Whether or not Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s wife can speak English is making the rounds online after a New York Times report Wednesday quoted U. S. President Donald Trump as claiming she cannot even say “hello.” Some U. S. newspapers,…
Whether or not Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s wife can speak English is making the rounds online after a New York Times report Wednesday quoted U. S. President Donald Trump as claiming she cannot even say “hello.”
Some U. S. newspapers, however, reported that Japan’s first lady can in fact speak English, fueling speculation in social media she might have pretended not to speak the language in order to avoid conversing with Trump.
Recounting his interaction with Akie Abe, who was seated next to him during a dinner at the Group of 20 summit earlier this month in Hamburg, Germany, Trump said in an interview with The New York Times that she “doesn’t speak English…like, not ‘hello.'”
Trump said it was “hard” sitting next to someone he says does not speak English. Toward dessert, he left his spot to speak to his wife Melania, who was seated next to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and went on to exchange pleasantries with the Russian leader, according to Trump.
