Trump and Japan's Abe take a swing at golf diplomacy

[rooster59]

Trump and Japan's Abe take a swing at golf diplomacy

By Ayesha Rascoe

 

Security personnel drive a golf card at the Trump National Golf club where Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump play golf in Jupiter, Florida, U.S., February 11, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

JUPITER, Florida (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hit the links on Saturday, as the two leaders looked to forge a bond over a round of golf diplomacy.

Trump and Abe played under mostly clear skies at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida. The White House did not immediately say whether anyone else joined them and reporters were not allowed on the course to watch the pair.

Abe traveled to Florida on Air Force One with the new U.S. president after a more formal meeting at the White House on Friday. The weekend excursion is Trump's first use of his Mar-a-Lago resort to entertain an international leader.

Washington and Tokyo have said the weekend trip is a sign of the importance that both leaders place on the U.S.-Japan relationship.

Abe, in particular, sought to ease concerns in Japan about the fate of the decades-long alliance under Trump, who had raised concerns about U.S. military spending in Japan during the 2016 presidential election campaign.

At a press conference on Friday, Trump and Abe focused on areas of common ground, with Trump setting aside campaign pledges to force Tokyo to pay more for U.S. defense aid and Abe promising to help the United States to create jobs.

On Friday night, Trump and Abe ate dinner with their wives on an outdoor patio at Mar-a-Lago. The couples were joined by Robert Kraft, owner of the National Football League's New England Patriots, which won the Super Bowl last Sunday.

Trump and Abe are set to meet again for dinner Saturday evening, along with some members of the Japanese delegation. The two leaders are set to depart Florida on Sunday.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-12

 

[Credo]

I can hardly wait for Kim Jong Un to play a round a golf and we will see who wins.  

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Trump setting aside campaign pledges

Becoming a common occurrence.

[blazes]

3 hours ago, Credo said:

I can hardly wait for Kim Jong Un to play a round a golf and we will see who wins.  

His dad, Kim Jong Ill, was the one that used to get a hole in one three times a day after meals....

[Grouse]

Trump's speach at the press conference was too long and overly complex.

[mtls2005]

Nothing wrong with relaxing playing some golf.

 

Of course Trump tweeted endlessly about Obama playing a few rounds, but that was different.

 

http://www.politicususa.com/2017/02/05/hypocrite-trump-playing-golf-today-years-trolling-obama-playing-golf.html

[elgordo38]

10 hours ago, Credo said:

I can hardly wait for Kim Jong Un to play a round a golf and we will see who wins.  

Kim Jong Un will see Trumps nuke and raise him one. Just a friendly little side bet. 

[Traveler19491]

Interesting how the conservatives whined, moaned, and bitched about Obama's vacations. And yet, here's the new resident of the Oval Office, the "so-called" President, on his second vacation in three weeks. Meanwhile, "Rome" burns while he fiddles. Go figure.

[pitrevie]

6 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Nothing wrong with relaxing playing some golf.

 

Of course Trump tweeted endlessly about Obama playing a few rounds, but that was different.

 

http://www.politicususa.com/2017/02/05/hypocrite-trump-playing-golf-today-years-trolling-obama-playing-golf.html

 

President Barack Obama made it four months into his presidency before his first golf outing as commander in chief. George W. Bush made it even longer, first hitting the links as president about 5 ½ months into his first term.

Donald Trump made it two weeks before heading to the golf course.

On his first vacation as president to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump spent about eight hours at the Trump International Golf Club last Saturday and Sunday. And he will be taking his clubs out again for more golfing this weekend, as he is scheduled to play with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

[Becker]

19 hours ago, Credo said:

I can hardly wait for Kim Jong Un to play a round a golf and we will see who wins.  

Well, since the man-child is a notorious golf cheater and the Kim family are uncanny in their ability to hit hole in ones expect a round in the 40's!

 

http://gawker.com/a-brief-history-of-the-golf-cheating-accusations-agains-1774776293

[mtls2005]

During the Abe visit...needless to say, foreign intelligence services have joined Trump's Mar-a-Lago country club, assume that's why he raised the initiation fee from $100,000 to $200,000?

 

Mar-a-Lago guest takes picture with nuclear 'football' briefcase

 

A visitor to President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida posted a Facebook photo with a person he says is responsible for carrying the black bag that contains the nuclear launch codes for the president of the United States.

 

“This is Rick...He carries the ‘football’ The nuclear football (also known as the atomic football, the President's emergency satchel, the Presidential Emergency Satchel, the button, the black box, or just the football) is a briefcase, the contents of which are to be used by the President of the United States to authorize a nuclear attack while away from fixed command centers, such as the White House Situation Room,” the caption reads. 

 

The two images, one of which shows the man carrying the briefcase, is tagged at "Donald Trump Palm Beach Home."

 

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319211-mar-a-lago-guest-posts-pics-with-nuclear-football-carrier

[pitrevie]

4 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

During the Abe visit...needless to say, foreign intelligence services have joined Trump's Mar-a-Lago country club, assume that's why he raised the initiation fee from $100,000 to $200,000?

 

Mar-a-Lago guest takes picture with nuclear 'football' briefcase

 

A visitor to President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida posted a Facebook photo with a person he says is responsible for carrying the black bag that contains the nuclear launch codes for the president of the United States.

 

“This is Rick...He carries the ‘football’ The nuclear football (also known as the atomic football, the President's emergency satchel, the Presidential Emergency Satchel, the button, the black box, or just the football) is a briefcase, the contents of which are to be used by the President of the United States to authorize a nuclear attack while away from fixed command centers, such as the White House Situation Room,” the caption reads. 

 

The two images, one of which shows the man carrying the briefcase, is tagged at "Donald Trump Palm Beach Home."

 

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319211-mar-a-lago-guest-posts-pics-with-nuclear-football-carrier

 

Given that there is now some real doubt that Trump can read we had better hope he knows the difference between lunch and launch.

[mtls2005]

11 minutes ago, pitrevie said:

 

Given that there is now some real doubt that Trump can read we had better hope he knows the difference between lunch and launch.

 

Lunch is iceberg lettuce wedges doused with blue cheese dressing, evidently - it was interrupted to hastily address the NK missile crisis - like something out of the 1960's.

 

Launch is that red button thingy. Personally, I'd give him one of those Staples buttons, just to distract him. Whatever you do, don't watch "Dr. Strangelove".

 

 

 

[mike324]

Trumps family making a killing with the president using all of Trumps properties .....

[mtls2005]

Who didn't love the pictures of Trump and Abe reading highly classified documents in the middle of the member's dining room, with helpful people offering their cell-phone camera lights to help them read?

 

/buffoon