Trump Welcomes Xi Jinping With Red Carpet Amid Tensions

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Madame Peng, with a red carpet ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, marking the start of the Chinese leader's state visit.

Rows of U.S. soldiers stood at attention as F-35 fighter jets and Air Force One were positioned behind them. A military band played as officials unrolled a red carpet for Xi Jinping's Air China jumbo-jet. The arrival ceremony on Wednesday mirrored the welcome Trump received during his own trip to Beijing in May.

President Xi and his wife arrived shortly before 6:00 p.m. local time and are scheduled to remain in the capital area until Friday afternoon. The presidential limousine, known as "The Beast," brought the Trumps to meet the visiting delegation at the plane. The two leaders and their wives exchanged remarks for several minutes.

The accompanying fanfare took place under a media blackout. President Trump had previously banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. Staff from Fox, CBS, and NBC were present but did not film during the proceedings, as a judge considered the banned outlets' lawsuit against the administration.

An Air Force flyover occurred overhead as the Chinese president's plane landed. During an emergency hearing concerning the media ban, a Justice Department attorney argued that reporters' passes should not be restored until after Xi's visit, citing national security concerns. The Justice Department attorney, Michael Velchik, urged U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to delay the restoration of press credentials.

This is a developing story.