According to Japanese Jiji Press, at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Feb. 7, U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to“Nippon Steel” as“Nissan”(the Japanese automaker) , donald Trump was unaware of the slip of the tongue and the White House later corrected Donald Trump in a transcript.
US President Donald Trump holds talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on February 7,2010. Photo from foreign media
Nippon Steel’s bid for a US Steel Company was blocked by former US President Biden, sparking friction between the US and Japan. Several Japanese media said Ishiba would raise the issue when he travels to the US for talks with Donald Trump.
Donald Trump reportedly told a joint news conference that Nippon Steel had abandoned its earlier plan to buy US Steel and was instead seeking a large investment in the company. He said American steel was“Very important” to the US and that Nippon Steel had agreed to make a large investment in the company rather than take ownership of it.
Donald Trump Jiji Press“Made in Japan” as“Nissan” three times during the press conference, the source said. Donald Trump was reported to have also mentioned Toyota’s investment in the US before discussing the issue of Nippon Steel, which may have contributed to his slip of the tongue given that both Toyota and Nissan are Japanese carmakers. Although the White House later corrected Donald Trump’s slip of the tongue in the transcript, Donald Trump’s slip caused confusion and the Reuters news agency was diverted in its dispatch, the report said, “Nissan will invest in US Steel,” it said.