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Trump and Xi Wrap Up Summit at National Archives

12:05 PM ETConfirmed

Politics Desk

In Short: Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump concluded their three-day summit with a visit to the National Archives.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump concluded their three-day summit with a visit to the National Archives on Thursday.

The visit began with a state arrival ceremony at the White House, featuring military honors, a review of troops, and a flyover by a B-2 stealth bomber and fighter jets.

The two leaders met privately for 90 minutes, according to a Chinese government readout, and held bilateral talks with their delegations for several hours.

The National Archives houses significant documents like the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, which the leaders viewed as part of their final stop.

The Freedom Plane, a Boeing 737 in special livery, is now carrying original Founding-era documents on a national tour to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

Jim Byron, a Senior Official at the National Archives, emphasized the importance of these documents in inspiring Americans to champion the nation’s founding ideals.

The visit to the National Archives was a symbolic gesture, highlighting the historical and cultural ties between the two nations.

Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, the respective first ladies, had earlier toured the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.

The summit, marked by palpable tension, concluded with Trump bidding Xi farewell at the National Archives.

Despite the extensive discussions, the two leaders did not announce any major breakthroughs during their meeting.

Background

What's confirmed

• The visit concludes Xi’s three-day trip to the United States, where he and President Donald Trump discussed trade and artificial intelligence safety but announced no major breakthroughs.
• Xi is set to begin Friday at the White House, where Trump and first lady Melania Trump will host the Chinese leader and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for tea before the National Archives visit.
• Melania Trump and Peng toured the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.
• The two leaders also met privately for 90 minutes Thursday, discussing the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, according to the Chinese government's official readout.

What's still developing

• A White House official told Fox News Digital before the visit that Trump would explore a wide-ranging deal on possible tariff reductions on non-strategic goods in the meeting with Xi.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping, leader of the country’s ruling Communist Party, will depart the United States today, but not before a final stop at the National Archives.
• After that, the couples will head to the National Archives for what the White House describes as a viewing of "a variety of important records and documents significant to the American and Chinese relationship throughout history." From there, Trump will bid Xi farewell, and the whirlwind two-and-a-half day summit, underscored by a palpable tension, will conclude.
• The National Archives houses some of America's most important documents, including the U.S.
• A frenzied press, foreign and domestic, scurried around the White House grounds to catch glimpses of Trump and Xi, who does not often visit the West.
• The National Archives and Records Administration, in partnership with the National Archives Foundation and its generous donors, is sharing these records nationwide to allow those who will not visit Washington, DC an opportunity to connect with history.
• “What they prove today is that the nation that our Founding Fathers brought forth has more than survived the test of time – it has thrived,” said Jim Byron, Senior Official at the National Archives Serving with the Authority of the Archivist of the United States.
• The Freedom Plane prepares for takeoff ahead of its inaugural flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Monday, March 2, 2026. (Courtesy of the National Archives Foundation) The Freedom Plane will carry and deliver some of the most valuable records in the holdings of the National Archives, including the Oaths of Allegiance signed by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr; a Stone Engraving of the Declaration of Independence; the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War; a draft printing of the U.S. Constitution; and the U.S. Senate markup of the Bill of Rights.
• (Courtesy of Matt Sarago) The Freedom Plane officially took off Monday from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC en route to Kansas City, MO — its first destination of eight U.S.
• (Courtesy of the National Archives Foundation) “To do that, we need to make sure that Americans know that they are the beneficial heirs to the concepts that the Founding Fathers wrote into history in these very documents,” Byron said.
• “Hopefully, the Freedom Plane National Tour inspires our fellow Americans to champion our nation’s founding ideals into the future.” The Freedom Plane prepares for takeoff ahead of its inaugural flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Monday, March 2, 2026.
• US and Chinese presidents attend state dinner with tech bosses The National Archives in Washington: This is scheduled to be the last stop of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the U.S. © Reuters WASHINGTON/NEW YORK/TOKYO -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump are holding their second summit of the year, amid lingering tensions over tariffs, rare earth materials, artificial intelligence and other issues.

Sources

• Fox Newslink
• KFXLlink
• NBC Montanalink
• Nikkei Asialink
• Oannlink
• Taipei Timeslink
• The Diplomatic Insightlink
• WJLAlink
• Wfmdlink
• Yeni Şafak Englishlink
• coastalabc.comlink
• Times of Indialink
• Newsweeklink
• National Archives (.gov)link
• WarpBeat — background on Xi Ends Trump Visit With National Archives Stop link
• Wikipedia — background on Donald Trump link
• DRM News — video link