Xi to visit Washington in Sep: Trump

Washington, July 6 (IANS) President Donald Trump said on Monday that Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Washington in late September, using the announcement to underscore his administration’s plans to expand the White House with a new state ballroom capable of hosting larger gatherings for visiting world leaders.

Speaking at a Rose Garden luncheon, Trump revealed the planned visit while describing ongoing renovation and expansion projects at the White House, including what he called a long-overdue ballroom that would transform the executive mansion’s ability to host state occasions.

“President XI is coming here, toward the end of September. 24th, I believe, and what we need is a big ballroom we could hold thousands of people in to see him. Everyone wants to see him; same thing with King Charles, same thing with a lot of the leaders of countries and now we’re going to have a place the likes of which no country has,” Trump said.

The President said the White House has struggled for decades to accommodate large state events, noting that the Executive Mansion currently lacks a dedicated ballroom.

“For 150 years they’ve wanted a ballroom to be built. We don’t have a ballroom in the White House,” he said.

Trump said the new structure would become one of Washington’s landmark buildings and would also enhance security for visiting dignitaries.

“When it’s completed… it’ll be one of the most beautiful structures in Washington,” he said. “Bulletproof, drone-proof, missile-proof in many cases.”

The President said the project would include a significant military component and would be developed in consultation with senior military officials.

“We’re doing it in conjunction with the military and the generals,” he said. “It’s really a national security must.”

Trump also compared the proposed ballroom with venues he had seen during overseas visits, saying the United States should possess a ceremonial space befitting its global standing.

“I was in the Great Hall of China recently… They have a very large ballroom, a beautiful ballroom. We don’t have that, but we’re going to have one that tops everything,” he said.

He also recalled a recent visit to Windsor Castle, recounting a conversation with King Charles III about its origins and joking about England’s William the Conqueror before returning to the theme of constructing a lasting White House landmark.

According to Trump, the ballroom would also provide a safer venue for presidential inaugurations and major state functions than existing facilities.

He said the project would be completed around the middle of 2028, adding that although critics claimed he was building it for himself, “I’m really building it for other Presidents.”

Trump made the remarks while announcing his administration’s “Trump Accounts” programme for newborn Americans, but spent a substantial portion of his speech discussing the ongoing renovation of the White House and his vision for modernising the historic complex.

–IANS

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