Men in the mirror: Trump and Xi’s suits put ‘chameleon effect’ to test in Beijing
Key takeaways
- Both men were hoping to secure geopolitical gains and trade deals.
- Both were blue, single-breasted with flap pockets.
- They were surrounded by scores of other men in different suits: Stephen Miller had his customary pocket square, ditto Pete Hegseth, who along with Scott Bessent wore flamboyantly stripy ties; Elon Musk wore a green tie;
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Trump and Xi in Beijing. Both men were hoping to secure geopolitical gains and trade deals. Photograph: Chinese Foreign Ministry/UPI/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Trump and Xi in Beijing. Both men were hoping to secure geopolitical gains and trade deals. Photograph: Chinese Foreign Ministry/UPI/Shutterstock Donald Trump Men in the mirror: Trump and Xi’s suits put ‘chameleon effect’ to test in Beijing Mirroring of each other’s attire may signal alignment – though the look wasn’t a huge departure for either leader
Ellie Violet BramleyFri 15 May 2026 13.00 BSTLast modified on Fri 15 May 2026 13.33 BSTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleWhen Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met for a welcome ceremony in Tiananmen Square this week with the world’s gaze on them, they mirrored one another in strikingly similar suits.
Both were blue, single-breasted with flap pockets. Both had two buttons with only the top one done up. Both wore red ties.