Morning Rundown: Hurricane Melissa nears landfall, ICE leadership shakeup, and Messi ponders another World Cup
Earlier, President Donald Trump met with newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who said she would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
China’s foreign minister said he hoped that China and the U.S. could “meet each other halfway” in a call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of a highly anticipated meeting this week between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The world’s two biggest economies have been at odds over trade, technology and other issues, but after talks in Malaysia over the weekend they are expected to avoid a new 100% tariff on Chinese goods that Trump threatened to impose in response to Chinese curbs on rare earth exports.
“It’s hoped that both sides will meet each other halfway, prepare for high-level interactions between China and the U.S., and create conditions for the development of bilateral relations,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Rubio, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry readout of yesterday’s call.
The State Department also confirmed the call, saying Rubio “emphasized the importance of open and constructive communication on a range of bilateral issues.”
The meeting with Xi in South Korea on Thursday would be the first such face-to-face since Trump’s return to office.
Taiwan’s foreign minister said the island’s U.S. ties are “very stable” amid reports that Trump could make concessions on its sovereignty during a meeting this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Asked if he is worried that Trump will “abandon” Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that Beijing claims as its territory, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said: “No, because Taiwan and the U.S. have very stable relations.”
“We are closely collaborating with each other on security and trade,” Lin told reporters in Taipei.
Under its longstanding “one China” policy, the U.S. — which has no official relations with Taiwan but supplies it with defensive weapons — says it “does not support” Taiwan independence. There has been speculation in media in recent days that Trump could amend that to say the U.S. “opposes” Taiwan independence, which would be a major victory for Beijing.
Beijing slammed Lin’s remarks as “despicable and shameful.”
“China consistently opposes any form of official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular briefing in Beijing today, urging Washington to handle the issue of Taiwan with “caution and prudence.”
Trump met with the widow of Shinzo Abe, a long-serving Japanese prime minister and close ally of Trump who was assassinated in 2022.
Trump and Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, an Abe protege, have bonded over their shared connection with Abe, whose shooting death while campaigning in the Japanese city of Nara stunned a nation where gun crime and political violence are rare.
“He spoke so well of you long before we met,” Trump told Takaichi before their bilateral meeting this morning. “And I’m not surprised to see that you are now the prime minister, and he would be very happy to know that.”
Earlier, Takaichi thanked Trump for the “great kindness” he had shown Abe’s widow, Akie Abe, who at their meeting today gave Trump a piece of art bearing the word “peace.”
Their meeting came on the same day that Abe’s alleged killer, Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, had his first court hearing, where he pleaded guilty to the crime. “It is true that I did it,” he said according to Reuters, which cited Japanese broadcaster NHK.
Trump’s Asia tour has resulted in several agreements on trade and rare earths, which analysts say is part of a broader strategy to gain leverage against China as Trump prepares for a highly anticipated meeting this week with its leader, Xi Jinping.
The president has signed agreements on trade, rare earths or both with Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and, as of this morning, Japan. It has become an especially urgent issue for the U.S. amid concerns that China, which has a near-monopoly on their mining and processing, could disrupt the global supply through export controls.
“These quick deals are about trying to gain leverage before sitting down with Xi,” said Jayant Menon, a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore-based think tank.
But Menon said the deals, despite Trump’s claims, “are not a great deal for anyone,” and have been “scribbled over just a few days.” Countries are agreeing to the deals even though they’re unfavorable because “they know they still need the U.S. for non-economic needs,” he said.
Part of Trump’s plan is to reduce U.S. reliance on China for rare earth materials, which are key components for producing electronic devices and other advanced technologies. But that could take years, as China has perfected both the sourcing and the processing over decades.
“The question is whether China will buy the bluff,” Menon said.
Trump’s visit has put a spotlight on the U.S. military relationship with Japan, which rests on a 1960 treaty that authorized U.S. military presence in the country.
President Donald Trump addresses troops aboard USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan today. Tomohiro Ohsumi / Getty Images
Nearly 60,000 military personnel across the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Space Force form the USFJ — the United States Forces, Japan — which is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, about 28 miles northwest of Tokyo. Japan hosts more U.S. troops than any other country in the world.
