'Red carpet for a despot': Trump's lavish Xi welcome collides with GOP anti-communism message

Several Republican senators publicly criticized President Donald Trump's red-carpet reception of Chinese President Xi Jinping as their state summit concluded in Washington, arguing the friendly optics clash with the GOP's midterm messaging against communism. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said that if the White House had consulted him, he would have advised against extending such a lavish welcome to Xi given ongoing concerns about the Chinese Communist Party. The criticism follows a GOP midterm convention in Dallas centered on the slogan "Common sense versus communism," meant to frame the elections as a referendum on Trump's agenda even though his name isn't on the ballot, according to Fox News.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., noted that Trump built his political brand on confronting China and recalled MAGA rally crowds cheering promises to challenge Beijing, saying he feels the same discomfort whenever the U.S. rolls out a red carpet for "a despot from Russia, or a despot from China." Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he wasn't "enthusiastic" about the summit and described China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as an "axis opposed" to the United States, adding he hopes Trump remains clear-eyed about leaders he sometimes calls friends.

Despite the criticism, some Republicans indicated they view direct engagement between Trump and Xi as a necessary part of managing relations between the two global powers, even while acknowledging the summit's opulence.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →