Trump praises ‘great man and leader’ Abe after assassination

Former President Trump expressed his sadness over the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a statement on Friday.

Trump called the news of his death “really BAD NEWS FOR THE WORLD!”

“His killer was captured and will hopefully be dealt with swiftly and harshly,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump, who shared a warm relationship with the former Japanese leader, called Abe “a unifier like no other” and wrote that he was a man who loved and cherished his “magnificent country” more than anything else.

He shared that only a few people know how “great man and leader Abe was” but that history will teach them and be kind.

“Shinzo Abe will be greatly missed. There will never be another like him,” Trump added.

Abe became the first world leader to meet with Trump following his 2016 presidential election victory when the two visited in 2017 at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

The Japanese leader was one of Trump’s closest international allies, and the two developed a strong personal relationship while in office. Trump visited Japan twice while president — in 2017 and 2019 — while Abe made multiple trips to the U.S.

Trump’s daughter Ivanka also took to Twitter to express her sadness at the news of Abe’s death.

She shared that she was saddened by the death of the former prime minister and referred to him as a “truly historic figure” and a leader of lasting consequence.

Ivanka Trump added that “Abe’s advice, wisdom and warmth had a profound impact on me during my government service. My heart is with his family and the Japanese people as the world mourns his passing.”

The 67-year-old former Japanese premier, who was Japan’s longest-serving leader when he resigned in 2020, died after sustaining injuries in the attack on Friday.

Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of the attack and identified him as Tetsuya Yamagami, according to The Associated Press.