USFJ forces operate out of a total of 14 bases, the highest number of which are in Okinawa, according to the Japanese foreign ministry. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces regularly conduct joint exercises with the U.S.
The USS George Washington based in Yokusuka, aboard which Trump spoke today, is the U.S. Navy’s only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier, replacing the USS Ronald Reagan last year.
Speaking to U.S. troops earlier, Trump and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi celebrated the U.S.-Japan alliance, which Trump called “one of the most remarkable relationships in the entire world.”
After their bilateral meeting this morning, the two leaders signed two agreements, one on trade and one on critical minerals.
The first agreement, which was very brief, called for a “new golden age” in the U.S.-Japan alliance and referred to the “GREAT DEAL” on trade that Trump announced in July, which imposes a 15% tariff on Japanese goods in exchange for $550 billion in Japanese investment in the United States.
Experts say the document only confirmed earlier agreements in July and September. “There is no new development,” said Tsuyoshi Kawase, a professor in the Sophia University Faculty of Law in Tokyo. “It’s just a symbolic political gesture to demonstrate the alliance between the two countries.”
The second document Trump and Takaichi signed was a framework agreement for securing the supply of critical minerals and rare-earth minerals, which are essential for producing advanced technologies. Trump has signed similar agreements on this trip with Thailand and Malaysia amid concerns that Chinese export controls could disrupt the global supply.
In his remarks to U.S. troops, Trump said that the first batch of missiles for Japan’s U.S.-made F-35 jets was being delivered this week, and that Toyota, one of Japan’s biggest automakers, would invest $10 billion in U.S. auto plants.
“You saw a couple of them coming down with me,” Trump said of the missiles. “I hugged them. We need them. … They all want our missiles — that’s the problem.”
After speaking for about 53 minutes, Trump wrapped up his remarks to U.S. troops, exiting the stage to the song “YMCA.” According to a White House official, there were about 6,000 troops in the crowd.
Trump is now heading back to Tokyo, where he will have dinner with business leaders.
Trump turned to one of his favorite subjects, shipbuilding.
Though the U.S. builds its own military ships, its commercial shipbuilding industry peaked around World War II. Since then the industry has come to be dominated by China, Japan and South Korea, while the U.S. accounts for less than 1% of global commercial shipbuilding.
“We used to be No. 1 at making ships, and then we lost our way,” Trump said. “But now we’re starting to make ships again, and we’ll do it very soon.”
He cited last year’s $100 million purchase of the Philly Shipyard by South Korea’s Hanwha Group, which says it will help modernize the Philadelphia shipyard.
“We’re going to be working also with Japan on making a lot of ships,” Trump said.
Trump said he wanted to thank Japan, which “is making big investments into the United States.”
Japan has pledged to invest $550 billion in the U.S. as part of a trade deal Trump announced in July, though the two sides are still working out the details.
“They’re a big investor in our country, and we like that,” Trump said.
Trump and Takaichi in Yokosuka, Japan, today. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
He said he had just been told by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that Toyota, one of Japan’s biggest automakers, would be “putting auto plants all over the United States to the tune of over 10 billion.”
“So go out and buy a Toyota,” Trump said.
Trump said he would “send more than the National Guard” into troubled U.S. cities, as legal battles mount over his plans to deploy guard members across the country.
Troops have been deployed in Los Angeles, Chicago, Memphis, Portland and Washington, with some federal deployments drawing pushback.
“We can’t have cities that are trouble,” Trump said. “And if we need more than the National Guard, we’ll send more than the National Guard.”
Trump said his administration would continue to target drug traffickers, justifying his military strikes on fishing vessels, including a submersible recently hit by the U.S.
“How about the submarine?” Trump said. “They said, ‘No, that was just fishing.’ Submarines don’t go fishing. Do they know more about submarines than I do?”
Trump, during a riff on military aviation, took a jab at former President Joe Biden, erasing any pretense of avoiding politicizing the military.
Biden used to claim that “he was a pilot, a truck driver, or whatever, whoever walked in,” Trump said. “He wasn’t a pilot. He wasn’t much of a president either,” he added.
