Based on my research, here is my fact-check analysis:

Analysis of the claim:

• President Trump is currently visiting China (May 13–15, 2026) for high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping¹².
• During the public portion of his meeting with Xi Jinping, Trump did say: "I didn't want the second or the third in the company. I wanted only the top, and they're here today to pay respects to you and to China"³.
• However, this quote was about business executives and CEOs, not the U.S. Vice President. Trump was explaining that he invited the top-ranking business leaders from major companies rather than their second or third-in-command executives³.
• U.S. Vice President JD Vance was indeed not present on the China trip, and sources noted he has been largely absent from China policy discussions²³.
• Trump never stated that he "did not send the vice president" or "second-in-command" to the talks. The claim appears to conflate Trump's remark about company executives with the office of the Vice President³.

Conclusion: The claim misrepresents Trump's words. He was referring to top business leaders, not the Vice President of the United States. While JD Vance was factually absent from the trip, Trump did not make any statement about intentionally excluding his VP.

Overall validity: 15%

1. President Trump said other titans of business were at the talks
2. President Trump said Elon Musk was at the talks
3. President Trump said Jensen Huang was at the talks