Trump's Bizarre Remarks About Chinese Leader Xi Jinping's Body Raise Eyebrows During Historic Visit
Donald Trump made curious remarks about Xi Xingping's looks following their summit.
May 15 2026, Published 2:37 p.m. ET
Donald Trump has never hidden his obsession with surrounding himself with people who look like they stepped straight out of Hollywood's "central casting," and now he's raving about a certain world leader who he thinks meets the same standard, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The president, 79, lavished praise on Chinese leader Xi Jinping following their high-stakes two-day summit in Beijing, gushing to Fox News host Sean Hannity that his former political foe "looked" every bit the part of a commanding communist ruler.
Donald Trump Said Xi Jinping Had Looks Out of 'Central Casting'
Donald Trump said Xi Jinping's looks could get him cast in Hollywood as a Chinese leader.
"I think he's a warm person, actually, but he's all business. There are no games...he's all business, and I like that. That's a good thing. No games," Trump said about Xi, 72, following the successful summit involving trade talks and discussions about the war in Iran.
Things then took an odd turn.
"I say it about him, and I could say it about some, not as complimentary frankly, but I say about him that if he went to Hollywood and looked for a leader of China to play a role in a movie," the president began, as Hannity interrupted and asked, "central casting?"
Donald Trump Praised China's Xi Jinping's Height
Trump praised Xi Jinping's physical features, including his 6-foot-3 height.
Trump explained that Xi's 6-foot-3 stature sets him apart and makes him completely movie-ready, as he can stand eye-to-eye with the president.
"You could not find a guy like him. Even his physical features, he's tall, very tall, and especially for this country, because they tend to be a little bit shorter," he claimed.
Trump said that someone of Xi's stature, who oozes power, is something no casting director in the U.S. could find today.
'But if you went to Hollywood, you wouldn't find that; you wouldn't find a guy to play the role," he exclaimed about Xi.
Donald Trump Meant Physical Remarks About Xi Jinping as a 'Compliment'
The two men walked side-by-side while arriving at a state dinner in Beijing.
"And, you know, I mean, I will get criticized; they always criticize me when I say good things about certain leaders," the president continued, aware his remarks about Xi would likely get roasted.
"But he's a leader for China. He's led almost 1.5 billion people for a long time, and he is respected," Trump raved.
The tycoon went on to praise the mission's success, in which Trump brought along a delegation of high-profile American CEOs, including Tesla and SpaceX's Elon Musk, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Apple's Tim Cook, to add some billionaire star power to the trip.
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Donald Trump Has Talked 'Central Casting' About Cabinet Members
Donald Trump has lavished 'central casting' praise on his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Trump has used the "central casting" line numerous times in the past, referring to his preference for those with movie-star quality and pleasing looks to represent him.
During a Florida rally on May 1, the president talked about the star quality of his 6-foot-4 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
"Central casting for a treasury secretary. A lot of people didn't know him; he was very successful, great success actually, but people didn't know him. Now he walks down the street, and people are asking for his autograph, it's crazy!" Trump beamed.
During an October 2025 visit to Israel, the president swooned about his own U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, and other military leaders in the room, "Everybody was like central casting. Between him and you guys over here, we could get rich making movies, okay?"
