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Trump's granddaughter greets Xi in Mandarin at White House

Arabella Kushner, the 15-year-old granddaughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping in Mandarin during a recent White House visit. The greeting marked a notable moment in U.S.-China diplomatic protocol, nine years after the teenager first performed a Chinese folk song for the Chinese leader.

LSN Vietnam · 28 September 2026

Trump's granddaughter greets Xi in Mandarin at White House

Arabella Kushner greeted Xi Jinping in fluent Mandarin Chinese during the Chinese president's visit to the White House last week, demonstrating her continued fluency in the language. The teenager's proficiency in Mandarin reflects years of language study and cultural engagement.

The greeting carried symbolic significance in the context of U.S.-China relations, coming at a time when diplomatic exchanges between Washington and Beijing remain closely watched. Such cultural gestures, though ceremonial in nature, often serve as ice-breakers in high-level state visits.

This was not Kushner's first public interaction with Xi Jinping. In 2015, when she was approximately six years old, she performed a traditional Chinese folk song for the then-visiting Chinese president. That earlier performance had drawn widespread media attention and was seen as a charming moment of cultural diplomacy.

Kushner's language abilities underscore the importance some prominent American families place on multilingual education. Her Mandarin proficiency has made her a recognizable figure in media coverage of U.S.-China interactions, though she maintains a largely private public profile otherwise.

The White House visit by Xi Jinping comes amid ongoing discussions between the Trump administration and Chinese leadership on trade, technology, and bilateral relations.