Former President Donald Trump attempted to pay tribute to assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe while being drowned out by the sound of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA."
Trump opened his speech at a Friday night rally in Las Vegas by memorializing Abe, who died after being shot during a speech in Japan on Friday morning, while the song known for its refrain of "I'm proud to be an American" played loudly in the background. The former president's tribute was at times difficult to decipher due to the music, which played for approximately 30 seconds as Trump spoke.
"Before we begin, I'd like to express my profound condolences to the family of a great, great man: Shinzo Abe," Trump said. "He was an amazing leader, I knew him well. Tough negotiator, we could use a negotiator like that in our country, because it's not working out [unintelligible]."
"This was a man of tremendous moral code... just a fantastic person," he added. "Prime Minister Abe was a friend of mine, an ally and an incredible patriot."
Abe was assassinated with what was reportedly a handmade gun allegedly used by suspect Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old who formerly served in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. The motive for the shooting was unclear, although Yamagami told authorities he had "aimed to kill" after being "dissatisfied" with Abe.
Trump and Abe, who was Japan's longest-serving prime minister and was known as a conservative nationalist, enjoyed a close relationship while both were in office. Abe resigned from the premiership in August 2020, leaving the post only months before Trump exited the White House in January 2021.
The former president previously paid tribute to Abe on his Truth Social platform at least twice on Friday—shortly after news of the shooting emerged and just after his death was announced.
"Really BAD NEWS FOR THE WORLD!" Trump wrote. "Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is dead. He was assassinated. His killer was captured and will hopefully be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Few people know what a great man and leader Shinzo Abe was, but history will teach them and be kind."
"He was a unifier like no other, but above all, he was a man who loved and cherished his magnificent country, Japan. Shinzo Abe will be greatly missed. There will never be another like him!" he continued, before signing off as "President Donald J. Trump."
"God Bless the USA" features at Trump rallies frequently and is typically the song that is played while the former president takes the stage. It's unclear why Trump began speaking before the music had stopped.
President Joe Biden earlier on Friday was mercilessly mocked by conservatives for an apparent teleprompter flub. The president accidentally read the words, "End of quote, repeat the line," while giving a speech on reproductive rights from the White House.
Biden ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and on all public and military grounds in tribute to Abe, who he called "a proud servant of the Japanese people and a faithful friend to the United States" in a proclamation on Friday.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's office and the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.
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Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more
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