A video showing Donald Trump appearing to sip from a champagne glass during the state dinner with China’s President Xi Jinping has gone viral. It’s prompting questions about whether he drinks alcohol. The virality also happened because Trump has long said he completely avoids alcohol and cigarettes.
Donald Trump spotted drinking from champagne glass at state dinner
In the video, Donald Trump raises a glass that appears to contain champagne and takes one sip from it at China’s state dinner. Soon after it went viral, social media users began debating whether Trump had broken his long-publicized rule of abstaining from alcohol.
Some users joked about the moment, while others questioned whether the drink was alcoholic at all. “International diplomacy really got this man making rare side-quest decisions,” one user wrote on X. Another commented: “Bro took the tiniest sip like the drink owed him money.”
Others pushed back against the speculation. “How do you know it is alcohol? Event planners for events like these are extremely meticulous. Diet restrictions and preferences are communicated well in advance,” one user wrote. Another added, “Trump doesnt drink anything that isn’t brought by his secret service. He has said this repeatedly. It was out of respect he toasted but fluid was vetted, supplied and non alcoholic.”
Despite the viral reaction, there is no confirmed evidence that Trump consumed alcohol during the dinner. The video itself does not reveal what was inside the glass, and the White House has not released any statement saying Trump drank champagne or another alcoholic beverage at the event.
However, Bruce LeVell, a former Trump senior adviser and former White House small business advocate, rejected claims that the president drank alcohol during the banquet. “It’s not alcohol, and I speak for the President,” LeVell wrote on X after the video began trending online.
Trump has spoken publicly for years about avoiding alcohol because of his family history. His older brother, Fred Trump Jr., struggled with alcoholism before dying at the age of 43.
