Analysis of the Claim:

• President Trump did speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the May 2026 Beijing summit and made remarks about wanting only top-tier business leaders in his delegation¹².
• However, Trump's actual words were: "I didn't want the second or the third in the company. I wanted only the top"²¹. He did not say "the number one from each empire."
• Trump referred to "the company" (meaning individual corporations), not "empire"².
• The phrase "number one" does not appear in the transcript of his remarks; he used "the top" instead².
• While the general sentiment—that Trump insisted on having the highest-ranking business executives rather than subordinates—is accurate, the specific wording in the claim is a significant misquote²¹.

Overall validity: 20%

1. President Trump said he brought the 30 most powerful business leaders on the planet to the talks
2. Trump tells Xi US relationship with China will be 'better ... - YouTube