TOKYO — President Donald Trump said Monday that he is not “personally bothered” by recent short-range missile tests that North Korea conducted this month,…
TOKYO — President Donald Trump said Monday that he is not “personally bothered” by recent short-range missile tests that North Korea conducted this month, breaking with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is hosting the president on four-day state visit full of pageantry
Standing beside Trump at a news conference after hours of talks, Abe disagreed with the U. S. president, saying the missile tests violated U. S. Security Council resolutions and were “of great regret.” Abe, who has forged a strong friendship with Trump and agrees with him on many issues, is concerned because the short-range missiles pose a threat to Japan’s security.
Trump was invited to Japan to be the first world leader to meet with its new emperor. Despite being far from Washington, he didn’t miss the chance to lob another broadside against former Vice President Joe Biden, one of the Democrats seeking to challenge Trump in next year’s presidential election. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un recently criticized Biden as having a low I. Q. and Trump told the world he agreed with the authoritarian leader’s assessment.
Abe is hosting Trump on a state visit designed to highlight the U. S.-Japan alliance and showcase the warm relations between the leaders. During hours of talks at Japan’s Akasaka Palace, Trump and Abe also deliberated over economic issues, including trade and Iran, but North Korea’s recent firing of short-range missiles emerged as an area of disagreement.
When asked if he was bothered by Pyongyang’s short-range missile tests, Trump said: “No, I’m not. I am personally not.”
The president has sought to downplay the significance of the missile tests, despite the fact that his own national security adviser, John Bolton, said over the weekend that they violated U.
