Trump's China Trip Descends Into Chaos — As White House Staffer Trampled During Frenzied Scene and Secret Service Agent Kept Out of Official Events
Donald Trump's summit with Xi Jinping has gotten off to a shaky start.
May 14 2026, Published 6:40 p.m. ET
A White House staffer was accidentally trampled by members of the Chinese press corps rushing to President Trump's bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The aide was bruised and shaken, but luckily not seriously hurt.
Turmoil and Tumult
Members of the Chinese Media bowled over a White House aide.
While there were no major injuries, her colleagues reportedly loudly voiced their displeasure at the Chinese media’s behavior.
Later in the afternoon, Chinese officials refused to allow a Secret Service agent accompanying the presidential press pool into the Temple of Heaven, because the agent was carrying a gun – like all Secret Service agents do.
The American delegation refused to move forward without the agent, leading to a 30-minute standoff, which only came to an end when a different agent who had already been cleared escorted the reporters inside.
Increased Restrictions on U.S. Media
Secret Service agents were reportedly limited from doing their jobs.
American reporters and media have been subject to strict controls since their arrival. Journalists reportedly have had little access to restrooms, which followed the confiscation of their water bottles, even as temperatures soared.
The rigid rules are said to be the result of Chinese officials trying to control what the U.S. free press can report.
However, it looks like Elon Musk has been another American problem of an entirely different kind. As Radar previously reported, the world's richest man was dragged after he was caught on camera making "awkward" faces while at a state dinner on Thursday.
Food for Thought
Elon Musk was ripped for his 'embarrassing' behavior at a state dinner.
At one point during the dinner, Apple CEO Tim Cook walked over to Musk to pose for a photo, which ended with the Tesla boss making faces and rolling his eyes, before grabbing a piece of food and chowing down.
The brief interaction went viral quickly, as critics weighed in on the billionaire's odd behavior during the important dinner.
"Elon keeps proving that having wealth doesn't make you any less of a loser," one person raged, as another added, "Disrespectful, arrogant, unaware, and embarrassing."
A third raged, "Despicable and embarrassing," while others were just stumped as to why the billionaire was allowed to accompany President Trump on the trip in the first place.
Elon Musk Not Cleared for Takeoff?
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Musk was reportedly not cleared by a judge to leave the country for the trip.
But Musk could face an even greater reckoning back home. It appears he was never actually cleared to leave the U.S. in the first place, as the tech mogul is currently involved in a lawsuit against OpenAI, which is ongoing.
Musk, who co-founded the startup OpenAI, has sued his co-founders, CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman, accusing them of profiting off of what was said to be a charitable company.
Last month, after Musk testified in connection with the case, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez told the wealthy businessman, "You are not excused..." and placed him in "recall status," meaning he should have remained available to testify again if called upon.
According to sources, Musk reportedly did not obtain permission from the judge to accompany the president to China before leaving the country.
