Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Trump makes stop in Japan
At air base, he talks up long alliance
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — President Donald Trump paid a solemn visit to the memorial at Pearl Harbor, a sacred journey for a commander in chief about to depart on an an Asia trip that will be shadowed by fears of another international conflict.
Early today, Trump touched down in Japan, kicking off a 12-day, five-country trip during which he’ll exhort allies and rivals to step up efforts to counter the dangers posed by North Korea’s nuclear threat.
Trump landed at Yokota Air Base on the outskirts of Tokyo, where he was greeted by cheers from service members. Trump then donned a bomber jacket for a speech in which he touted American firepower and the U.S. alliance with Japan.
“Japan is a treasured partner and crucial ally of
the United States, and today we thank them for welcoming us and for decades of wonderful friendship between our two nations,” he said, speaking in front of an American flag inside an airplane hangar.
“On behalf of the United States of America, I send the warmest wishes of the America people to the citizens of this remarkable country,” he said.
After the speech, Trump was set to head to a private golf course for an informal lunch and golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“It’s going to be very positive and very historic,” Trump said of the trip while talking to reporters aboard Air Force One during the flight from Hawaii. “It’s grueling, they tell me, but fortunately that’s historically not been a problem for me. One thing you people will say, that’s not been a problem.”
He also said that North Korea is “a big problem” that must “be solved,” and that “there’s been 25 years of total weakness” in dealing with the North.
The president also told reporters that he’ll go into his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping on equal footing. He said Xi is “is viewing us as very, very strong.”
He said he also expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of an upcoming summit. “We want Putin’s help on North Korea, and we’ll be meeting with a lot of different leaders,” he said.
At the USS Arizona memorial, Trump saluted upon entering, after a short boat ride with first lady Melania Trump. They approached a wreath of white flowers — a gift from the couple — and watched as two sailors who stood beside it at attention placed the wreath near a wall of names of the fallen.
The Trumps then tossed white flower petals into the waters above the battleship’s sunken hull, as the president peered down at where the rusted wreckage is visible at the water’s surface.
Nearly 1,200 crew members died on the USS Arizona during the December 7, 1941, surprise attack by Japan that plunged the U.S. into World War II.
Trump, who had spoken earlier in the day about being eager to see the sacred site for the first time, appeared moved by the visit. As the wreath was quietly placed into position, Trump crossed his arms in front of him, closing his eyes as he bowed his head.
As the sun began to fade over the Pacific, Trump then listened intently to a National Park Service tour guide, stopping briefly at a display that explained how some survivors of the attack, when they die years later, have chosen to be cremated and have their ashes placed in the sunken ship alongside the remains of their fallen colleagues.
Hawaii acted as a sort of midway point on Trump’s trip halfway around the world. He arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Friday after a daylong flight from Washington.
Trump was briefed by leaders of the U.S. Pacific Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the region. Trump also was meeting with the governors of Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific U.S. territories, all potential targets of any attempt by North Korea to strike the U.S. with a nuclear-tipped missile.
ADVISERS PUSHING TAX PLAN
Trump has put a hard-line trade agenda at the center of his Asia trip, yet he is leaving his two most senior economic advisers back home.
He also is not taking his daughter Ivanka, who accompanied him to a summit meeting in Germany in July. Her husband, Jared Kushner, a senior adviser who once laid claim to the China portfolio, will return to Washington after the president’s stop in Beijing.
The staffing of any major presidential trip is an exercise in internal politics as the White House parcels out coveted seats on Air Force One. In some cases, the administration’s staffing decisions have been driven by straightforward domestic politics. White House officials said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Gary Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, both needed to stay in Washington to lobby Congress for Trump’s proposed overhaul of the tax code.
Ivanka Trump, too, is being enlisted in the tax-cut campaign, officials said, after she surprised officials by proving effective at lobbying for her pet issue, an expanded child tax credit.
Trump is taking his commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, and the U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, on the trip. But Ross will be present only for the Beijing stop, officials said.
Trump will, however, be backed by a full complement of national security advisers. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will accompany the president on every stop, as will the national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.
SOUTH KOREA PROTESTS
Just days ahead of Trump’s visit there, hundreds of South Koreans took to the streets of the capital on Saturday in protest.
But not everyone was against Trump’s visit: Just a few blocks away from the main anti-Trump protest near the U.S. Embassy, a smaller pro-Trump demonstration was taking place. The two events reflected the conflicting concerns in South Korea at a time when many feel the risk of conflict with North Korea is running high.
“I came here to protest because I’m afraid of a war,” said Hong Jae-pum, 37, who works for a cleaning company and was attending the anti-Trump protest. “And if a war breaks out, we all die.”
The anti-Trump protesters gathered at 4 p.m. Seoul time to stage an event called “No Trump, No War,” dancing along to rappers and painting their faces while they listened to speakers.
Attendees said they wanted to show the world that South Koreans were not seeking a conflict. “I want President Trump to know we do not want a war,” said activist Yoo Seung-hyun, 32, adding that Trump needed to understand that “a lot of the problems on the Korean Peninsula depend on him.”
A five-minute walk away, a very different message was being sent: At a pro-Trump rally that began several hours earlier, the president was being feted as the savior of South Korea.
Attendees were effusive in their praise for Trump, who they argued could help save ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye, currently under arrest after a number of scandals. “I want Mr. Trump to destroy Kim Jong Un,” An Man-young, 70, said of the North Korean leader. “And also release the innocent former President Park.”
“I’m not very worried about Trump putting South Korea in danger,” said Beak Yong-cham, 60, who said he was a veteran of the South Korean marine corps. “The United States would talk to the South Korean defense minister before anything happens.”
There was widespread support for military action among the relatively small crowd. “I think peace will be protected, even if you have to go to war,” said Kim Jue-yoon, 29, owner of a mobile-phone store.
“I support the military option against Kim Jong Un,” Beak said. “He needs to be killed because he is crazy.”
These protests were just two of a number of events planned over the next few days that reflect some of the wider divisions over Trump, who is to arrive Tuesday in Seoul.
Though Seoul police had expressed concern over the number of protests being planned, Yonhap News reported that there were no physical confrontations between opposing groups Saturday. Compared with the huge protests last winter that led to the impeachment of Park, the events on Saturday were relatively small, and there were considerably more people at a kimchi festival down the road than at any protest related to Trump.