The 'Clean' Departure: Reports Claim Trump Delegation Discarded All Chinese Electronics Before Boarding Air Force One

The US President Donal Trump recently concluded his high-profile visit to Beijing to meet the Chinese President Xi Jinping. While not many details about the meeting have been made public, Trump has dubbed the talk to be ‘highly successful’ and ‘unforgettable’. But despite the supposed success of the talk, it seems, the US is yet to give China a vote of confidence.

According to multiple media reports, the media representatives who went to Beijing with Trump claim that nothing from China was brought aboard Air Force One, the official aircraft for the US President. The reports suggest that press badges, burner phones, and delegation pin badges distributed by the Chinese side were thrown in the trash before Trump and his delegation boarded the flight.
With China’s reputation as a top-notch cyber spy, experts believe that the move was to ensure that no ‘bug’ followed the President back home which compromises any sensitive or classified information.
The technical caution stood in sharp contrast to the lavish diplomatic optics of the trip. During the two-day summit, which wrapped up on May 15, the two leaders walked the grounds of the Zhongnanhai garden and shared a formal lunch featuring traditional delicacies. 

Trump highlighted "fantastic trade deals" involving Boeing aircraft and American soybeans, and even made a last-minute addition to his delegation—Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang—to discuss the high-stakes future of AI semiconductors.  
Yet, as Air Force One lifted off from Beijing Capital International Airport, the silent disposal of every Chinese-provided badge served as a reminder of the underlying lack of trust. While the President spoke of a "constructive strategic stability" and personal chemistry with Xi, the rigorous security protocols suggested that successful meetings do not overturn security measures.

Also Read: Trump Speaks to Xi About the Iran Crisis, Says He is 'Losing Patience'