Shinzo Abe tumbles into bunker while golfing with Donald Trump
US President doesn't appear to notice his Japanese counterpart's fall
Numerous things have gone tumbling during Trump's whistlestop tour of East Asia, from China's trade deficit with the US, to the fish food that Trump was supposed to feed “gently” to a pond of precious koi carp.
However, one nose-dive that went unnoticed, by the US President at least, came courtesy of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who fell head over heels into a sand bunker while golfing yesterday.
Having just successfully played a shot out of the bunker, Abe climbed to the edge of the sand trap, only for his foot to slip, sending him rolling backwards into the sand.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump, about 20m away at the time, didn't appear to notice his counterpart's dramatic tumble, but aerial footage later revealed Abe's gaffe.
The Japanese Prime Minister was reportedly unharmed in the incident, but News.com.au reports that many in Japan have mocked Abe's fall as symbolic of the power dynamic between the two leaders.
“Abe was ignored when he fell over backwards. He served Trump a lot of delicious food but in return all he got was being forced to promise to buy more weapons,” one user wrote on Twitter.
“Furthermore, Mr Trump ignored all of Mr Abe’s tweets. Mr Trump doesn’t even follow Abe on Twitter. And you call this best friend LOL?”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Political cartoons for October 26Cartoons Sunday’s editorial cartoons include Young Republicans group chat, Louvre robbery, and more
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
The UK-made Storm Shadow missiles Ukraine is using in RussiaThe Explainer Ukraine reportedly deployed the long-range British missiles this week, following a tense meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump
-
Proposed Trump-Putin talks in Budapest on holdSpeed Read Trump apparently has no concrete plans to meet with Putin for Ukraine peace talks
-
What is Donald Trump planning in Latin America?Today’s Big Question US ramps up feud with Colombia over drug trade, while deploying military in the Caribbean to attack ships and increase tensions with Venezuela
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
Remaking the military: Pete Hegseth’s war on diversity and ‘fat generals’Talking Point The US Secretary of War addressed military members on ‘warrior ethos’
-
How does the Nobel Peace Prize work?The Explainer Activist María Corina Machado wins prestigious prize, despite public campaign by Donald Trump