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President Donald Trump, despite his wealth, isn’t exactly known for his refined palette.
But Thursday’s state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping will be an elegant affair, and a far cry from the 47th president’s notorious McDonald’s order of two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and a large chocolate shake. The swanky event will be quite the opposite.
Conspicuously missing from the menu, however, is an American dining staple — red meat.
In fact, no meat will be served at all. Instead, the dinner is exclusively a pescatarian affair.
President Donald Trump is pictured at a dinner with donors in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 15, 2025. Trump is remodeling the White House and plans to build a massive ballroom for hosting official receptions, one of the largest projects at the executive mansion in over a century. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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The menu for the event, provided to Fox News Digital by First Lady Melania Trump’s office, says the first course consists of yellow squash velouté, wild mushroom fricassée, crispy pancetta and scallion oil.
“The first course offers a refined and silky-smooth velouté made of sweet yellow squash,” the menu states. “This course is gently blended to highlight its delicate seasonal flavors of earthy wild mushrooms, sautéed with fresh herbs. Together, these ingredients create a rich fricassee, complemented by crispy pancetta for a savory and smoky contrast. A finishing drizzle of scallion oil adds vibrance and a subtle allium brightness to the dish.”
Homemade caramel vanilla ice cream with frozen raspberries sits in a ceramic bowl on a white marble table with flowers in the background. (Natasha Breen/REDA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Served next is a sesame crusted sea bass with braised bok choi, roasted garden eggplant and a French green herb sauce.
“The second course is prepared delicately with fresh seabass and coated in toasted sesame seeds,” according to the menu.
“This combination creates a fragrant nutty crust while keeping the fish tender. The fish is served with crisp baby bok choy and roasted garden eggplant, creating lightly caramelized flavors. The dish is finished with a vibrant sauce verte of fresh herbs, which add brightness, acidity, and a garden character.”
The two heads of state and their guests will enjoy vanilla crémeux and White House honey iced cream, walnut frangipane and sour cherry confit for their final course.
President Donald Trump speaks with a Doordash delivery worker after she delivered McDonald’s at the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 13, 2026. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
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“The dessert course is a smooth vanilla crémeux with a vibrant sour cherry confit center, set a top a rich walnut frangipane,” the menu says. “The dessert’s fruit shaped form is complimented by a delicate ice cream made with harvested White House honey.”
The First Lady unveiled a beehive on the White House South Lawn earlier this year.
Famous American tenor Christopher Macchio, who was featured at the Republican National Convention in Dallas a few weeks ago, will entertain for the evening, along with military musicians from the Army and the Marine Corps.
President Donald Trump is joined by opera singer Christopher Macchio on stage at the conclusion of the second day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 10, 2026. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“The décor for the evening is an expression of warmth and celebration and draws on the color red’s longstanding cultural significance throughout Chinese history,” the First Lady’s memo says, and will feature “urns overflowing with red blossoms and tables covered by red linen with dahlias and ranunculus.”
After the dinner, both presidents are expected to retire for the evening.
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Friday, Trump will take Xi on an expedition to the National Archives before the communist leader departs the United States mid-afternoon.