Episode Details

Air Force One came to a stop on the tarmac at Beijing Capital International Airport. Three hundred Chinese children in matching blue and white uniforms lined the red carpet, waving American and Chinese flags. The President of the United States walked down the steps first. Behind him came Eric Trump, Lara Trump, Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, and filmmaker Brett Ratner. These are the people who are now the face of the United States of America. They were not there for diplomatic agreements. They were there to broker deals for themselves, at the expense of American taxpayers.

Based on the events of 5-14-2026

The Breakdown:

• Air Force One arrived in Beijing carrying a delegation of billionaires whose combined net worth approaches one trillion dollars
• Among the CEOs brought along: Larry Fink of BlackRock, Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone, Jane Fraser of Citigroup, David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, Kelly Ortberg of Boeing, and many more
• Boeing's CEO openly told the press he expected the trip to "include some aircraft orders"
• Xi Jinping told the CEOs that China's door would "only open wider" and that "U.S. companies will enjoy even broader prospects in China"
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent flew separately and met privately with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng for three hours at Incheon Airport with all press access blocked
• Pete Hegseth became the first U.S. Secretary of Defense to ever accompany a president on a state visit to China, breaking 54 years of precedent
• Why a Defense Secretary's presence at a state visit blurs a line that is supposed to stay clear
• Why we can never forget who the Chinese government really is: the Uyghur genocide, the surveillance state, the crushing of Hong Kong, the threats against Taiwan
• Marco Rubio has been under Chinese sanctions since 2020. China reportedly changed the Chinese transliteration of his name to get him through the door
• How Jensen Huang got added to the trip after Trump saw CNBC report that he had been left off the list
• How Citizens United built the legal architecture that made this moment possible
• Why this is no longer corruption through dark money channels, it walks down the steps of Air Force One on television
• New polling shows Trump's net approval at a new second-term low of negative 18.9 points
• Pew Research found Republican approval of Trump has slipped from 73 percent in January to 68 percent now
• Why finances getting harder for so many Americans is making it harder for people to think about the person standing next to them

When the days feel overwhelming, stop. Remember why you are doing this. Our job is to leave this country, this world, and this planet better than we found it for the generations that come after us. To encourage kindness and humanity. We are six months from the midterms. The most important elections of our lifetimes. And the country sees him for who he is.