The World’s Most Powerful Love Triangle
Polycule or cold war? The line has never been blurrier.
In May 2026, US President Donald Trump visited Beijing at the invitation of Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.
The visit was rich in symbolism and analysis about the relationship between the two men, and hence the two nations. There was extensive expert commentary on their body language, handshakes, what they said and did not say to one another. How was Trump picked up at the airport? What dishes were served at the banquets?
It reminded me of how my friends and I overanalyse and nitpick on every single detail in our romantic encounters. “You went on a date? I want to know what you wore and what she wore, whether you had similar dress styles. Did you hug or kiss? Who paid? Do these details mean something, or were these practical choices?”
How do we know for sure? Maybe we need to go over every detail again and rethink this.
Then, a week after the visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Beijing for a similar visit, where analysts made similar observations, detailing whether Trump and Xi, and Xi and Putin had the same conversations. Did Xi pass on any messages from Trump to Putin? How are these relationships different from each other?
I wonder if this is a rebound relationship? Is there any jealousy between the three men? How manipulative are they of each other? Is it high-level diplomacy with four-dimensional geopolitical chess moves (as some people say), or more like a high school dating game with awkward missed messages?
I have been reflecting on Mona Elhathawy’s tweet about the Egyptian annual military parade, which celebrates topless Police Academy students for their “virility, masculinity, strength,” while the regime arrests women for alleged indecent incidents.
Elhathawy is a phenomenal writer, activist, speaker (and more) who has written gripping books and publishes a newsletter, in addition to regularly appearing on podcasts and TV segments where she criticises the patriarchy in clever yet hilarious ways. She asks thought-provoking questions and always points out the obvious, asking us, is this status quo acceptable? You should look her up if you don’t know her already.
Thinking about Elhathawy in this moment makes me wonder whether there are homoerotic undertones to this strange Trump/Xi/Putin dynamic.
Of course, it’s not appropriate to ask them directly about their bromance, but am I not the only one who sees this? I think if this were a group of friends, we’d be making many jokes about them.
It’s okay for men to have a special chemistry with each other, and it’s okay to have a little something sexual with your friends (if they're into that kind of thing). Happy for Trump, Xi, and Putin if this is what it’s really about!
It’s funny how at the elite level of world politics, we are analysing the dynamics and trying to decipher microgestures and comments, in the hope that this tells us more about the decisions they will make. Why are our populations subject to this?
I don’t like being at the receiving end of this. So, my future depends on what our politicians feel like? Or how they vibed with one another on the day? What chemistry does it take for us to have better outcomes, and is there anything we can do to encourage it?
At this very moment, the stakes are high. There are wars taking place in the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia, and everyone wants to talk about potential war in the Taiwan Strait. The economy is worsening in all three countries, and the leaders respond by punishing dissent and pushing to fix everything their way. They have all fired (or disappeared) advisors and are increasingly surrounded by yes-men.
To endorse each other (and perhaps address the issues) these politicians delivered a homoerotic-coded man-fest, celebrating their big circles of yes-men who congratulate them to each other, with little criticism.There were few, if any, women at the high-profile events.
After the summits, the public wondered, were there any breakthroughs? Was it just to meet up and flatter each other, or did they really have substantive discussions?
Perhaps we will never know the real answers to these questions.
All I can say is that at such a delicate moment in the world’s political and economic balance, three of the world’s most powerful men met and we don’t really know what came out of it.
Maybe there is a spicy dynamic between the three? Do we think it is closer to a polycule or more like a triangle with secrets? Do we think there is rivalry, jealousy? Where is the line between professional, flirting, and them being really into each other?
There is clearly some jealousy between Trump and Putin over Xi. With Trump asking Xi if he was the first to be taken to a site or if there were others, then Xi says he brought Putin. It’s like how your date takes you to all his favourite places, and you wonder how many girls he has kissed here before, and whether you are actually special to him.
But more likely, they just wanted to hang out and make each other feel powerful and important. They wanted pictures together and to feel important sitting in rooms full of other men. If it were a woman-fest instead, we’d probably get more outcomes and be a step closer to world peace.