YOKOSUKA, Japan — President Donald Trump brought his signature rally style on his trip across the Pacific, taking the stage Tuesday aboard the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier docked at Yokosuka Naval Base near Tokyo.
But this time, his usual “Make America Great Again” banner was swapped out for one reading “Peace Through Strength.” Instead of swing-state voters, his audience consisted of roughly 6,000 U.S. service members and more than 200 personnel from Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Wearing a white “USA” hat, Trump strode into the ship’s hangar bay to his familiar walkout song, “God Bless the USA.”
Over the course of a 53-minute address, Trump engaged in a lively back-and-forth with the soldiers and offered a mix of administration updates and bravado. He linked his administration’s trade agenda to what he described as a broader mission to keep American forces out of foreign conflicts.
“When we don’t get you involved, it’s a good thing,” Trump told the sailors. “People want to get you involved, but we stopped a lot of those wars based on trade. They’re getting ready to fight, and we tell them: ‘No more trade with the U.S.’”
And Trump touted news he said he’d received from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that Toyota plans to invest $10 billion in new U.S. auto plants. He also said the first batch of missiles for Japan’s F-35 jets would be delivered this week.
Takaichi, who spoke briefly before Trump, invoked the pair’s shared friendship with her predecessor, recalling Trump’s 2019 visit to Yokosuka with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“Together once again,” she said, “we reaffirm our determination to keep the Indo-Pacific free and open, as a foundation for peace and prosperity across the entire region.”
Trump worked the crowd, calling out groups by their function on the ship — the “white shirts” who handle safety, “blue shirts” who run equipment, and “yellow shirts” who direct aircraft. Each mention drew cheers from different corners of the hangar.
At one point, he polled the audience on whether steam or electric catapults were better for launching aircraft.
“Steam!” the sailors roared back.
Trump agreed. “We’re spending billions of dollars to build stupid electric ones.” He promised to sign an executive order requiring future aircraft carriers to use steam catapults and hydraulic elevators.
The former president also took aim at his predecessor.
“Biden used to say he was a pilot. He was a truck driver. He was whatever, whoever walked in,” Trump claimed, drawing a muted response from the assembled service members.It’s not clear that Biden ever referred to himself as a pilot, though he talked about his aviator uncle. Trump nevertheless added: “He wasn’t a pilot. He wasn’t much of a president either.”
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