A series of videos circulating on social media over the past 24 hours show pushy members of the Chinese media repeatedly clashing with Secret Service agents during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington, D.C.
The clips surfaced Thursday ahead of a lavish White House state dinner for Xi. The event was attended by members of President Trump’s cabinet, along with high-profile guests including billionaire Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
One video, posted by Visegrad24, shows a Chinese photographer standing near the red carpet and refusing to move as two female Secret Service agents ask him to step aside. The photographer only begins walking away after a third agent, a man, approaches him.
The post accompanying the video read: “More and more videos are coming out of China’s traveling “press corps” disrespecting U.S. Secret Service agents during yesterday’s Trump-Xi state dinner at the White House.”
Another video, shared by AFP White House correspondent Danny Kemp, captures a Chinese reporter shouting “No!” over and over as a Secret Service agent and a press handler direct him to where he is supposed to stand.
A separate clip from the DC Examiner’s Christian Datoc appears to show the same reporter arguing with the Secret Service while attempting to claim a spot among other members of the press.
“The answer is no,” an agent tells him repeatedly.
Datoc also reported on a broader standoff unfolding outside the White House.
“NOW: WH and Chinese delegation are currently fighting on the south lawn regarding placement of official government cameras,” Datoc wrote. “USS is getting involved. Xi is expected in just a few minutes.”
The situation only escalated from there, according to Datoc.
“It’s getting very heated USS and WH officials threatening to remove one Chinese official for interfering with shots and official WH cams,” he added.
Connor Stringer of The Telegraph described the scene at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. as “chaos.” He said there was “lots of shouting and raised voice as they refuse to move for Secret Service.”
The confrontations played out as the White House rolled out the welcome mat for the Chinese leader. Inside the executive mansion, Trump gave Xi a firsthand tour of his in-progress White House ballroom, inviting them to “walk into a construction site.”
The warm reception did not sit well with everyone in the president’s own party. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina later described Trump’s welcome of Xi as a “WTF moment.”
The videos paint a picture of tension on the ground even as the visit was marked by pomp and ceremony at the White House. From the red carpet to the South Lawn, members of the Chinese delegation and press corps repeatedly pushed back against instructions from U.S. security personnel.
In several of the clips, Secret Service agents can be seen standing firm as Chinese media members refused to follow directions on where to stand. In at least one instance, according to Datoc, officials went so far as to threaten to remove a Chinese official for interfering with camera shots and official White House cameras.
The footage continues to spread online as more videos from the state visit come to light.
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