The US president-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania met with Akie Abe, the widow of slain former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at their Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday. According to CNN, Trump and Abe did not go through government channels to arrange the meeting, but did so directly. The former president, who is set to return to the White House for his second term on January 20, had a very close relationship with Akie’s late husband.
Shinzo Abe | Anthony Quintano
Trump Praises Shinzo Abe
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Trump described the former Japanese prime minister as “a great man.” He added, “His wife wanted to know if it would be possible to have dinner. It was just out of respect to Shinzo.”
On X, Melania Trump wrote: “It was a privilege to host Mrs. Akie Abe at Mar-a-Lago once again. We fondly remembered her late husband, former Prime Minister Abe, and honored his remarkable legacy.”
The meeting in Florida raised some eyebrows in Japan as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was unable to hold an in-person meeting with Trump on his way back to Tokyo from South America. At the time, Ishiba was allegedly told that he couldn’t hold talks with the president-elect before he took office because of the Logan Act, which prohibits private citizens from negotiating diplomatic matters with foreign governments. However, since then, Trump has met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trump Suggests Meeting With Ishiba Could Happen Before He Becomes President
Speaking at a press conference a day after he hosted Abe, Trump said that a meeting with Ishiba before his inauguration is possible if the Japanese government wants it. “Yes, I’d love to see the prime minister,” he told reporters. “We will do that. I actually sent him a book and some other things for him through Mrs. Abe.”
Also on Monday, Trump announced George Edward Glass as the next United States Ambassador to Japan. “As a former president of an investment bank, George will bring his business acumen to the ambassador’s position,” said the president-elect. He added that Glass “will always put America first.”
