Trump Faces Protocol Blunders During Japan Visit

During his trip to Japan this week, Donald Trump sparked controversy after committing two notable protocol errors.

Meeting Japan’s New Prime Minister

On October 28, the 79-year-old US president met with Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, who had taken office just one week earlier. Videos from the welcoming ceremony in Tokyo quickly went viral, showing Trump seemingly wandering away from Takaichi while touring a room filled with dignitaries.

Observers noted additional lapses, including inappropriate salutes at several points during the event. Social media users reacted sharply. One tweeted: “Trump is confused, saluting when he didn’t need to, and had to be shown the right way to walk by the PM of Japan.” Another added: “Clueless Trump didn’t realize he was supposed to stop in front of the US & Japanese flags. The PM followed proper protocol and bowed.”

Despite the missteps, the leaders discussed diplomatic gestures. Japan agreed to provide fireworks from Akita Prefecture for the July 4 celebrations and 250 cherry trees for Washington, D.C., honoring America’s 250th anniversary. Trump praised Takaichi as Japan’s first woman prime minister and promised continued support, stating: “Anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there. We are an ally at the strongest level.”

Part of a Busy Asian Tour

Japan was the second stop on Trump’s week-long Asian journey. He departed today for South Korea, where he is set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on October 30. Earlier, on October 26, he attended the ASEAN annual meeting in Malaysia. Upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur, Trump disembarked from Air Force One and danced briefly, a moment that went viral online.