How China may have made lifelong teetotaler Trump sip alcohol

US President Donald Trump, who has long claimed he has never consumed alcohol in his life, may have briefly broken his sobriety during his visit to China. A video from the trip has gone viral online, appearing to show Trump raising a glass of wine during a toast and taking a sip.

“Trump has never had alcohol in his life. China gave him a beverage to toast, and Trump drank it. This is a very subtle, but STRONG statement on who’s really in charge,” claimed one viral social media post.According to the Asian Business Daily, “During the proceedings, President Trump was seen raising his glass containing the toasting wine and bringing it to his lips, appearing to take a sip. He then handed the glass to a staff member, and cameras caught him seemingly holding the wine in his mouth for a moment before swallowing.”

Trump has repeatedly said he has never consumed alcohol — a rare claim among modern US presidents.

“I’ve never had a drink,” Trump told Fox News after his election victory in 2017. According to the BBC, Trump’s decision to avoid alcohol stems from the death of his older brother, Freddie Trump, who died at the age of 42 from complications related to alcoholism. Trump has also reportedly advised his children to stay away from drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. However, Bruce LeVell, a former Trump adviser and former White House small business advocate, dismissed the viral speculation in a post on X, saying, “It’s not alcohol, and I speak for the President.”

In another post, he added, “President Trump does not drink or do drugs. You want a president like that.”

Trump was on an official visit to China on an invitation from Chinese president Xi Jinping. It was the first visit to China by a US president in nine years.

What happened during Trump’s China visit

Trump departed China on Friday while highlighting several business agreements reached during the trip, even as Beijing warned Washington against mishandling the sensitive Taiwan issue and criticised the Iran war.

“We’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve,” Trump said after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on the second day of talks.

The discussions reportedly covered the Iran conflict, Taiwan, trade ties and other major geopolitical issues. While Xi did not publicly comment on his talks with Trump regarding Iran, China’s foreign ministry later issued a strong statement expressing frustration over the conflict.