Xi Cracks Up At Biden Autopen Gag

President Trump used a White House tour with Chinese President Xi Jinping to point at a display where Joe Biden’s portrait usually hangs and joke, “This is the autopen… it’s Biden.”

Story Snapshot

Trump showed Xi an image of an autopen placed where Biden’s portrait would normally sit in the White House’s Presidential Walk of Fame.
Multiple outlets report Xi laughed loudly and Trump gave him a pat on the arm during the exchange.
Trump also joked about an old photo of the two leaders, asking, “Who is that? I don’t recognize him?”
The moment happened during Xi’s official White House visit on September 24-25, 2026, alongside broader talks on trade and other issues.

Trump Points Out The Autopen During The Tour

President Trump walked Xi Jinping through the White House colonnade, a hallway he calls the Presidential Walk of Fame. Two portraits of Trump hang there, one for each term. Where Biden’s portrait would normally go, Trump instead placed an image of an autopen, a machine used to sign documents automatically.

Trump pointed at the image and said, “This is the autopen… it’s Biden,” according to multiple news reports describing the same exchange. He then tapped Xi on the arm. The line echoes claims Trump has made for months that aides used an autopen to sign documents for Biden without his full knowledge.

Reports from the South China Morning Post and India Today both describe Xi bursting into laughter right after the joke. The reaction stood out because Xi is known for a reserved public style, and outlets called it a rare moment of visible amusement during a formal diplomatic visit.

A Second Jab At The Former President

Trump did not stop with the autopen line. Reports describe him pointing to an older photo from a past meeting and asking, “Who is that? I don’t recognize him?” The comment appears to reference either Biden or an earlier version of the Trump-Xi relationship, and it drew another reaction from the Chinese delegation.

Coverage of the exact wording varies slightly between outlets, with some quoting Trump as saying, “Trump, and then Trump — and this is the autopen.” These small differences in phrasing do not change the core event. They simply reflect how different reporters captured the same moment from video and pool coverage.

Part Of A Larger Diplomatic Visit

The exchange took place during Xi’s broader visit to the White House, which included talks on trade, artificial intelligence, and other major issues between the two countries. The tour itself was one piece of a packed schedule that also featured a formal dinner and one-on-one discussions between the two leaders.

“This is the autopen… it’s Biden.” Trump points it out, slaps Xi’s arm, and Xi actually laughs. Rare.

Americans hang a roast of the last guy on the wall. China still double-checks photo angles. One treats politics like stand-up; the other treats it like a state dinner.

They… https://t.co/wAfgsPVdnX

— Marvin (@Marvin_BSC_BN) September 25, 2026

The staged display fits a pattern seen throughout Trump’s presidency, where he uses visual props and one-liners in front of foreign leaders to reinforce points he has made for months about Biden’s fitness for office. Putting the joke in front of Xi gave it a global audience rather than just a domestic one.

Reaction And Unanswered Questions

Some outlets and commentators called the moment “disturbing” or “un-American,” arguing it was inappropriate to mock a predecessor in front of a foreign leader. Others online treated it as a lighthearted jab that fit Trump’s long-running style. No official White House statement in the available reporting explains who built the display or whether it was planned in advance.

Video clips of the exchange spread quickly online, often showing just the joke and Xi’s laugh without the surrounding tour. That kind of short clip can shape how people see the moment before more context becomes public. For now, the reporting confirms what was said and how Xi reacted, even as the full purpose behind the display remains unexplained by officials.