The Chinese Gifts Tossed Before Boarding Air Force One

Staff for President Donald Trump made sure that no items from China — from delegation pins to burner phones — were taken aboard Air Force One on Friday as the plane departed the communist country. 

The move was part of precautionary measures taken by Trump’s delegation to ward off Chinese spying and hacking during the high-stakes trip. Trump and other American officials made the trip without their personal electronic devices to protect sensitive government and personal information. 

“American staff took everything Chinese officials handed out — credentials, burner phones from WH staff, pins for delegation — collected them before we got on AF1 and threw them in a bin at [the bottom of the] stairs. Nothing from China allowed on the plane,” New York Post reporter Emily Goodin noted. “We’re taking off shortly for America.”

Trump referenced the digital lockdown while speaking to reporters on Air Force One, when he noticed he was being filmed. 

“I heard you didn’t have cameras back here. In fact, I loved it,” Trump said. “I heard that you were shut out for two hours until we leave the airspace. But he’s got a camera. This guy never misses a trip. You better make me look good with that camera.”

The State Department advises Americans to keep a low profile when traveling to China and not to take any photos of protests or police activity without permission. 

“Foreigners in the [People’s Republic of China], including but not limited to businesspeople, former foreign-government personnel, academics, relatives of PRC citizens involved in legal disputes, and journalists have been interrogated and detained by PRC officials for alleged violations of PRC national security laws,” the State Department said in a travel advisory. “The PRC has also interrogated, detained, and expelled U.S. citizens living and working in the PRC.”

China’s hacking efforts have become notorious in recent years, including a recent operation launching the first autonomous AI cyberattack against dozens of U.S. companies and government agencies earlier this fall, with artificial intelligence executing “80-90%” of operations at “physically impossible” speeds.

American officials said in December 2024 that they believe China successfully hacked the Treasury Department in what officials described as a “major cybersecurity incident.”