Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Former President Donald Trump on Friday mourned the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the first foreign leader to meet Trump following his election in 2016.<\/p>\n
In a post on his Truth Social social media platform, Trump said Abe\u2019s death \u2014 which came hours after he was shot while giving a speech<\/a> in the western city of Nara \u2014 was \u201cReally BAD NEWS FOR THE WORLD!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFew people know what a great man and leader Shinzo Abe was, but history will teach them and be kind,\u201d Trump wrote. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Abe, who resigned from office<\/a> in September 2020 because of health problems, was among the foreign leaders who sought to cultivate a strong relationship with Trump and court the former U.S. president<\/a> early in his tenure. The two men met in Trump Tower in New York<\/a> in November 2016, while Trump was still president-elect.<\/p>\n In February 2017, Trump welcomed Abe to the White House<\/a> and then to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida<\/a>, where they played a round of golf and Trump used a gold-plated club Abe gifted him on their first meeting.<\/p>\n Trump traveled to Japan<\/a> in November 2017 and visited the country again<\/a> in May 2019, becoming the first foreign leader to meet the newly enthroned Emperor Naruhito. Trump also attended the G-20 summit in Japan<\/a> in June 2019.<\/p>\n