Trump-Xi White House state dinner: Menu, music and Nixon echoes
Synopsis
The Trump-Xi state dinner is far more than a formal meal — every element, from the Nixon-era sparkling wine to the red East Room décor and sesame-crusted sea bass, has been choreographed to send a diplomatic signal. As the world's two largest economies navigate deep strategic rivalry, Washington is using tablecloths, flowers, and a 1972 toast as soft-power vocabulary.
Key Takeaways
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan at a state dinner in the White House East Room on Thursday evening .
The dinner features a three-course menu blending American ingredients with Chinese culinary touches, including sesame-crusted sea bass and scallion oil.
The evening opens with a toast of Schramsberg 'Blanc De Noir' , the same American sparkling wine linked to Nixon and Zhou Enlai's 1972 'Toast to Peace' in Beijing.
The East Room will be decorated predominantly in red, referencing the colour's cultural significance in China, with dahlias, ranunculus, and the Reagan State Service on the tables.
Tenor Christopher Macchio and multiple US military musical ensembles will perform during the formal dinner.
Melania Trump led preparations for the event, according to the Office of the First Lady.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are set to host Chinese President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan at a White House state dinner on Thursday evening (Friday morning IST), with a three-course menu crafted to weave American ingredients together with Chinese culinary influences. The formal dinner will be held in the East Room, with official delegations, business leaders, and government officials in attendance, according to details released by the Office of the First Lady.
The Menu: A Culinary Bridge Between Two Nations
The evening opens with a toast of Schramsberg 'Blanc De Noir', an American sparkling wine chosen deliberately to evoke the historic toast shared by President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing in 1972 — an exchange the White House has previously called the 'Toast to Peace'.
The first course is a yellow squash velouté, served alongside a wild mushroom fricassée, crispy pancetta, and scallion oil. According to the release, the soup features sweet yellow squash as its base, with mushrooms sautéed in fresh herbs, pancetta lending a smoky savouriness, and scallion oil — a nod to Chinese cooking — finishing the dish.
The main course is sesame-crusted sea bass with braised baby bok choy, roasted garden eggplant, and a green herb sauce. The toasted sesame coating is designed to give the fish a nutty crust while keeping it tender inside. Both the sesame and the bok choy carry deliberate Chinese culinary references.
Dessert will be a vanilla crémeux and White House honey ice cream with walnut frangipane and sour cherry confit. The dish is described as fruit-shaped, with cherry confit at its centre. Notably, the ice cream will be made using honey harvested directly from White House beehives.
Décor: Red as a Cultural Statement
The East Room will be dominated by the colour red. The First Lady's office said the choice acknowledges red's longstanding cultural significance in China. Urns filled with red blossoms, rich red table linens, and arrangements of dahlias and ranunculus will set the visual tone. Tables will also feature vermeil from the White House collection and pieces from the Reagan State Service, placing Chinese cultural references alongside established White House traditions.
Entertainment: Military Bands and a Presidential Tenor
Classically trained tenor Christopher Macchio — who performed at Trump's 2025 presidential inauguration — will headline the evening's entertainment. He will be joined by an ensemble of US military musicians, including 'The President's Own' United States Marine Band, 'The Commandant's Own' United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the United States Army Chorus, and the United States Army Strings.
The Nixon Shadow: History as Diplomatic Context
The dinner's design draws a conscious line back to Nixon's 1972 Beijing visit, which marked a watershed in US-China relations. The choice of the same American sparkling wine used at that gathering is presented by the White House as a symbolic continuity — an acknowledgement that this bilateral relationship has historical weight even as its current chapter involves deep strategic competition. Thursday's dinner, with its layered references to 1972, positions the occasion as a moment of diplomatic engagement rather than merely a ceremonial meal.
Point of View
Constructed around a 1972 Nixon reference, is a studied attempt to cast a moment of geopolitical competition in the language of historical continuity. The choice to echo the 'Toast to Peace' is deliberate soft power, but it also risks overstating the warmth in a relationship defined by tariff disputes, technology restrictions, and Taiwan tensions. What the menu and décor cannot resolve, the diplomats will have to. The real story of this evening will be told not by the vanilla crémeux but by whatever is said in the margins.
NationPress
24 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is being served at the Trump-Xi White House state dinner?
The three-course menu begins with yellow squash velouté with wild mushroom fricassée and scallion oil, followed by sesame-crusted sea bass with braised baby bok choy, and ends with vanilla crémeux and White House honey ice cream with walnut frangipane and sour cherry confit. The menu pairs American ingredients with Chinese culinary influences.
Why was Schramsberg 'Blanc De Noir' chosen for the toast?
The American sparkling wine was selected to recall the toast shared by President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai during Nixon's landmark 1972 Beijing visit — an event the White House has referred to as the 'Toast to Peace'. The same wine is reportedly still served at White House functions.
Where will the state dinner be held?
The dinner will be held in the East Room of the White House. The room will be decorated predominantly in red, reflecting the colour's cultural significance in China, with floral arrangements, red linens, and table settings from the Reagan State Service.
Who will perform at the Trump-Xi state dinner?
Classically trained tenor Christopher Macchio, who also performed at Trump's 2025 presidential inauguration, will headline the entertainment. US military ensembles — including the Marine Band, Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, Army Chorus, and Army Strings — will also perform.
What is the significance of Nixon's 1972 visit being referenced at this dinner?
Nixon's 1972 Beijing visit was a pivotal moment in normalising US-China diplomatic relations, making it a powerful historical reference point. By echoing that visit's toast wine and framing the dinner around it, the White House is signalling a desire for diplomatic engagement even amid ongoing strategic competition between the two countries.
