Trump Asked Xi Jinping to Buy U.S. Weapons, Ambassador Confirms

A sitting U.S. Ambassador's on-record disclosure that the president raised weapons sales directly with a strategic competitor opens questions about whether any formal proposal followed and what...

U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue confirmed on September 28, 2026, that President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether China would be interested in purchasing American weapons, according to Perdue's appearance on Fox News Sunday. The disclosure came during a live television interview and was attributed directly to the ambassador in his own words.

Perdue stated: "President Trump continues to say, 'Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world.' He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some at one point." Perdue made the comment on Fox News Sunday, a program that airs on the Fox News Channel, on September 27, 2026.

The New York Post, which first reported the exchange, said it reached out to the White House for clarification on whether the remark was a serious policy proposal or an informal comment. The White House response, if any, was not included in the published report at time of writing.

Under U.S. Law, arms sales to foreign governments are governed by the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), which requires congressional notification for sales above defined thresholds. Major defense sales also typically require a formal Foreign Military Sale agreement administered by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). No DSCA notification to Congress regarding a proposed sale to China has been publicly posted on the agency's website as of September 27, 2026.

China is currently subject to a range of U.S. Export control restrictions. The Export Administration Regulations, administered by the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, place China on a list of countries requiring additional license review for a broad category of defense-related goods. A direct presidential inquiry to a foreign head of state about arms purchases, if intended seriously, would represent a departure from the standard interagency process that precedes such proposals.

The disclosure arrives during a period of documented trade and diplomatic tension between the United States and China. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has maintained tariffs on a range of Chinese goods, and the two governments have held periodic high-level meetings. The specific meeting or conversation during which Trump raised the weapons question was not identified by Perdue in the reported portion of his remarks.

Sales of U.S. Arms to adversary or competitor nations are not without historical precedent in diplomatic signaling, but formal approved sales to China have been blocked under multiple administrations. The last significant approved U.S. Defense article transfers to China on public record occurred prior to the Tiananmen Square embargo imposed in 1989, which successive administrations have maintained in varying forms.

Perdue was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to China by the Senate. His remarks on Fox News Sunday constitute an on-the-record statement by the United States' senior diplomatic representative in Beijing. No other administration official had publicly addressed the reported exchange as of the time of publication.

The New York Post reported that neither the White House nor the Chinese government had issued a formal statement on the matter by the time the article was published. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not posted a response on its official English-language website as of September 27, 2026.

Several facts remain unknown and would be answered by specific public records. A transcript or summary memorandum of the Trump-Xi conversation in which the comment was made, if it exists and were released under the Federal Records Act or a congressional records request, would confirm the context and tone of the exchange. Any subsequent DSCA notification or State Department licensing action would appear in the Federal Register or on the DSCA website. Whether the National Security Council conducted any review of the proposal would be reflected in NSC meeting records, which are not routinely public but are subject to congressional oversight.