“She’s a terrific woman, but doesn’ t speak English, ” Trump told the New York Times.
Japan’s First Lady may have feigned not knowing English to dodge a G20 dinner chat with President Trump — a theory that emerged on the internet after video surfaced of a 2014 speech by Akie Abe.
“So, I was seated next to the wife of Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe, who I think is a terrific guy, and she’s a terrific woman, but doesn’ t speak English, ” Trump told the New York Times in a wide-ranging interview Wednesday.
“Like, not ‘hello,’ ” he added.
But footage circulated Thursday of the prime minister’s wife on Sept. 25,2014, at the Ford Foundation in New York — where she appeared quite able to read aloud a keynote address in English.
President Trump and Emmanual Macron share another long handshake
Abe, 55, speaks about land, sea and coastal resilience in the 15-minute remarks, concluding, “Please share with us your wisdom and ideas. Thank you very much.”
The Japanese first lady was educated before college at Tokyo’s private Sacred Heart School, which includes English-language curriculum, the Los Angeles Times notes.
