Video clips circulating during Xi Jinping's September 2026 US trip were falsely presented as showing protesters blocking his motorcade. Reverse-image searches identified the footage as a Radio Free Asia upload from April 7, 2017, filmed near Mar-a-Lago. Investigators matched the scene to Lantana Road in Florida and contemporary reports say four people were arrested after the 2017 protest. Xi did not visit Florida during his 2026 Washington summit.
Old 2017 Protest Video Misrepresented As Footage From Xi Jinping's 2026 US Visit
Screenshot of the false post captured on September 25, 2026, with red X added by AFP
A viral video widely shared during Chinese leader Xi Jinping's September 2026 trip to the United States does not show protesters attempting to block his motorcade in Washington. Investigations show the clip was filmed in 2017 during Xi's visit to former president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
What the Video Shows
The clip circulated on social platforms and in some Chinese-language posts shows two people running into a roadway as a motorcade passes and then being tackled by police. A simplified-Chinese caption that accompanied one widely shared post claimed: "During Xi Jinping's visit to the United States, some overseas Chinese risked their lives to intercept Xi's motorcade." That caption is misleading.
Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (L) and the RFA video, with a red X added by AFP
How the Claim Was Debunked
Reverse-image and video searches traced the footage to a Radio Free Asia (RFA) upload on YouTube dated April 7, 2017, titled about a protester blocking Xi's motorcade at Mar-a-Lago. Independent checks matched the scene to Google Street View imagery of Lantana Road in Florida, roughly 10.4 kilometres (6.4 miles) from Mar-a-Lago. Contemporary news reports say the April 2017 protest involved activists including Ma Yongtian and that four people were arrested.
Timeline Context
Xi met Trump at Mar-a-Lago in April 2017 for their first face-to-face talks. Xi's September 2026 summit was held in Washington, D.C.; he did not visit Florida during that three-day trip. AFP and other fact-checkers have previously debunked multiple misleading posts related to the Xi-Trump meetings.
Screenshot comparison of the YouTube video (L) and the Google Street View imagery
Why This Matters
Reusing older footage to portray recent events can distort public understanding of protests and diplomatic encounters. In this case, the 2017 video was reshared during a sensitive, high-profile summit, inflating the appearance of unrest tied to the 2026 visit.
How To Verify Similar Claims: Use reverse-image or reverse-video search tools, check upload dates on original sources, and compare geographic details with mapping tools such as Google Street View.
Fact-checking organizations matched the video to the 2017 incident and confirmed arrests at that time, making the social posts that presented the clip as new footage false.
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