Hold the Big Mac, pass the steak.
President Donald Trump won’t be subjecting Chinese President Xi Jinping to a meal catered by the local McDonald’s here on Thursday night as the two leaders sit down for their first dinner together, despite a threat he made early in his presidential campaign to do just that.
“I would not be throwing him a dinner. I would get him a McDonald’s hamburger and say we’ve got to get down to work because you can’t continue to devalue (the Chinese currency),” Trump said in August 2015 on Fox News, as Obama prepared to host Xi for a state dinner at the White House the next month.
“I would give him a very — yeah, but I would give him a double, probably a double size Big Mac,” Trump added, upping the offer.
Trump argued then that the Chinese president should not enjoy a lavish sit-down dinner with the US president because “they want our people to starve.”
“They’re taking our business away. They’ve taken our jobs away,” Trump said.
Thursday’s dinner is not a full-fledged, official state dinner, but instead of a pair of McDonald’s signature hamburgers and fries, Trump and Xi will share a more traditional meal, according to the dinner menu provided by the White House.
After enjoying a Caesar Salad, Trump, Xi and two dozen other guests will get to choose between a pan-seared Dover sole or a dry-aged prime New York strip steak. The meals will be served with a 2014 Chalk Hill Chardonnay from Sonoma Coast and a 2014 Girard Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.
Once the dinner plates are whisked away, two desserts will be offered: chocolate cake with vanilla sauce and dark chocolate sorbet, and a trio of fruit sorbets.
As for the conversation menu? A stack of tough issues lie before the presidents of the world’s two largest economies. The leaders are expected to tackle the trading relationship between the two countries, North Korea’s increasingly threatening nuclear program as well as territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the climate deal brokered between the two countries under Trump’s predecessor.
Here’s the full food menu for the evening, which is “in honor of His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China and Madam Peng Liyuan,” according to the top of the menu.
Starter:
– Caesar Salad, with homemade focaccia croutons, parmigiano-reggiano
Entree:
– Pan-Seared Dover Sole with herb-roasted New Potatoes, haricots verts and Thumbelina carrots
OR
– Dry Aged Prime New York Strip Steak with whipped potatoes and roasted root vegetables
Dessert:
– Chocolate Cake with vanilla sauce
– Trio of Sorbet (lemon, mango and raspberry)
Wines:
– 2014 Chalk Hill Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast
– 2014 Girard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
