US and Chinese officials reportedly scuffled over ‘nuclear football’ during Trump visit
During the brief fracas, a US secret service agent tackled a Chinese security official to the ground
Apparently, Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing last year was not without its fireworks with Axios reporting that a US Secret Service agent “skirmished with Chinese security officials over the nuclear football.”
Yup, you read that right. Here’s how reporter Jonathan Swan described the incident after speaking with five sources familiar with the events:
When the U.S. military aide carrying the nuclear football entered the Great Hall, Chinese security officials blocked his entry. (The official who carries the nuclear football is supposed to stay close to the president at all times, along with a doctor.)
A U.S. official hurried into the adjoining room and told Kelly what was happening. Kelly rushed over and told the U.S. officials to keep walking — “We’re moving in,” he said — and the Americans all started moving.
Then there was a commotion. A Chinese security official grabbed Kelly, and Kelly shoved the man’s hand off of his body. Then a U.S. Secret Service agent grabbed the Chinese security official and tackled him to the ground.
Swan adds that the whole scuffle was “over in a flash” and at no point did the Chinese have possession or even touch the nuclear football — a briefcase containing contents enabling the US president to order a nuclear strike.
The Chinese security detail reportedly apologized for the incident and US officials were told to keep quiet about it. Still, it’s not clear how exactly such a misunderstanding could occur. Swan speculates that either somebody on the Chinese side “didn’t get the memo or decided to mess with the American anyway.”
The Axios report has not been officially confirmed by either US or Chinese officials. However, Jorge Guajardo, the former Mexican Ambassador to China, tweeted that he personally believes the report, claiming that “most foreign heads of state visiting China have a similar scuffle with a Chinese security official during their visit,” noting that when his president visited, a Mexican photographer ended up in the hospital.
Similarly, during South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s visit to Beijing in December, a South Korean photographer who attempted to follow the president at a trade event was stopped, surrounded, and beaten bloody by security guards.
It’s probably also worth noting a rather bizarre incident in 2016 when US President Barack Obama landed in Hangzhou for the G20 summit, but was mysteriously left waiting inside Air Force One because there were no red-carpeted stairs there to greet him.
Obama was eventually forced to disembark through the belly of the plane, down a small flight of bare metal stairs with some believing that China had deliberately sought to make the president “lose face.”
At the time, Guajardo wrote that it was an “intended snub,” explaining that “I’ve been on the planning end of these visits, the Chinese are masters of protocol. They have it down pat, unless they want to not do it.”
Meanwhile, Trump claimed that if the stairway snub had happened to him, then he would have ditched the G20 summit entirely.
“I’ve got to tell you, if that were me, I would say, ‘You know what, folks, I respect you a lot but close the doors, let’s get out of here.’ It’s a sign of such disrespect,” Trump said.
UPDATE (Feb 20, 04:40): Both the Secret Service and the White House have released statements describing the alleged scuffle reported by Axios. The Secret Service admits that there was a “short scuffle,” but adds that no one ended up on the ground.
While the White House has said that an individual was “detained” following the quick scuffle.
