Fox News host Brian Kilmeade praised President Donald Trump on Thursday for rolling out the red carpet for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, saying the president is a “hospitality person first” who aims to “make people feel good when they come to visit.”
Speaking on Thursday morning’s “Fox & Friends,” Kilmeade said he backed Trump’s decision to personally welcome Xi at Joint Base Andrews, pointing to the president’s background in business and hospitality.
“I am not against meeting with China, the pomp and circumstances, red carpet — this is what the president does,” Kilmeade said.
The Fox News host dismissed critics who argue the president’s approach breaks with diplomatic tradition.
“The president is a business guy. ‘Diplomatically, that’s not what Kissinger would do.’ Doesn’t matter. The president is a hospitality person first,” Kilmeade said.
He went on to argue that the president’s style is simply part of who he is.
“He wants everyone who comes to this country or comes to one of his clubs to get A-plus treatment. That’s just the way he does it, and nobody does it better,” Kilmeade said. “So get over it. He’s an unorthodox president, and he’s gonna make people feel good when they come to visit.”
Not everyone was on board with the lavish welcome, however.
Critics seized on the scene at Joint Base Andrews, where U.S. service members were seen on their hands and knees wiping off the red carpet. MeidasTouch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski called the image “a perfect metaphor for where we are with Trump.”
The Bulwark’s Tim Miller also took a swipe at the reception.
“Another red carpet greeting for a dictator,” Miller wrote.
The criticism was not limited to Trump’s usual detractors. Even Laura Loomer, a MAGA influencer aligned with the president, questioned the welcome given to the Chinese leader.
“A red carpet for a communist dictator who is giving satellite imagery to Iran to target and kill American service members fighting in the war with Iran,” Loomer said in part.
The split reaction highlights the debate over how the president should handle the high-profile visit. Kilmeade argued that Trump’s unorthodox approach reflects his business instincts and his desire to give visitors top-tier treatment, while critics on both the left and the right took issue with the pageantry surrounding the Chinese leader’s arrival.
Xi is in Washington for a three-day visit, marking his first trip to the nation’s capital since 2015.
The festivities are set to continue Thursday night, when Trump will host a state dinner in honor of the Chinese leader. Major figures from the AI industry are slated to attend, including Elon Musk and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg.
For Kilmeade, the welcome was simply Trump being Trump. The Fox News host made clear that he sees no problem with the president’s hands-on hospitality, telling viewers that nobody does it better and that critics should “get over it.”
