Tokyo, 8 February, /AJMEDIA/
Japanese Prime Minister said Friday he was excited to meet a television celebrity like U.S. President Donald Trump.
“On television, he is frightening, but he was actually very sincere,” the prime minister said.
Ishiba also said he wasn’t using their White House meeting to “suck up” to the U.S. president.
The prime minister also heaped praise on Trump, saying he was inspired by the “undaunted presence” of a bloodied Trump pumping his fist after surviving an assassination attempt at a July campaign rally.
Ishiba added that many in Japan were also excited about his return to the White House.
“It is not only among politicians, but also among the general public as well as business leaders,” Ishiba said. “There are many that were anxiously awaiting your comeback.”
Ishiba was asked during their joint news conference about Japan potentially imposing tariffs on U.S. goods, since Trump didn’t rule out doing similar to Japan.
The prime minister, grinning, said his official answer was no.
Trump laughed and said he liked that answer.
