President Donald Trump’s close relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe didn’t keep him from publicly voicing his concerns with the country’s trade and manufacturing policies during the first leg of his 12-day visit to Asia.
While speaking to U.S. and Japanese business leaders on Monday morning, Trump praised the two countries’ “cherished” relationship and then switched gears, asking top Japanese auto firms to “try building your car in the United States instead of shipping them over” and then immediately claiming his comments weren’t “rude.”
“I also want to recognize the business leaders in the room whose confidence in the United States — they’ve been creating jobs — you have such confidence in the United States, and you’ve been creating jobs for our country for a long, long time,” he said. “Several Japanese automobile industry firms have been really doing a job. And we love it when you build cars — if you’re a Japanese firm, we love it — try building your cars in the United States instead of shipping them over. Is that possible to ask? That’s not rude. Is that rude? I don’t think so.”
He then pointed out the leaders of Toyota and Mazda, shook their hands and thanked them for investing in a new U.S. manufacturing plant, which he said will create “as many as 4,000 new jobs in the United States.”
“That’s big stuff. Congratulations,” he said, promising to give approvals “almost immediately” anytime Japanese auto companies decide they want to build new plants in the U.S.
Earlier in his speech, he congratulated Japan on “winning” for “the last many decades” and said the U.S. would do more trade with Japan than it would have if he had stayed in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Trump pulled out of in January.
