Hilarious footage has captured the moment that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fell head over heels into a sandbunker during his golf game with Trump – who completely failed to notice.
Abe and Trump had been playing a round of golf at the Kasumigaseki Country Club on Sunday when the slip up occurred.
The Japanese leader had just hit his ball out of the sand, and was walking up the side when he missed his step and fell backwards. The 63-year-old fell head over heels into the sand but was swiftly back on his feet before his aide could reach him.
But his golf partner was nowhere to be seen and footage of the moment, taken from an overheard helicopter, makes it clear that Trump missed the whole thing.
Oops! Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Trump had been playing a round of golf at the Kasumigaseki Country Club on Sunday when the Japanese leader slipped
The 63-year-old fell head over heels into the sand as his aides rushed to help him
But his golf partner was nowhere to be seen and now footage of the moment, taken from an overheard helicopter, makes it clear that Trump missed the whole thing
Donald was already ahead, in deep consternation with Hideki Matsuyama, currently the No. 4 ranked pro golfer in the world, who joined the world leaders for the occasion.
Whether he noticed that Abe, who had reportedly been practicing for the round, was suddenly covered in sand is another matter.
The hilarious footage was met with much mockery in Japan with many pointing to Trump’s response as being reflective of the pair’s power dynamic.
‘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,’ wrote @iampeppar on Twitter. ‘Furthermore, Trump ignored all of Abe’s tweets. Trump doesn’t even follow Abe on Twitter. And you call this best friend LOL?’
Abe had just hit his ball out of the sand, and was walking up the side when he missed his step and fell backwards
Abe fell backwards but was swiftly back on his feet before his aide could reach him
‘The truth of Abe-Trump golf diplomacy!’ another user added.
The Japanese press also criticized the game as a ‘major failure’ as tabloid Nikkan Gendai wrote that Abe was often abandoned by Trump who preferred to walk and chat with pro Matsuyama.
The fall didn’t appear to put a dent in Trump and Abe’s fun, and they both tweeted about the outing, with Trump sharing a video of himself wearing a white hat while whacking a golf ball.
‘Playing golf with Prime Minister Abe and Hideki Matsuyama, two wonderful people!’ he said.
Abe also tweeted a photo of their golf outing and wrote: ‘Golf and great friends. Atmosphere invites stimulating conversation. A round of golf with a marvelous friend (President Donald J. Trump), full of spirited conversation.’
Trump (right) was off in deep conversation with professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama (together left)
A senior U.S. official said the men did not keep score of the friendly game.
Abe joked that the score was a matter of national security.
Trump and Abe also signed white, ‘Donald & Shinzo Make Alliance Even Greater’ baseball caps while at the club.
The low-key start to Trump’s Japan trip was a prelude to the formal talks the pair completed in Tokyo on Monday. The Trumps have since flown to South Korea and arrived in China on Wednesday.
The pair previously played golf during their first meeting in November and again at Mar-a-Lago in February.
Abe tweeted about their golf outing on Sunday and wrote: ‘Golf and great friends. Atmosphere invites stimulating conversation. A round of golf with a marvelous friend (President Donald J. Trump), full of spirited conversation.’
After finsihing their meals, Trump hit the green with Abe (R) while playing golf with Japanese professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama (2nd R). Above Trump goes in for a first bump
A senior U.S. official said the men did not keep score of the friendly game