Trump shows Xi new White House helipad, Marine One

President Trump toured Chinese President Xi Jinping around his White House projects during the foreign leader’s state visit on Thursday.

Trump walked Xi around the new granite landing pad on the South Lawn that he ordered for Marine One and pointed out the East Wing construction site where his ballroom is being constructed.

“We had a great meeting, and he has great interest in granite,” the president told reporters after showing his Chinese counterpart the new helipad installation.

“He’s an expert in stone, aside from many other things — and he loves good granite,” Trump added.

The duo also walked through his “ Presidential Walk of Fame ,” pointing out the portrait he installed in place of former President Biden to display an autopen , a reference to his frequent criticism of his predecessor.

“This is the autopen because it’s Biden,” the president said, slapping Xi on the arm as he laughed.

This was the Chinese president’s first state visit to the U.S. in over 10 years since his 2015 meeting at the White House with former President Obama.

The visit has sparked pushback even from within the GOP, with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) saying in a Tuesday floor speech that he would have advised Trump to “not invite Xi Jinping to Washington for such a lavish welcome.”

Xi was greeted with great fanfare at his arrival at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, an unusual move that elicited criticism.

The president and first lady Melania Trump greeted him and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at the base of a 100-foot red carpet. The welcome ceremony included the firing of a cannon salute, a 21-person honor cordon and color guards waiving the U.S. and Chinese flags.

At a bilateral summit between the leaders in Beijing earlier this year, Xi greeted Trump at the Great Hall of the People with a military presentation and groups of schoolchildren holding flags and flowers.

Trump has compared his White House ballroom project to China’s Great Hall, which he has repeatedly expressed his admiration for in recent speeches.

The four-floor building, which is located in Tiananmen Square and hosts state visits and the annual meeting of China’s Communist Party-run legislature, spans over 1.8 million square feet.

The president referenced the ballroom construction during his speech at the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month, saying the building would not be completed in time for Xi’s visit.

“We’re building something that’s going to be the most beautiful anywhere in the world,” Trump told the Dallas crowd. “When I was in China, they have a building. It’s called the Great Hall of China. It’s a serious hall. This is a very large hall, but we’re going to top it.”