A moment between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi’s arrival ceremony in Washington has gone viral after Trump visibly flinched and broke his military salute as two jets flew over them. Footage shows Trump ducking, grimacing, then lowering his salute while the jets passed, and social media users are already having a field day. Keep reading for more information.
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Donald Trump Breaks Salute During Military Flyover
The clip in question was captured on Wednesday, September 23rd at Joint Base Andrews, here Trump and Xi stood side by side during an elaborate welcome ceremony for the Chinese leader. As the bombers roared overhead, Trump visibly winced, ducked his head and turned to look toward the aircraft, briefly lowering his salute before looking back toward Xi. The Chinese president, meanwhile, subtly watched the planes but showed little visible reaction.
Trump then appeared to turn to Xi and mumble, "That was really loud," though the Chinese president again did not react. The exchange took place as part of an elaborate welcome for Xi, marking the start of his state visit to Washington. The ceremony featured a 21-gun salute, military honor guard, the U.S. and Chinese national anthems, and rows of F-16 and F-22 fighter jets, alongside the B-1 flyover.
Social Media Reactions
Across social media platforms, users were quick to make jokes in reaction to the viral clip. "It's called the Draft Dodger Flinch," one user wrote on Instagram.
"Wow, he broke a salute," said another. "Surprised, but understandable considering he’s always a target."
"Sleepy Donnie doesn't even know what he's doing," another person wrote.
"Laughingstock of the world," added the next.
"If you’re going to render a military salute during a formal ceremony—then render it with some discipline," wrote one user. "Hold it. Head and eyes forward. Fingers together. Wrist straight. Body still. Instead, his eyes wander, his head moves and the salute drifts. Compared with actual U.S. military drill standards, it looks remarkably sloppy for a ceremony built entirely around precision, discipline and respect."
"He’s such a baby; a pretender," wrote another. "A wannabe."
"Wish he would've lost his toupee," a final user joked.
