Trump says Japan's first lady can't speak English, when she can

  • 21/07/2017
Mr Trump was seated next to Ms Abe at a group dinner in Germany earlier this month.
Mr Trump was seated next to Ms Abe at a group dinner in Germany earlier this month. Photo credit: Getty

US President Donald Trump said that Japan's first lady Akie Abe can't speak English, and it's now all over the internet.

Mr Trump said he sat beside Ms Abe, the wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at a dinner and she couldn't even say hello.

"I was seated next to the wife of Prime Minister Abe, who I think is a terrific guy, and she's a terrific woman but doesn't speak English," he told the New York Times.

Shortly after the article was published people began sharing a video of Ms Abe giving a keynote speech in English at a 2014 conference, with a page of notes in front of her.

There has been wide speculation that Ms Abe told Mr Trump she couldn't speak English so she didn't have to talk to him.

While it's clear that she can in fact speak English, there is speculation that she might not have felt proficient enough to have a conversation with Mr Trump.

During visits to Washington with Prime Minister Abe she has frequently used a translator according to The Washington Post

Newshub.