With the primary woman’s multi-stop tour of Asia comes the custom of badembly her counterparts; this week, she might be hosted by Akie Abe, spouse of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, South Korean first woman Kim Jung-sook, spouse of President Moon Jae-in, and Madame Peng Liyuan, spouse of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump has hosted every lady within the United States, and now it is her flip to be welcomed.
Trump is “very much looking forward” to seeing Mrs. Abe once more, the primary woman’s communications director, Stephanie Grisham, advised CNN.
On Sunday, Abe is internet hosting Trump for tea and a cultural go to, sharing Japanese historical past with America’s first woman. Monday, the 2 will tour an elementary faculty collectively and have lunch earlier than a state dinner within the night with their husbands.
“The first lady was very much looking forward to welcoming Mrs. Abe to the White House upon her arrival in Washington; however, she was informed that Mrs. Abe had previous commitments during her stay in DC,” an announcement from the primary woman’s workplace stated on the time.
But that weekend, the 2 acquired collectively, touring to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, with their husbands.
It was clear the ladies have been starting to construct a heat rapport throughout their go to, feeding koi fish on the backyard’s pond and laughing delightedly collectively earlier than returning to Mar-a-Lago for a non-public lunch collectively.
‘I reside my very own life’
Former first woman Laura Bush was additionally a hostess to Abe, the 2 visiting George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia.
Abe, as soon as a disc jockey, is the daughter of a chocolate government and now owns her personal natural izakaya restaurant. She is understood in Japan for having a thoughts of her personal, typically publicly contradicting her husband.
Asked by CNN if the primary woman feels the necessity to reconcile that irony with what she’s making an attempt to perform, East Wing spokeswoman Grisham stated flatly, “no.”
“Mrs. Trump is independent and acts independently from her husband,” Grisham advised CNN on the time. “She does what she feels is right and knows that she has a real opportunity through her role as first lady to have a positive impact on the lives of children. Her only focus is to effect change within our next generation.”
CNN’s Kate Bennett contributed to this report.