Trump opens Asia trip talking tough in campaign-style rally

TOKYO — President Donald Trump kicked off an extensive swing through Asia with a campaign-style rally Sunday with U.S. troops in Japan, as he looked toward a lengthy trip likely to be dominated by talks on confronting the nuclear threat from North Korea.

In a speech after Air Force One landed at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo on a crisp, sunny morning, Trump never mentioned Pyongyang by name. Sounding a militaristic tone, he sought to project toughness in the face of global challenges, saying that the United States armed forces stood ready to defend itself and its allies and “fight to overpower” its adversaries.

“No one — no dictator, no regime and no nation — should underestimate, ever, American resolve,” Trump said, having shed his suit jacket for a leather bomber jacket as he addressed hundreds of fatigues-clad women and men. “You are the greatest threat to tyrants and dictators who seek to prey on the innocent.”

Breaking with tradition for U.S. presidents on foreign soil, Trump used his speech to promote his domestic record with a distinct political edge, asserting that the economy and military were far better off since he became president.

“We are back home starting to do, I will tell you — and you’re reading, and you’re seeing — really, really well,” Trump told the troops, noting that the stock market has surged and unemployment has been low, with almost 2 million jobs added “since a very, very special day — it’s called Election Day.”

“We’ve dealt ISIS one brutal defeat after another, and it’s about time,” he said, adding that he has proposed increases in the defense budget. “That’s a lot different than in the past.”

On his way to Japan, Trump told reporters he would probably meet with President Vladimir Putin of Russia next week to discuss the North Korean threat, part of his 12-day, five-country tour through Asia that is also likely to focus on trade.

“We want Putin’s help on North Korea,” Trump said.