“Welcome to America”: Trump’s 15-Year-Old Granddaughter Impresses Xi Jinping With Her Fluent Chinese

Fifteen-year-old Arabella Kushner, the eldest daughter of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, became one of the most talked-about guests during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s official visit to the United States. At a formal ceremony at the White House, the teenager showcased her command of Chinese and personally welcomed the Chinese leader and his wife, Peng Liyuan.

Arabella, who has been studying Chinese since she was three, addressed Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan in their native language, saying just three words: “Welcome to America.”

The meeting was a particularly warm moment for the Chinese couple. Xi and Peng remarked that they could hardly believe how much Arabella had grown since they last saw her.

The last time they met was during Donald Trump’s first presidential term. During a visit to Beijing, Trump showed Xi Jinping a video of a young Arabella. In the recording, she wore a traditional Chinese outfit and sang in Mandarin.

The performance impressed the Chinese leader so much that he gave it an “A+” and called Arabella “a little star.”

Now 15, Arabella once again found herself in the spotlight — this time not as the little girl from a viral video, but as a participant in official events at the White House.

For the state dinner honoring Xi Jinping in the White House’s East Room, the teenager wore a striking black floor-length ball gown. At the dinner table, Arabella sat between her mother, Ivanka Trump, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, finding herself seated among other members of the nation’s highest court.

Ivanka also made a fashion statement that evening, wearing a delicate light-blue Georges Hobeika corset gown embellished with crystals.

Before the formal dinner, mother and daughter attended the official welcoming ceremony for the Chinese leader together. Arabella sat in the front row next to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Arabella’s interest in Chinese culture began when she was very young. She has studied Mandarin for years, and videos of her singing Chinese songs once became an internet sensation in China.

In one such video, a young Arabella addressed viewers in Chinese, saying, “Hello! Let me sing you a song,” before performing a traditional Chinese folk song celebrating the beauty of the country’s landscapes.