Trump in Asia: A ‘Very Epic’ Charm Offensive
- 7 years ago
Trump in Asia: A ‘Very Epic’ Charm Offensive
14, 2017
MANILA — The extravagant red-carpet welcome he received from President Xi Jinping in China,
President Trump said, was one like no other American president had ever gotten.
In Tokyo, Mr. Trump played golf with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who gave him gilded baseball hats
that said "Donald and Shinzo Make Alliance Even Greater." They fed koi together at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, an episode that sparked a social media craze after video circulated of Mr. Abe tossing the last of his food at the fish and Mr. Trump, in turn, dumping his.
Asked about the single biggest accomplishment of his trip, Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One on his way home: "I think we made a
lot of progress, just in terms of relationship." It was Day 9 of his 12-day slog through Asia, and President Trump felt like gloating.
On Sunday, he chafed when North Korea’s state-run news agency responded to his Seoul speech by calling Mr. Trump a "lunatic old man." "Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short
and fat?’ " Mr. Trump shot back on Twitter, referring to the North Korean leader.
Twice — as he was heading to Hanoi, and then from there to Manila — they diverted Air Force One on circuitous routes
to allow Mr. Trump to depart earlier than planned from one stop and still stay on schedule for the next.
Trading her trademark stiletto heels for a pair of nude flats, Mrs. Trump spent a solitary afternoon last week pacing the Great Wall of China without her husband — a lover
of big, beautiful walls himself — who had skipped a visit to one of the Seven Wonders of the World to move on to several days of summit meetings in Southeast Asia.
14, 2017
MANILA — The extravagant red-carpet welcome he received from President Xi Jinping in China,
President Trump said, was one like no other American president had ever gotten.
In Tokyo, Mr. Trump played golf with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who gave him gilded baseball hats
that said "Donald and Shinzo Make Alliance Even Greater." They fed koi together at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, an episode that sparked a social media craze after video circulated of Mr. Abe tossing the last of his food at the fish and Mr. Trump, in turn, dumping his.
Asked about the single biggest accomplishment of his trip, Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One on his way home: "I think we made a
lot of progress, just in terms of relationship." It was Day 9 of his 12-day slog through Asia, and President Trump felt like gloating.
On Sunday, he chafed when North Korea’s state-run news agency responded to his Seoul speech by calling Mr. Trump a "lunatic old man." "Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short
and fat?’ " Mr. Trump shot back on Twitter, referring to the North Korean leader.
Twice — as he was heading to Hanoi, and then from there to Manila — they diverted Air Force One on circuitous routes
to allow Mr. Trump to depart earlier than planned from one stop and still stay on schedule for the next.
Trading her trademark stiletto heels for a pair of nude flats, Mrs. Trump spent a solitary afternoon last week pacing the Great Wall of China without her husband — a lover
of big, beautiful walls himself — who had skipped a visit to one of the Seven Wonders of the World to move on to several days of summit meetings in Southeast Asia.