Trump swoons over strongman soulmate Xi – are you feeling jealous, Vladimir?

Deference was deafening as US president rolled out red carpet for world’s biggest jailer of journalists – perhaps he was seeking tips

One is an authoritarian who represses the media and has a strong allergy to democratic elections. The other is head of the Chinese Communist party.

Donald Trump welcomed the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, to the White House on Thursday, setting the stage for a scene quite unlike anything the august old building has seen over more than two centuries.

“Remarkably,” observed the US president, “this is our first time meeting together here at the White House, and as President Xi has already seen, a lot has changed since he was last here.”

While Xi remained poker-faced, only a brief look around a grand foyer bedecked with American and Chinese flags would have verified Trump’s statement. On one wall, where an official portrait of Barack Obama once hung, was the dramatic image of a bloodied Trump with fist raised urging his supporters to “fight!” after a failed assassination attempt.