There is no record of Biden claiming to be a pilot or truck driver.
Trump opened his remarks by thanking the Navy amid chants of “Trump! Trump!” and “USA,” before recognizing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him “a tough cookie,” and praising the strikes the U.S. military has conducted in recent weeks on boats in Caribbean and Pacific waters that the U.S. says are carrying drugs.
“You gave up a lot and we appreciate it,” Trump told Hegseth, noting that “those drug ships aren’t coming in anymore.”
Speaking after Trump, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi thanked U.S. troops in Japan for their dedication to peace in the region. She recalled how six years ago in Yokosuka, Trump and the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stood next to one another and “demonstrated resolve that Japan and the United States will join hands to ensure peace and security.” Takaichi said she was determined “to carry forth that resolve.”
Trump last visited Yokosuka’s naval port in 2019, when he hosted a Memorial Day rally for service members abroad the USS Wasp following a four-day state visit. He is speaking today in front of a banner that reads “Peace Through Strength.”
The crowd erupted as Trump repeated his support for a pay raise, before he took a swipe at Democrats over the government shutdown, which is now in its 28th day.
“All we really have to do is get the Democrats to approve,” Trump said.
Trump was joined on stage by Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who met with Trump earlier today.
“This woman is a winner,” Trump said. “I have a really great respect for the new and incredible prime minister,” he said, noting that Takaichi is Japan’s first female prime minister.
Trump and Takaichi on board the U.S. Navy's USS George Washington aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan. Philip Fong / AFP via Getty Images
Takaichi, who said the two allies were “facing an unprecedented severe security environment,” said last week that Japan would increase defense spending to 2% of GDP by March, two years ahead of schedule. The move is sure to please Trump, who has also pressured Japan to bear a greater share of the cost of hosting U.S. troops.
“Japan is committed to fundamentally reinforce its defense capabilities, and Japan is ready to contribute even more proactively to peace and stability of the region,” Takaichi said.
Service members and press are awaiting Trump aboard the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan. The president will deliver remarks from the aircraft carrier during a visit to the Yokosuka Naval Base today.
Earlier, the crowd heard remarks from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who arrived in Tokyo today as part of a larger Asia trip.
Service members and press aboard the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan, today. Katherine Doyle / NBC News
Later today, Trump and Hegseth will attend a dinner with business leaders in Tokyo.
Trump praised Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, saying the United States and Japan are allies “at the strongest level” as the two leaders signed agreements on trade and critical minerals.
“We’re going to do tremendous trade together, I think, more than ever before,” he said before their bilateral meeting.
Trump also said he appreciated Japan’s efforts to increase its military capacity and buy more U.S. defense equipment. “Any favors you need, anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there,” he said.
Takaichi, who said last week that Japan would increase its defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product by March, two years ahead of schedule, said that together with Trump, Japan was “ready to contribute towards peace and stability.”
Takaichi gave Trump a golf bag signed by Japanese major winner Hideki Matsuyama and a putter that belonged to assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a close ally of Trump who was also Takaichi’s mentor.
Trump’s assistant Margo Martin posted a video of the two leaders with the gifts on X.
Speaking before his meeting with Takaichi, Trump said Abe was “a great friend of mine.” His killing in 2022 was “so shocking,” Trump told Takaichi, “but he spoke so well of you even before we knew what was going to happen in your ascension.”
A man accused of fatally shooting Abe is set to go on trial today in the western Japanese city of Nara, where Abe was killed while he was giving a speech during an election campaign.
In a final event at the Akasaka Palace, Trump and Takaichi posed for a photo with Japanese families whose loved ones were abducted by North Korea in the 1960s and ’70s.
Though some were later returned to Japan, the Japanese government continues to press North Korea to provide full details about everyone who was abducted and return any who are still alive.
President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi today, with family members of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
“The U.S. is with them all the way,” Trump said of Japan’s efforts.
Asked whether he would speak with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un about the abductions, Trump said, “We’ll be discussing it.”
During today’s bilateral meeting, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced that she is nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. She then presented the papers to him.
Trump did not win this year’s prize, but his supporters argue that the Gaza peace deal makes him the most deserving candidate for 2026.
NBC News