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A person dressed in a satirical outfit imitating US President Donald Trump in Zurich

US President Donald Trump is reported to have stated that “raising the defense costs on [South] Korea was easier than collecting rent from an apartment” in a recent election fundraising event. It is also believed that Trump imitated President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Abe Shinzo during the event. This is yet another occasion on which the US president has exploited the security issues of US allies as the butt of a self-flattering joke and demonstrated a boorish attitude that pays not even a minimum of courtesy to foreign leaders.

The New York Post reported that while speaking at a fundraising event for his re-election campaign in New York on Aug. 9, Trump mentioned his experience collecting rent from a tenant with his father when he was a child. “Getting US$1 billion from [South] Korea was easier than collecting US$114.13 in rent from a Brooklyn apartment,” he said. “Really, those 13 cents were very important.”

This appears to be a reference to the 8.2% year-over-year increase in defense costs in 2019 that the two countries agreed upon during negotiations. The US originally sought a US$1 billion increase, but the final figure reached at the end of negotiations was around 1.04 trillion won (US$852.98 million).

While praising Korea for making fantastic televisions and having a prosperous economy, Trump added, “But why should we pay their defense costs? They should pay for it.” The New York Post article reported that “Trump then described how President Moon Jae-in caved in to his tough negotiations, and even imitated President Moon’s way of speaking.”

Even before the negotiations on next year’s defense costs officially begin, Trump has applied one-way pressure by stating, “The negotiations have started. Korea agreed to pay a lot more.” He has also criticized joint military training between South Korea and the US in the past, labeling it “ridiculous and expensive,” and adding that just like North Korean Chairman Kim Jong un, he “doesn’t like it.” At the fundraising event, Trump mentioned receiving a beautiful letter from Kim, and went on to say “We are friends. People say that he only smiles when he sees me.”

The article also reported that Trump imitated Prime Minister Abe Shinzo while speaking about trade issues. Trump told those present at the fundraiser how he was captivated by Abe’s father, who was a kamikaze pilot during World War II. He claimed that upon asking whether kamikaze pilots were drunk because they were poor at handling alcohol, Abe replied, “No, they simply loved their homeland.” Trump also stated that the EU was not paying its fair share of NATO defense costs. “President Trump made fun of South Korea, Japan and the EU, all US allies, while expressing affection for the dictator Kim Jong-un and the leader of Saudi Arabia,” the New York Post reported.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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