India, Sept. 24 -- President Donald Trump, joined by First Lady Melania Trump, gave China President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, a grand welcome as they arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday for a three-day state visit to the US.

On Thursday morning, ahead of a day-long series of scheduled meetings and events with Xi Jinping and Chinese officials, Trump posted a photo of the arrival ceremony on Truth Social. The photo created a controversy as it appeared severely edited, and social media wasted no time in reading between the lines.

The photo featured the 80-year-old flanked by Xi Jinping, saluting as a fleet of the US Air Force's B-12 bombers flew in honor of the Chinese leader's arrival. A B-12 bomber can be s...