Travel pool note #15 - Banquet lead-up/ Musk quote
- From
- Danny KEMP
- Sent
- Thursday, May 14, 2026 5:53 PM CST
Pool was led into the huge hall in the Great Hall of the People where the state banquet is being held. There are giant chandeliers, blue and gold balconies and a large orange backdrop with pagoda-style roofs saying ‘welcoming banquet’ with US and China flags.
US officials and delegation are arriving. Secretaries Hegseth and Bessent and WH Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller were talking, as were Secretary Rubio and Elon Musk.
“It was awesome,” Musk said when asked how his talks with Xi went, before Rubio led him away. Hegseth didn’t respond when pool called out to him.
Pool was in an elevator with Steven Cheung who declined to respond to questions about what POTUS and Xi discussed on Taiwan, referring to the readout.
Danny Kemp
AFP White House Correspondent