President Trump may not speak Mandarin (and he does say “China” kind of funny), so on his trip to the big red nation, Trump brought along someone who does — Arabella Rose Kushner, his 6-year-old granddaughter.
During Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, when the leaders strolled through the ancient Forbidden City, Trump showed Xi a video of his granddaughter. In it, Arabella greets “Grandpa Xi and Grandma Peng” and then sings several Mandarin ballads. She concludes by reciting an ancient Chinese poem — all in Mandarin.
Watch Arabella sing in the clip below.
China’s Xinhua state news agency circulated the clip and praised Arabella’s Mandarin skills as “A+”.
The Chinese public agreed, according to Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, Yahoo! News reported.
“As a little ambassador of Chinese-American friendship, Arabella has already received the love of a vast number of Chinese people,” Hua said during a regular press briefing Thursday. “This kind of special arrangement is actually very sweet and warm-hearted. We believe that this has helped to further bring closer the affection and distance between the Chinese and American people.”
Arabella also played a starring role at the state dinner organised by Xi in Trump’s honour at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday night.
The full video, which Trump brought as a gift for Xi, was played on screens in the room, earning her a mention in her grandfather’s toast.
“Our children so often remind us of our shared humanity and true dignity,” Trump, 71, said.
Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, was filled with praise for Arabella’s performance Thursday, though it was unclear how many comments related to Trump’s visit had been censored.
“She’s too cute!” users gushed. “Let’s hope that she marries into a Chinese family.”