Lending credence to longstanding rumors that he uses nicknames for both opponents and allies because he lacks the mental capacity to remember anyone's name—including his wife "Melanie"—MAGA Republican President Donald Trump dubbed Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba "Mr. Japan" in a weekend appearance on Fox News.
The current POTUS spoke to longtime MAGA minion Maria Bartiromo on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures about the state of his trade negotiations, which he previously bragged had resulted in 200 deals.
Trump apparently forgot his prior claims of "90 deals in 90 days" and "200 deals" when he revealed he wanted to just send everyone letters.
You can watch the interview clip here:
Trump told Bartiromo:
"...I’d rather just send them a letter—a very fair letter—saying, congratulations, whether it will allow you to trade in the United States of America."
"You’re going to pay a 25% tariff, or 20% or 40% or 50%. I would rather do that."
His reluctance to actually have trade negotiations hinted at his well-documented, repeated failures in sit downs with world leaders, who easily out maneuvered Trump's attempts at diplomacy and debate.
Trump added:
"We’ll send a letter, and we’ll say we would consider it a great honor, and this is what you’ll have to do to shop in the United States."
"We’re like a department store!"
"To shop in the United States, and you’ll pay a 25% tariff, or we wish you a lot of luck, and that’s the end of the trade deal."
Except tariffs are about foreign businesses importing and selling their products in the United States "department store," not shopping in it. It's product placement on the U.S. department store shelves, not purchases.
Trump's ignorance about tariffs and trade was again on display in the June 29 Fox interview.
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Trump then provided an example of how he'd correspond with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Except he said:
"I could send one to Japan. ‘Dear Mr. Japan, here’s the story. You’re going to pay a 25% tariff on your cars.'"
People swiftly mocked the POTUS' performance in his Sunday softball interview with Bartiromo.
Especially Trump's new moniker for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
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Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ishiba got Trump’s name right when he shared information about his G7 meeting with the POTUS on X.
Trump is staring down his own trade negotiations deadline of July 9. His comments on Fox's Sunday Morning Futures seem to indicate he's made no progress despite opportunities like the G7 Summit.
Will July 9 be another TACO time for Trump?
Only time will tell.
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