Ever seen those viral clips of world leaders standing on a balcony, watching thousands of soldiers march in perfect, terrifying unison? Most people assume Donald Trump was right there on the red carpet for China’s massive military showcases. Honestly, the reality is a bit more complicated than the memes make it look.
It’s easy to get the timeline mixed up. You’ve probably seen the photos of Trump in Beijing, looking deeply impressed. But was he actually there, in person, for the "big one"?
The short answer? Not exactly. But he was definitely watching.
The 2017 Beijing visit: Opera, not infantry
When Trump visited China in November 2017, President Xi Jinping went all out. We’re talking a "state visit plus" treatment that no other U.S. leader had ever received. They had dinner in the Forbidden City—literally the first time a foreign leader had dined there since the founding of the People's Republic.
But here’s the kicker: there wasn't a military parade during that trip.
Instead of tanks, Trump was watching a performance by the Peking Opera. He saw kids in elaborate costumes doing acrobatics. He watched his granddaughter, Arabella, sing in Mandarin on a tablet for President Xi. It was all very "soft power" and diplomatic fluff.
So where does the Trump watching China parade story actually come from?
It mostly stems from how much Trump talked about parades after seeing them elsewhere. A few months before the China trip, he was the guest of honor at France’s Bastille Day. He loved it. Like, really loved it. He saw the French tanks and the flyovers and immediately wanted one for the Fourth of July in D.C.
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People naturally started connecting his fascination with military might to his relationship with Xi. Because when China does a parade, they do it like nobody else.
The 2025 Victory Day parade: A different story
Fast forward to September 2025. This is where things get wild.
China held a massive "Victory Day" parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. This wasn't just a local event; it was a geopolitical statement. Xi Jinping was joined by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un.
Trump wasn't in Beijing for this one, but he made it very clear that he was tuned in.
"I was watching," Trump told reporters shortly after. He called the ceremony "beautiful" and "very, very impressive." He’s always had an eye for pageantry. If a display is grand and expensive-looking, he’s going to give it a compliment, even if the guys hosting it are his primary rivals.
But he wasn't just being a fan. He was actually pretty annoyed.
He went on a bit of a rant about how the United States wasn't mentioned enough in Xi’s speech. His logic was basically: "Hey, we helped you win that war, where’s our credit?" He felt like the U.S. role in the Pacific theater was being erased from the narrative while Russia and North Korea got the spotlight.
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Why the "Trump watching China parade" moment went viral
The reason this keeps coming up in search results is the visual of it all. There’s something jarring about seeing an American president—especially one with an "America First" platform—praising the military discipline of a communist rival.
Critics say it shows a "dictator envy" vibe. They argue he’s too attracted to the aesthetic of authoritarian power. Supporters, however, see it as him being a straight shooter. If the parade is impressive, why lie?
Basically, it boils down to two things:
- The Aesthetic: Trump likes "big." China does "big" better than almost anyone else when it comes to ceremonies.
- The Leverage: Trump often uses his "friendship" with leaders like Xi as a bargaining chip. By calling the parade beautiful, he keeps the door open for trade talks while simultaneously complaining that the U.S. was slighted.
It’s a weirdly effective "good cop, bad cop" routine played by one person.
The fallout: Parades vs. Policy
Interestingly, Trump’s obsession with these displays actually changed U.S. policy for a bit. Remember the "Salute to America" in 2019? That was a direct result of him watching parades in Paris and seeing the footage from Beijing.
He wanted the M1 Abrams tanks on the streets of D.C. He wanted the fighter jets.
Most military generals weren't thrilled. Tanks are heavy; they tear up city streets. Parades are expensive—they cost millions of dollars that could be spent on training or maintenance. But for Trump, the "show" was the point. He saw the parade as a metric of national strength.
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In China, the parade is a tool for domestic stability. It shows the citizens: "Look how strong we are."
In Trump’s mind, the U.S. should be doing the same thing.
What most people get wrong
The biggest misconception is that Trump was "spooked" by the Chinese military hardware. You’ll see headlines saying he "exploded" in anger or was "terrified" by the new hypersonic missiles.
Honestly? He didn't seem scared. He seemed jealous.
When he watched the 2025 parade, he didn't talk about the range of the DF-41 missiles. He talked about the "ceremony." He viewed it through the lens of a television producer. To him, it was a high-production-value event that the U.S. should be outdoing.
It’s less about the threat of war and more about the competition for the world’s attention.
Actionable insights: What to watch next
If you're tracking the "Trump watching China parade" saga, don't just look at the old clips. Look at the context of 2026 and beyond.
- Watch the rhetoric: Notice if he mentions the "strength" of other nations' militaries when he's pushing for U.S. defense budget increases.
- Check the guest lists: The next time China holds a major anniversary (like the 80th anniversary of the PRC in 2029), see who gets an invite and who watches from afar.
- Follow the "Salute to America" legacy: See if the 2026 Bicentennial celebrations in the U.S. adopt the heavy military pageantry that Trump championed after his China and France trips.
The fascination isn't going away. Whether he’s in office or not, Trump’s reaction to China’s displays of power has permanently shifted how we talk about military pageantry in the West.
It’s no longer just a "communist thing." It’s now a "ratings thing."
To stay ahead of these stories, keep an eye on official White House archives from the 2017 trip and compare them to the current geopolitical climate. The shift from "Opera in the Forbidden City" to "Missiles in Tiananmen" tells you everything you need to know about where U.S.-China relations are headed.