Elon Musk's Xi Jinping Meeting Leaves MAGA Horrified: 'Not a Good Look'

MAGA figures have been left outraged after reports emerged that Elon Musk attended an event with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of X, formerly known as X, was seen at a side event to the annual meeting of 21 Pacific nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which took place this week. The Chinese leader also attended. It was hosted by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, which aims to foster a better understanding between the countries, and the U.S.-China Business Council, which promotes trade. Musk stayed for cocktail-hour drinks but left before the dinner began.

He posted a photo of himself on X, shaking hands with Xi, so sparking a backlash. The caption read: "May there be prosperity for all." Newsweek has contacted Musk by email to comment on this story.

Brenden Dilley, a podcast host and 2018 Arizona congressional candidate, replied to the post, saying "for f***s sakes."

Caleb Hull, a pro-Trump communications strategist, shared the image and posted: "This has always been my #1 concern with the conservative praise of Elon Musk. The guy has always bent over for China." Another X user wrote: "Xi does not support prosperity. President Trump certainly does."

In 2018, Musk's Tesla was the first foreign carmaker to be invited to set up a factory in China without having to answer to a Chinese partner. The business leader has made several trips to the country, with a recent visit taking place in June.

In a statement on Thursday, Tesla China said that, in his meeting with Musk, Xi "expressed support for Tesla's development in China.

"Musk expressed his gratitude and appreciated the rapid development of China's new energy vehicle industry."

The statement added that Tesla was "honored to participate in the rapid development of China's new energy vehicle industry."

Other business leaders spent $40,000 to sit on Xi's table, held at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, California, with the price also including eight seats at another table. Leaders said to have attended included Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, and Gina Raimondo, U.S. Commerce Secretary.

Xi made a speech at the dinner, which he attended after a meeting with President Joe Biden aimed at improving relations between the two countries.

Xi said that he and Biden had reached important consensus in promoting travel between the U.S. and China. The leaders of the world's two largest economies had not met since the G20 summit in Bali last November.

Xi added: "China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States. The fundamental principles that we follow in handling China-U.S. relations are mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation."