Treat Trump as a Politician, Not a Businessman; These Days, the President May Not Want a ‘Deal'
Is U.S. President Donald Trump a politician or a businessman?
The answer varies depending on who you ask. During my tenure as a Washington correspondent for The Yomiuri Shimbun from January 2021 to November 2024, I heard both perspectives across the country. Answering this question can help resolve the issue of how Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba should deal with Trump.
When I spoke to Trump supporters at his rallies, I always tried to ask why they supported him. The majority answered, 'Because he's a businessman.' They believed in Trump's strong position on the economy and his understanding of the hearts of workers. Even Trump himself knows that he is more attractive to his supporters if he remains seen as a businessman.
However, the image of Trump that I formed while closely following him as a correspondent for the four years between his two administrations is completely different from the views of his supporters. From my perspective, he was a genuine politician and a former president. Every time I heard Trump supporters' comments about him being a businessman, I muttered to myself: 'It's a facade. It's a misunderstanding.'
But this had not been my first impression of him. In January 2021, shortly after I was assigned as a Washington correspondent and as Trump was leaving office, he independently organized his own farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in the Washington suburbs after skipping President Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony. The song playing as Air Force One took off was 'My Way.' The lyrics 'I've had my fill, my share of losing' made me certain he would never return to the White House. Most people in Washington would have thought the same way at the time. The job of a politician is simply too risky in many ways and no financial gain was expected for Trump.
However, my prediction was proven wrong when he announced he would run again for president. Even after being indicted on four charges, he repeatedly criticized such moves as a 'witch hunt' carried out by the Department of Justice and the Biden administration. He faced a number of civil lawsuits and was ordered to pay millions of dollars. If he had returned to being a businessman, it was doubtful he would have faced such judicial pressure. Moreover, Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania last July. He nearly lost his life, but he turned his brush with death into a political opportunity. The man I observed over the past four years was not a businessman, but a tough politician with a greed for power.
Last December, I returned to Nagatacho, the area of Tokyo regarded as the heart of Japanese politics, as a political reporter. I was anxious when I heard that the prime minister had told his staff that Trump was a businessman, because I thought that if he negotiated business-like deals with Trump, I could not see a favorable outcome.
In fact, shortly after taking office, Ishiba sought advice on Trump from Japanese businessmen. In January of this year, he met with Masayoshi Son, chairman and president of SoftBank Group, and asked him for advice on how to deal with Trump. Son is a longtime business friend of Trump, who calls him 'Masa.'
However, Japanese diplomats and government officials who had been observing Trump in Washington were having the same thoughts as me. They began to turn the tide. While there were contradictions between what the diplomats said and what Son said, the prime minister began to listen to diplomats' advice on how to deal with Trump. The diplomats' persistent persuasion finally got the prime minister to adjust his perspective.
The Japan-U.S. summit meeting in February was a successful one. Ishiba paid the utmost respect to Trump as a politician. At the press conference after the summit, Trump described Ishiba positively as 'going to be a great one.' He also commented, 'I've gotten to know him, not for long, but I can see what they have.'
At the second summit between the two leaders in Canada in June, both of them avoided trying to reach a deal on the 'Trump tariffs.' Trump doesn't always want a deal, because he is no longer a businessman. He is now a politician who prioritizes national interests and reputation, and cares about the results of elections as Ishiba does.
It seems to me that continuing negotiations was a sensible choice for Ishiba. After the summit, Trump again referred to Ishiba, saying: 'I think he's going to do a very good job. The Japanese are tough.' This remark suggests that Ishiba is valued as a counterpart by Trump, one step toward achieving Ishiba's goal of protecting Japanese industries.
It has been 40 years since Ishiba was first elected to the Diet in his twenties, joining the political world after a career in banking. Prime Minister Ishiba, stay a politician. I believe that is the stance that will guide Japan-U.S. negotiations down the right path for the country of Japan.
Political Pulse appears every Saturday.
Hiroshi Tajima
Hiroshi Tajima is a staff writer in the Political News Department of The Yomiuri Shimbun.
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