During a recent visit to Japan, former U.S. President Donald Trump had an enthusiastic interaction with Japan’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi. His remarks about America’s “good looking” sailors in the Tokyo region were met with delight by Takaichi, who was visibly thrilled by the recognition.

As Trump praised Takaichi as “the first female prime minister in the history of Japan,” she responded with a joyful display, pumping her fist and beaming with excitement. The scene unfolded aboard the USS George Washington, where U.S. troops cheered in response to the momentous occasion.

Trump made a memorable entrance to the event, descending on a giant lift surrounded by fighter jets and large missiles, setting the stage for an impactful meeting. Once on stage, he invited Prime Minister Takaichi to join him, marking a significant moment in U.S.-Japan relations.

The day was filled with mutual admiration as Trump and Takaichi exchanged compliments, highlighting the camaraderie between the two nations. This visit was part of Trump’s weeklong tour through Asia, which would conclude with a visit to South Korea.

During a reception with business leaders, Trump expressed his admiration for Takaichi, stating, “I’m so happy to have gotten to know your new Prime Minister. I think she’s going to go down as great.” This endorsement further cemented the positive rapport between the two leaders.

‘She’s got all of our support,’ he insisted.

And earlier on Tuesday, Takaichi said she would nominate Trump for next year’s prize. 

The president made it his mission on Tuesday to tell U.S. troops stationed in Japan how great they were.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaich jumped for joy and pumped her fist in the air as US troops cheered President Donald Trump bragged about her being Japan’s first-ever female prime minister

The two got chummy as Trump invited new Takaichi on stage for his rally aboard the USS George Washington Navy aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan on Tuesday, October 28, 2025

‘You see that nobody makes equipment like we do. Nobody makes the ammunition, the weapons, the missiles, planes, none of it,’ Trump said. ‘And if they do, the American sailor stands ready to crush them and sink them and wreck them and blast them into oblivion, right?’ 

The president then caught himself, saying that was a ‘terrible statement to make.’ ‘That’s the end of it because everybody said that I should immediately get the Nobel Peace Award,’ he said. 

‘With that statement, that takes me out of the running,’ Trump laughed of Takaichi’s earlier suggestion he would be up for the award. 

The president continued by saying that the Navy’s ‘ultimate strength’ doesn’t come from the equipment.

‘It comes from the men and women of the rank and file,’ he said. ‘It comes from you people, incredible people, good-looking people, too many good-looking people,’ Trump told the crowd of men and women, representing both the U.S. and Japan. 

‘I don’t like good-looking people,’ he continued. ‘I never liked good-looking people, I’ll be honest with you.’

‘Never admitted that before,’ he added cheekily.

President Donald Trump speaks to sailors on Tuesday on board the US Navy’s USS George Washington aircraft carrier, which is stationed in the Tokyo region of Japan

President Donald Trump can be seen emerging between fighter jets as he made a dramatic entrance to deliver remarks to sailors stationed abroad on the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan 

A the conclusion of her remarks, Trump grabbed Takaichi’s hand and guided her off stage

From there, Trump alluded to how the Pentagon had scrapped diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on his watch. 

‘Everything now in our country is based on merit, and that’s why I look at you and see nothing but merit,’ he continued. ‘It’s great to have a country back where we can go by merit. Now we don’t go by anything else except for talent and work and hard work.’

Trump told the crowd he supported an ‘across-the-board pay raise’ for the entire military, an announcement that received loud cheers. 

‘But now, all we really have to do is get the Democrats to approve it,’ Trump said. ‘But they’ll come along, they always do.’

He chided his former Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden, later in the speech, suggesting that the gaffe-prone Biden had told people he was a pilot. 

While Biden has made some dubious claims – including that his uncle was eaten by cannibals after his plane crashed – pretending to be a pilot wasn’t one of them.

President Donald Trump (left) arrives on board the USS George Washington alongside Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right), which is docked in the Tokyo region 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt arrives on the USS George Washington ahead of President Donald Trump’s remarks on the aircraft carrier on Tuesday in Yokosuka, Japan 

President Donald Trump (left) had Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right) address the crowd as he referred to her as ‘a winner’ 

President Donald Trump did his trademark moves to the Village People’s YMCA after he wrapped up nearly an hour-long speech to members of the US Navy and their Japanese counterparts 

‘And see, Biden used to say he was a pilot. He was a pilot, he was a truck driver, whatever, whoever, walked in,’ Trump said. ‘He wasn’t a pilot.’

‘He wasn’t too much of a president either, to be honest with you,’ the Republican digged. 

Traditionally, presidents have avoided giving political speeches in front of U.S. military personnel, but Trump already scrapped that norm several times during his second term.

Trump also admitted during his remarks that he’d ‘like to be an admiral.’

‘I always wanted to be an admiral, to be honest,’ he said, adding, ‘I love those uniforms.’ 

Trump arrived on the aircraft carrier alongside Takaichi, Japan’s new leader, who was sworn in last week. 

The president said a deal to sell U.S. missiles to Japan was already underway, explaining that’s why he used them to make his bold entrance.

‘You saw a couple of them coming down with me, I hugged them,’ he said. ‘It’s the first batch of missiles to be delivered to the Japanese Self-Defense Forces for Japan’s F-35s, and they’re coming this week, so they’re ahead of schedule.’

Takaichi was a protégé of Trump’s friend, the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022. 

That connection set the table for a warm visit, with Trump calling Takaichi up onstage to deliver remarks as part of the programming, announcing to the crowd, ‘This woman is a winner!’ 

‘So, you know, we’ve become very close friends all of the sudden, because their stock market today and our stock market today hit an all-time high,’ Trump said. ‘That means we’re doing something right.’