Trump ridiculed for saying he'll write to ‘Mr Japan’ about tariffs

US president Donald Trump, who once claimed he is a “very stable genius”, has faced continuous scrutiny since being inaugurated in January, what with him appearing to claim that he had invented the words “caravan” and “equalize”, and calling someone a “very average mentally person”.

And now, in a Fox News interview which also saw him claim he’ll share news of TikTok’s US buyer in “about two weeks”, Trump said he was going to “send letters” to countries to discuss tariffs, including one to a “Mr Japan”.

After interviewer Maria Bartiromo said people “don’t have the clarity on the expiration” of the pauses Trump implemented on his global tariffs, the Republican replied: “I’m going to send letters, that’s the end of the trade deal.

“I could send one to Japan: ‘Dear Mr Japan, here’s the story: you’re going to pay a 25 per cent tariff on your cars.’”

The exchange has seen social media users decide the US president “has no clue who the Prime Minister of Japan is” – that being Shigeru Ishiba:

Another account claimed Trump “still doesn’t know how tariffs work”:

Majid Padellan, known online as Brooklyn Dad Defiant, imagined how Republicans would have reacted if Joe Biden made such remarks:

Similarly, Barbara Comstock, a former Republican representative for Virginia, claimed Trump “doesn’t know what or who he is talking about”:

One account even pondered what such a letter from Trump would say:

And the two state leaders have obviously met in person – back in February, when Ishiba was welcomed into the White House by Trump, who said “we love Japan”.

Ahead of travelling to Washington D.C., Ishiba told reporters at the time: “It will be our first face-to-face talks, so I would like to focus on building a relationship of trust between the two of us.”

Sounds good, but Trump appearing to forget Ishiba’s name months later probably makes things awkward on that front.

Why not read…

• Trump claims he’s found a TikTok buyer - but there’s a catch
• Cruz wades in on Glastonbury controversy - makes big mistake instead

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