“During Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States, some overseas Chinese risked their lives to intercept Xi’s motorcade,” says part of the simplified Chinese caption of an X video shared on September 24, 2026.
The video shows two people running into the middle of the road as a motorcade drives through before police officers tackle them to the ground.
Screenshot of the false post captured on September 25, 2026, with red X added by AFP
Similar claims surfaced in other X posts and Chinese websites after Xi landed in the United States on September 23 for a high-stakes summit with Trump, who gave the leader a rare personal welcome at the airport (archived link).
The summit came as the US president sought to underline their shared interests despite a rumbling trade war and Beijing’s support for Iran (archived link).
Trump laid on the pomp and ceremony for the Chinese leader on the second day of the visit, which included a tour of the White House, talks in the Oval Office and a grand state banquet in the evening (archived link).
AFP reported that protesters who had gathered outside the White House were heard chanting slogans including “Xi Jinping is not welcome” and “Free Hong Kong”.
The circulating video, however, was not filmed during the Chinese leader’s 2026 visit.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to the same footage posted on YouTube by Radio Free Asia (RFA) on April 7, 2017 (archived link).
The footage is titled, “Live video of protester Ma Yongtian blocking Xi Jinping’s motorcade at Mar-a-Lago (exclusive)”.
Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (L) and the RFA video, with a red X added by AFP
Trump greeted Xi at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in April 2017 for their first face-to-face talks (archived link).
According to Radio France Internationale, a group of protesters including Ma Yongtian, who reportedly faced the forced demolition and seizure of their homes and properties by the Chinese government, arrived in Florida on April 4 and vowed to block Xi’s motorcade (archived link).
An RFA report said that four people were arrested after the protest (archived link).
The circulating video corresponds to Google Street View imagery of Lantana Road in Florida, which is about 10.4 kilometres (6.4 miles) from the Mar-a-Lago estate (archived here and here).
Screenshot comparison of the YouTube video (L) and the Google Street View imagery
A separate reverse image search on Google found a clip of the protest filmed from a different angle, with two men shown running into the middle of the road at the 7:42 mark (archived link).
Xi did not visit Florida during his three-day visit in 2026.
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation related to talks between Xi and Trump.
