Trump Brought Gaggle of U.S. Elites to China — Including Disgraced "Me Too" Director Brett Ratner

As the world roils under the uncertainty of war with Iran, and trade routes remain disrupted, President Donald Trump flew to China to meet with leader Xi Jinping for an impactful summit over international affairs, trade, and more.

Joining him was a bevy of American elites, although their reasons for joining him were as individual as the people themselves.

Among them: Rush Hour's Brett Ratner, the disgraced Hollywood director who was a hot topic during the "Me Too" movement. Ratner's position at Trump's side for the visit to China is a little bit of a mystery, since he doesn't fit with the big business moguls who otherwise joined the President.

So, why did Ratner go to China? Here's what we know.

While it's certainly unusual for billionaires to accompany a president on an international diplomatic mission, it's not unheard of for President Trump's bizarre second and final administration.

But Ratner's appearance among them was a bit of a head-scratcher.

Ostensibly, he's there looking for places to film a Rush Hour 4. The Guardian reports, "His spokesperson, Victoria Palmer-Moore, said he would use the trip to scout for filming locations for the latest instalment of the Rush Hour franchise.

She added that Ratner plans to shoot "a lot of Rush Hour 4 in China."

The outlet notes that Trump is reportedly a huge fan of the Rush Hour franchise, which stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Guardian notes that in November 2025, "Trump encouraged billionaire Larry Ellison, the primary financial force behind Paramount Skydance, to bring back the franchise once Paramount went through with its controversial purchase of Warner Bros, according to US news outlet Semafor."

However, a deal to bring the movie to life has yet to be finalized.

But despite his ostensibly cheerful reason for being in China, Ratner has a dark reputation, and has reportedly appeared in the Epstein files in photos alongside Epstein himself (via USA Today).

The Guardian notes that he was also heavily scrutinized during the "Me Too" movement, after he was alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct with multiple women.

Yet his reputation and alleged ties to Epstein clearly don't bother Trump, because he was also hired for a major project that included Trump's wife, Melania.

That project? Melania's documentary, aptly titled Melania. The documentary, which Amazon paid a jaw-dropping sum for the rights to, was a major flop, both in theaters and streaming, as no one seemed particularly interested in seeing a peek behind the curtain of a day in the life of Melania.

Yet his continued appearances at Trump's side suggest that Trump is not done with the Hollywood director yet, if only because he wants to see another Rush Hour movie come to life. It's unclear where actors Chan and Tucker might stand on a Trump-backed project with the disgraced director.