Trump Deploys Entire U.S. Military to Greet Xi, Then Keeps Them Standing in His Front Yard Indefinitely
President Trump turned a state arrival into a permanent military pageant, ordering the entire U.S. armed forces to line the route from Joint Base Andrews to the White House and remain at attention until further notice.
President Donald Trump greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday by ordering every branch of the U.S. military to line the entire route to the White House and stand at attention until further notice. The Pentagon confirmed that active-duty personnel, reservists, and the Coast Guard were pulled from bases worldwide, with some units marching for three days to reach their assigned spots along the motorcade.
«We wanted a welcome that would make history,» a senior administration official said. «The president felt a few hundred troops were insufficient, so he requested all of them. The Joint Chiefs are now taking attendance twice a day.»
The ceremony included a flyover by a B-2 bomber and four F-22 jets, which circled for six hours because Trump insisted they remain visible for the duration of the state dinner. Pilots took turns landing to refuel while the others held formation.
Senator Roger Wicker criticized the display as «fastuous,» but Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised it, saying «the relationship deserves nothing less than total military mobilization.»
As of Thursday morning, the troops were still standing in the September heat, awaiting orders to disperse. A White House aide said the president might keep them there through the weekend «just in case Xi wants to see them again.»
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