump has been clear he wants the US to beat China in the AI race. Some Chinese business executives are expected to attend as part of Beijing’s delegation and the state dinner will give the two sides a chance for informal diplomacy.
Huang, Schwarzman, and Powell attended the April state dinner for Britain’s King Charles III. That event was so in demand that it ended up overbooked.
Many of the invites did not include a plus one. But so many of the invited billionaires wanted to bring their spouse to see the King and Queen — even dialing Trump to ask for an extra ticket — that administration staff who were originally invited were relegated to the Map Room in the basement of the White House — official Washington’s version of the kids’ table.
There is no social secretary in the Trump White House and the president has taken a larger-than-usual role in formal events of state, enjoying playing host at the most famous address in the United States.
First Lady Melania Trump is also heavily involved in the planning. She posted a video to her social media accounts on Thursday previewing the event, showcasing the flower arrangements, crystal champagne flutes, and the dinner program with a bright red cover.
“The president enjoys entertaining,” a longtime Trump associate told The Post. “And he knows what an attraction the White House is.”
That attraction is also a source of tension and frustration due to the executive mansion’s limited space. The East Room, where Charles was toasted, can only hold about 150 people.
In addition to the president’s guests, the Chinese will want to invite some of their own. The division of tickets between the US and the visiting nation is determined in negotiations about the state visit.
The Chinese asked for half the seats at the table, NPR reported, leading to furious White House pushback. At the dinner for King Charles, there were just about a dozen Brits among the 130 guests, per the official guest list, and none brought a spouse except for British Ambassador Christian Turner.
The final guest list is still being worked out, a US official told The Post, due to the negotiations over how many seats each country will have.
While other administrations got around the space constraints by holding state dinners in tents on the South Lawn, Trump has gone big by ordering the construction of a massive $400 million ballroom, expected to be completed later this year.
Seat assignments are just one of the many sticking points between Trump and Xi. The two countries remain in a tariff war with Xi matching Trump’s moves tit-for-tat.
There is also tension over China’s purchase of Iranian oil, its trade relationship with Russia, and its ambitions for the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan. China, meanwhile, remains concerned about potential US arms sales to Taiwan.
Trump has been priming the White House for Xi’s visit, obviously wanting to match the impressive visuals the Chinese greeted him with earlier this year during his trip to Beijing.
While the ballroom is still unfinished, a new permanent granite helipad on the South Lawn is ready to go.
“This will be much better for state arrivals,” Trump told reporters last month when he gave a tour of the work. “And in fact, instead of being on grass, now they’ll be using that almost like a table. They can have events on it. They can have people go there for cocktails and then walk to the ballroom after that’s finished.”
The North Portico’s columns, which were covered for much of the summer by shrouds and scaffolding, have also been repainted and repaired in time for the president and first lady to welcome Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan.
“The White House was in very bad condition, both inside and out. Frankly, it was a ‘dump!’” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this week to tout his changes. “It is now in better shape than when built in 1792. Such an Honor to have the privilege of saving this Great Structure! More time without renovation would have destroyed our beloved White House!”
The Xi state dinner caps a busy week for Trump, who will start by attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York to give remarks and meet world leaders including British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
The president is also expected to meet with Gulf leaders to discuss the war in Iran, including leaders or foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.
