I was seated next to the wife of Prime Minister Abe … she’s a terrific woman, but doesn’t speak English,’ Trump said. But she does
Akie Abe, wife of Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, leaves the boat “Diplomat” on the river Elbe as she takes part in the G20 Summit Spouse Program on July 7, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany.
Akie Abe, first lady of Japan and wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has spoken English many times in public, fluently, with only the slightest accent.
She chatted, for example, about a shared admiration for star baseball pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka (then of the Boston Red Sox), at the White House with President George W. Bush and his wife Laura in 2007. She has chatted with Laureen Harper, had cocktails with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, spoken to business leaders in New York, and to a Virginia elementary school audience with Michelle Obama
She has even met Donald and Melania Trump a couple of times, earlier this year at Andrews Air Force Base, followed by a weekend at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where the two men played golf.
Akie Abe, right, wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, sits next to Donald Trump for dinner at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., in February. Al Drago/The New York Times
And yet, last week at the G20 summit in Germany, when the opera performance ended, Trump says she was seated next to him for dinner and simply sat in silence, rather than endure the presidential chit chat.
She appears to have pretended not to speak English, pulling off one of the greatest tricks in the history of dinner diplomacy.
If so, Abe had a plausible reason, as Trump has a long record of disrespectful behaviour toward women, most recently an aggressive handshake and lewd comment about the body of Brigitte Macron, the first lady of France,
Evidence for this shockingly bold but simple gambit comes from the president himself, in an interview with The New York Times.
“So, I was seated next to the wife of Prime Minister Abe, who I think is a terrific guy, and she’s a terrific woman, but doesn’t speak English,” Trump told reporter Maggie Haberman.
“Like, nothing, right? Like zero?” Haberman asked.
“Like, not ‘hello,’” said Trump.
Haberman said that must have been awkward, and Trump agreed, noting the dinner went well over an hour and a half.
He did have a Japanese interpreter, but indicated he did not make much use of the service, eating an entire banquet without saying a word to the woman seated beside him.
“But I enjoyed the evening with her, and she’s really a lovely woman, and I enjoyed — the whole thing was good,” he said.
Di way him DUMBBBBBBBBBBBBBB Jesus di lady speak perfect english what a shame
The woman talk better english dan him wife
I would pretend to be a mute around him too.
Da man yah lie dem tun up!
:ngakak :ngakak :ngakak :ngakak
AUNTY METTY WHEN IS HE GOING… SHE IS SHOWING HIM HE DONT DESERVE HER PROPER, PROPER ENGLISH.. LMAO..
Mi jus a laugh afa dis jus likkle while :ngakak
Wayyyy better loll
Proper stylings, diplomacy at the highest from a smart, classy woman.
ROTFL, DWLLLLLL
Trump is a basket case but Met me haffi come talk bout d one Carolyn Yapp (former miss jamaica girl) same one weh you did post the story bout her sucking the oman husband buddy fi money! Now she start ride Leon Bailey Buddy fi money! Look how di bawler yute get him lickle buss and good money from him football ting and this whoring girl after him just cho she see dolla signs!! Carolyn weh claim say she have alll these standards??? ehh By looks alone and background Bailey is someone who she would usually frown upon cause she pride herself as the classiest , prettiest ray tays tays and she will neva date certain people BUT the US millions weh the boy a get a blind her and she a look some a di millions in pretence like she actually like d yute! Leon wake the hell up and run fi life from carolyn! She nuh mean you noooooo good. Carolyn quit being a money whore man! Dis gal do anything fi money me jus haffi loud her up today!!
I wouldn’t want to converse with him either. You see how silence can be the most powerful action sometimes. It meck dis buffoon tell another lie, him created his own narrative bout di lady because him cannot conceived seh their is anyone who would deign not to speak with him. Dat lady puddung di ultimate chess move pon dat fool and in her silence quietly eavesdrop pon him bumbo, who knows what she heard in her silence.