U.S. officials found themselves in a confrontation with the Chinese over the nuclear football in November when President Trump came to Beijing.
The briefcase’s carrier was blocked from entering the Great Hall of the People with the president – a major deviation from U.S. protocol.
It quickly devolved in a shoving match between John Kelly, the former Marine Corps general who serves as Trump’s White House chief of staff, a Chinese security official who put a hand on him, a Secret Service agent who tackled Kelly’s aggressor, Axios reported.
U.S. officials found themselves in a confrontation with the Chinese over the nuclear football in November when President Trump came to Beijing. The briefcase’s carrier was blocked from entering the Great Hall of the People (pictured) with the president
Neither he nor the U.S. decided to make hay over his own nuclear football episode, though. Instead, Trump said of the grand welcome put on by China’s communist party, ‘It’s the biggest state entrance at the biggest state dinner they’ve ever had’
John Kelly, the former Marine Corps general who serves as Trump’s White House chief of staff, is said to have gotten into a shoving match with a Chinese security official who put a hand on him at the Great Hall of the People (pictured) A Secret Service agent tackled Kelly’s aggressor
The scuffle was reportedly over within seconds, and the Chinese’ head of security ultimately apologized to the United States for the misunderstanding.
A U.S. military aide is required to tail the president with the satchel containing the nuclear codes when he is away from a formal command center. The 45-pound briefcase also includes classified locations and instructions for operating the nation’s Emergency Alert System.
At no point did the Chinese come into contact with the black bag, sources who detailed the incident to Axios said. The nuclear football never left the aide-de-camp’s possession.
Still, the scuffle nearly became an international one as the military aide was barred from following President Trump into the ceremonial site on the edge of Tiananmen Square.
Kelly was already inside when he was informed of the confusion. The retired general reportedly ordered U.S. officials to continue walking, telling the group, ‘We’re moving in.’
At no point did the Chinese come into contact with the black bag, which is circled in red above in this photo of President Trump arriving in Beijing in November
That set off Chinese security personnel. One grabbed Kelly. The senior-most Trump aide pushed the official’s hand off of him. A U.S. Secret Service responded to the perceived threat by tackling the man.
Trump had just been welcomed to the government building by Chinese President Xi Jinping with a jubilant red carpet ceremony that the U.S. president would gush about for days.
A red carpet also awaited Trump at the Beijing airport when he landed, setting off comparison’s to former President Barack Obama’s stony welcome in Hangzhou a year before during his last G20 summit.
Obama was denied a staircase tall enough to reach the forward doors of Air Force One and had to exit from the belly of the plane. The humiliating arrival for the world leader was widely interpreted as snub, although U.S. officials and Obama himself tried to downplay the tarmac games.
‘China wouldn’t provide a red carpet stairway from Air Force One and then Philippines President calls Obama “the son of a whore.” Terrible!’ Trump, who had not yet been elected, said at the time.
This photo of Trump at the CIA’s headquarters in January of 2017 provides a better view of the nuclear football. It’s carried by a military aide standing just to the right of the president
Neither he nor the U.S. decided to make hay over his own nuclear football episode, though, with the first details emerging four months later in Axios.
Instead, Trump said of the grand welcome put on by China’s communist party and its newly-empowered leader, Xi, ‘It’s the biggest state entrance at the biggest state dinner they’ve ever had. By far. In China. He called it, “state plus.” In fact, he actually said, “state plus plus,” which is very interesting.
‘But he’s, you know, look, again, he’s a strong person, he’s a very smart person. I like him a lot. He likes me,’ Trump told reporters of Xi. ‘But we represent two very different countries but we get along very well. And that’s a good thing that we get along. That’s not a bad thing.’