Elon Musk was spotted pulling his face at a state dinner hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, May 14th.
The Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder is part of a delegation to China with President Donald Trump that also includes Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Apple CEO Tim Cook, Reuters reported.
President Trump previously said he was traveling to China for an “incredible gathering of the world’s greatest businessmen and businesswomen” and a face-to-face meeting with President Xi.
In a post on Truth Social on May 12, President Trump said, “I will be asking President Xi, our extraordinary leader, to ‘open up’ China so that our brilliant people can work their magic and take the People’s Republic to even greater heights.”
At the dinner, which featured Chinese national dishes such as Peking duck and beef short ribs, Musk was seen rolling his eyes and making different faces as he took selfies.
A social media clip of this moment went viral. See below.
Musk spotted making a face at state dinner
See Elon Musk’s reaction to selfie at China’s state dinner
Elon Musk draws a crowd to take selfies at a banquet in China, and the Tesla CEO’s reaction and photo shoot have become a hot topic.
Why is Elon Musk in China with Trump?
It is unclear why Musk traveled to China with Trump, but the billionaire has visited China before, including in 2023 to praise China’s technological development and visit Tesla’s Gigafactory in Shanghai. According to CNBC, Musk’s visit in 2023 will be his first in three years, as China has become one of Tesla’s most important markets for sales and production.
State newspaper Xinhua News Agency reported that Musk visited China this week with technology moguls and that Xi said the country’s “doors will be opened even wider” for American companies.
“President Xi welcomed the United States for strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation with China and expressed confidence that American companies will enjoy broader prospects in China,” the newspaper said.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Please contact mdelrey@usatoday.com.
