US President Donald Trump’s flight back to Washington on Thursday was interrupted by a jolt of strong turbulence as Air Force One flew over Asia. The President was en route from South Korea, having just concluded his attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Speaking to reporters mid-flight as the presidential aircraft experienced the bumpy conditions, President Trump commented on the challenging weather.
“These are rough winds in Asia. I must tell you, this is a rough flight. We could have waited an hour, maybe. These are tough conditions for interviews!” Trump joked.
Ever conscious of media perception, he lightheartedly suggested the turbulence might affect his appearance: “You know, they’re going to be watching Trump, they’re going to say, ‘He didn’t look too good; he’s got the shakes!’ I didn’t have the shakes, but people think I do.”
Insights on the Xi Jinping Meeting
After the ride settled, President Trump shared details from his recent high-profile meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He characterized the discussions as exceptionally positive, rating the meeting “a 12” on a scale of one to 10 and calling it “a truly great meeting.”
Discussion on the War in Ukraine
According to a report by Mediaite, the two leaders spent a significant portion of their discussion focused on the conflict in Ukraine.
Joint Action Agreed: Trump stated, “We talked about it for a long time, and we’re both going to work together to see if we can get something done.”
A “Locked-In” Fight: The President acknowledged the difficult nature of the conflict, noting, “And we agreed the sides are locked in, fighting, and sometimes you have to let them fight, I guess. Crazy.”
China’s Oil Purchases: While affirming that President Xi will “help us” and “work together on Ukraine,” Trump added, “It’s not a lot more we can do.” He mentioned that China has been buying Russian oil for a long time, which “takes care of a big part of China,” but clarified, “we didn’t really discuss the oil.” He also made a point to say that “India’s been very good on that front.”
Trade Gains Announced on Truth Social
Later that same day, President Trump took to his Truth Social platform to reveal additional agreements made with the Chinese President, highlighting major victories for the U.S. economy and specific sectors.
Massive Farm Purchases: Trump expressed that he was “extremely honored” that President Xi authorized China to begin the “purchase of massive amounts of Soybeans, Sorghum, and other farm products.” He then repeated his advice to the farming community: “In fact, as I said once before during my first Administration, Farmers should immediately go out and buy more land and larger tractors. I would like to thank President Xi for this!”
Critical Minerals Flow: He also announced a win for manufacturing and defense sectors, confirming, “Additionally, China has agreed to continue the flow of Rare Earth, Critical Minerals, Magnets, etc., openly and freely.”
The high-stakes meeting with Xi Jinping came at the end of President Trump’s three-nation Asia tour, which began last Sunday with his landing in Malaysia, followed by visits to Japan, and finally South Korea for the APEC proceedings.