Arabella Trump greets Xi Jinping in Mandarin at White House state dinner

Arabella Kushner, 15-year-old daughter of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan in Mandarin at the White House state dinner on September 24, 2026, saying "Welcome to America." The Chinese leaders expressed delight at her growth since their last meeting nine years earlier, when she had performed a Mandarin song for Xi during Trump's first term.

Quick Facts

Arabella greeted Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan in Mandarin at the White House
Arabella said "Welcome to America" in Mandarin
White House state dinner held
Formal welcoming ceremony conducted
Arabella attended arrival ceremony, welcoming ceremony, and state dinner

Arabella Kushner, the 15-year-old daughter of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, made her state dinner debut on Thursday, September 24, 2026, when Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan visited the White House. Arabella, who has studied Mandarin since age three, greeted the Chinese leaders in their native language, saying "Welcome to America" at the arrival ceremony. Xi and Peng expressed delight at seeing her, noting how much she had grown since their last encounter when she was six years old during President Trump's first term.

During that earlier meeting in Beijing, Trump had shown Xi a video of young Arabella singing a traditional Chinese folk song in Mandarin while wearing a traditional Chinese-style dress. Xi reportedly gave her performance an "A+" and called her a "child star." The videos of Arabella's Mandarin performances went viral in China during Trump's first term, making her a social media presence in the country.

Ivanka Trump and Arabella attended multiple events throughout the day. At the formal welcoming ceremony in the morning, Ivanka wore a robin's egg blue dress with white and silver embroidery by Chinese designer Guo Pei, while Arabella wore an ivory Self-Portrait ensemble. Both mother and daughter appeared in the front row, with Arabella seated next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. For the evening state dinner in the East Room, Arabella changed into a black floor-length ball gown and wore her hair in an updo. She was seated between her mother and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Ivanka underwent her own wardrobe transformation for the evening, changing from her daytime blue dress to a glamorous strapless silver gown by Lebanese designer Georges Hobeika. Meanwhile, First Lady Melania Trump wore a white shirt with a black bow tie paired with Dolce & Gabbana black satin trousers featuring peony embroidery—a choice sources noted was intended to honor the peony's significance in Chinese culture as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. The attire choices across the Trump family reflected diplomatic recognition of the Chinese state visit.

Arabella's presence at the state dinner marked her first formal appearance at such an event. The teenager, who lives in Florida with her parents and two younger brothers, Joseph and Theodore, has maintained her Mandarin skills and cultural connection since childhood. Her language skills and cultural familiarity provided a personal diplomatic gesture during the high-level bilateral visit.

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Politics White House and Trump Entertainment World

#Arabella Kushner #Ivanka Trump #White House #state visit #Mandarin #diplomatic #Xi Jinping #state dinner

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Why This Matters

The state visit involves high-level bilateral meetings between US and Chinese leadership on September 24, 2026. Arabella Kushner's Mandarin greeting and cultural familiarity—documented through her childhood performances that circulated widely on Chinese social media during Trump's first term—signal personal diplomatic continuity. Her attendance at formal ceremony, welcoming event, and state dinner represents the first formal appearance by a member of the Trump family's younger generation at such an event; the wardrobe choices by Ivanka Trump and First Lady Melania Trump (peony embroidery) reflect stated diplomatic protocol recognition of Chinese cultural symbolism.