Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wished Barron Trump a happy birthday at a White House dinner on Thursday ― and threw in an ego boost for his smiling father, President Donald Trump, who stood beside her. (Watch the video below.)
The PM said through an interpreter:
“I would like to start off by extending my sincere congratulations on two important anniversaries. The first one is a birthday celebration. Donald, tomorrow is the birthday of your son, Mr. Barron Trump. And I know he has grown up so much into a very tall, good-looking gentleman.”
Laughter filled the room as Trump beamed, appearing to say, “True.”
“As I see you, Donald, it is very clear where he got it. Of course, from his parents,” she continued. “There’s no doubt about it. So Donald, if I may ask you, please convey my sincere happy birthday wishes to him.”
Takaichi then congratulated Trump and the United States on the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary.
Barron Trump, the only child of the president and first lady Melania Trump and the youngest of the president’s five kids, is a New York University sophomore who takes classes at its Washington, D.C., campus. He turned 20 on Friday.
Tom Williams via Getty Images
Earlier in the day, the Japanese leader endured an awkward moment when Trump joked about Pearl Harbor.
Asked by a reporter why he did not warn allies about his attack on Iran, Trump replied: “For one thing, you don’t want to signal too much, you know? When we went in, we went in very hard, and we didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise.”
“Who knows better about surprise than Japan? OK?” he continued. “Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? OK? Right?”
Near the start of the session, Takaichi said Trump was the only person who could achieve global peace. But Japan has not committed to Trump’s urging that it dispatch naval ships to the Strait of Hormuz to protect commercial vessels. Iran has effectively closed the critical waterway by threatening to attack attempted crossings.
