CBS News Claims Trump Invited China’s Xi Jinping to Attend Inauguration

China’s dictator Xi Jinping has been invited to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, according to a report from CBS News.

Several “sources” told the outlet that after the presidential election, Trump invited Xi to attend the upcoming inauguration. The sources added that it was unsure if Xi had accepted Trump’s invitation.

Trump campaign national spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, who was recently picked to serve as Trump’s White House press secretary, stated that world leaders are “lining up to meet with President Trump.”

“World leaders are lining up to meet with President Trump because they know he will soon return to power and restore peace through American strength around the globe,” Leavitt said in a statement.

Other world leaders, such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán are reportedly “still considering” whether to attend Trump’s inauguration, a source close to Orbán’s plans told the outlet.

CBS News reported that while “ambassadors and other diplomats are typically invited to inaugurations,” foreign leaders have so far not been reported to have attended a presidential inauguration:

Ambassadors and other diplomats are typically invited to inaugurations, but State Department records dating back to 1874 show that a foreign leader has never attended a transfer-of-power ceremony.

In the aftermath of Trump’s presidential win over Vice President Kamala Harris in November, world leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump “on his impressive election victory.”

World leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Argentine President Javier Milei have also met with Trump after his election win.

The claims of Trump inviting Xi to attend his inauguration comes as Trump has previously threatened to impose a ten percent tariff on China for goods coming into the United States until it addresses the drug inflow into the U.S.:

I have had many talks with China about the massive amounts of drugs, in particular Fentanyl, being sent into the United States – But to no avail. Representatives of China told me that they would institute their maximum penalty, that of death, for any drug dealers caught doing this but, unfortunately, they never followed through, and drugs are pouring into our Country, mostly through Mexico, at levels never seen before. Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter.