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What’s happening: Anti-Trump and pro-Russian social media users are claiming that President Donald Trump surreptitiously flipped through Chinese President Xi Jinping’s notebook during their May 2026 summit when Xi wasn’t looking, purportedly in a bid to get a glimpse into Chinese intelligence. In fact, Trump was looking at his own notebook.
Context: On May 14 and 15, Trump met with Xi in Beijing to discuss trade, technology, Taiwan, and the Iran war. On May 14, Xi held a formal state banquet for Trump at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, where Trump said in a speech that the two countries would “have a fantastic future together.”
A closer look: After footage of the banquet was posted online by global news organizations, some anti-Trump and pro-Russia social media users claimed one clip showed Trump secretly peeking through the pages of Xi’s notebook. What both groups have in common is an apparent interest in portraying Trump as desperately trying to gain an upper hand with Xi at a time when Trump is struggling domestically with sagging poll numbers and an unpopular war in Iran.
The clip shows Trump, seated at Xi’s table, leaning toward a folder that appears to be near Xi’s seat while Xi is elsewhere. In the video, Trump is seen...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Please support us by becoming a premi...