45th President Donald Trump is considering attending the funeral of Shinzo Abe, the former Prime Minister of Japan who was assassinated by a gunman who used an improvised firearm last Friday, according to an exclusive report from Breitbart News.
The conservative media outlet says it asked Trump if he planned to attend Abe’s funeral, and the outlet reported that Trump was considering it and in communication with the Japanese icon’s widow.
“We’re going to see how it goes,” Trump told the outlet. “We’re talking to their family. We love the family. His wife is a phenomenal woman.”
Trump White House / Flickr
Trump added that “He is so loved in Japan I can imagine that is going to be an incredible celebration of life. He was just very special. Every aspect of that man was just very special. You know he was the first person I saw? Do you remember he came early? He came right after the election—he was the first person I saw. But we had a special relationship.”
He reaffirmed, “We’re going to see about that, we’re talking about that right now.”
Abe was fatally shot on Friday while delivering a speech for the Liberal Democratic Party ahead of the country’s elections, which are still set to be held this week.
He remained a central figure in the party even after voluntarily leaving his role as Prime Minister in 2020 due to recently resurfaced chronic health concerns related to colitis.
President Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Shinzō Abe, Mrs. Abe at Mar-a-Lago (Trump White House / Flickr)
The suspect, Nara resident Tetsuya Yamagami, is a 41-year-old man, according to the New York Times, who spent three years in the Japanese Navy in the early 2000s. Police have charged him with murder, and say he confessed and said he held “a grudge” against “a group” he believed Abe was associated with, per the Times.
Trump visited Japan early in his presidency and visited with Abe, leading to an iconic moment featuring Trump and Abe feeding koi fish.
While Trump’s left wing media opponents – namely, CNN – claimed Trump became impatient with the activity and dumped the feed into the water, video clearly shows both Abe and Trump fed the fish gingerly before Abe took the lead in dumping the food into the water.
Trump eulogized Abe at his recent rally in Nevada, according to The Gateway Pundit.
“Before we begin, I’d like to profess my profound condolences to the family of a great, great man—Shinzo Abe,” Trump said at his rally.
“He was an amazing leader,” added Trump, before offering high praise: “I knew him well—tough negotiator.”
President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Shinzo Abe and his wife, Mrs. Akie Abe (Trump White House / Flickr)
“Prime Minister Abe was a friend of mine, an ally, and an incredible patriot,” Trump added.
“He was a tireless champion for peace and for freedom and for the priceless bond between the United States and Japan, and his assassination is not only a grievous atrocity, it is a devastating loss for the entire world.”
Trump concluded his remarks, “We will miss him greatly. And this being a speech about law and order, I hope the man who committed this crime will pay a steep price for the greatness he has taken from our planet.”
