'I've always wanted to see sumo': Trump gives wrestler Asanoyama giant 60-pound trophy and says he had an 'incredible' evening after sitting cross-armed in slippers with Abe and Melania before a couples dinner
- President Donald Trump says he 'really enjoyed' attending a sumo match on Saturday evening in Tokyo, even though he sat cross-armed and tight-lipped
- Sat ringside at the event, wearing slippers, with a look of displeasure on his face as he watched loincloth-clad wrestlers participate in a traditional ceremony
- 'We really enjoyed being there,' he claimed at a dinner after with the prime minister. 'And I've always wanted to see sumo wrestling, so it was really great'
- Trump did appear to enjoy the part of the program where he gave sumo champ Asanoyama a giant trophy weighing more than 60 pounds
- He smiled as a wrestling official helped him hoist the prize off its mantle
- After the event he dined with PM Shinzo Abe and the leaders' wives at a hibachi restaurant, where he chicken and potatoes for dinner and ice cream
President Donald Trump says he had an 'incredible evening at sumo' on Sunday evening in Tokyo, even though he sat cross-armed and tight-lipped throughout the event.
The president near the ring in a low-backed chair, wearing black slippers, with a look of displeasure on his face while he watched wrestlers clad in loincloth suits participate in an opening ceremony.
'We really enjoyed being there,' he claimed at a dinner after. 'And I've always wanted to see sumo wrestling, so it was really great.'
Trump did seem to like the part of the program that saw him give sumo champ Asanoyama a giant trophy weighing more than 60 pounds. A reddened Trump smiled as a wrestling official helped him hoist the prize off its mantle.
President Donald Trump says he 'really enjoyed' attending a sumo match on Saturday evening
NO THANKS! Trump glared and crossed his arms as the wrestlers took party in a ceremony
Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fired up the crowd with their arrival
Trump claimed he had an incredible time, but his body language told another story
Abe and Trump are seen here watching the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokigikan Sumo Hall in Tokyo
First lady Melania Trump and Akie Abe also attended the event, where they ducked tradition and watched the match from low-backed chairs, instead of floor-level mattresses
I SWEAR I ENJOYED IT: Trump say with his hands clasped and his lips pursed - but he swears he liked the sumo event
Before awarding the gift that has been dubbed the 'Trump Cup' to the wrestler, the U.S. president read from a certificate of commemoration for Asanoyama printed on a Japanese scroll.
'In honor of your outstanding achievement as sumo grand champion I hereby award you the President’s Cup,' he said, announcing the date, including the era of the new emperor, Reiwa.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had struggled to lift a slightly smaller trophy that he alone presented to the sumo wrestler who had the highest score in the 15-day tournament that was taking place at Ryōgoku Kokugikan Stadium in Tokyo.
Trump had no problem at all, thanks to a wrestling official who grabbed the other end of the the President’s Cup that was created expressly for the Sumo Grand Champion.
In a tweet before he went to sleep, Trump insisted he'd had a good time. 'Tonight in Tokyo, Japan at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan Stadium, it was my great honor to present the first-ever U.S. President’s Cup to Sumo Grand Champion Asanoyama. Congratulations! A great time had by all, thank you @AbeShinzo!!'
He proceed to tweet about domestic politics, sending messages that indicated he was watching Fox News online during his foreign visit.
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Abe appears to be explaining the Japanese martial art to the United State's president
The Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokigikan Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan
The day in the sun took a toll on the fair-haired president. He looked sunburned at the match
Trump has barely spoken to press since he left Washington on Friday morning but has sent nearly a dozen tweets on domestic and foreign politics.
He meets the emperor and empress of Japan on Monday morning and holds bilateral talks and a press conference with Abe in the afternoon. The imperial family is throwing a state dinner for Trump that evening.
His state call with the emperor and the sumo match were expected to be the highlight of the visit, which was primarily cultural.
Trump had been looking forward to the sumo match for weeks and the trophy he knew he'd be handing out.
The White House said the trophy that was on display at the Palace Hotel Tokyo, where Trump is staying, was 54 inches high with a weight of 60–70 pounds.
Winner Asanoyama received a series of gifts, beginning with the Emperor's Cup and the Prime Minister's Cup and followed by the President's Cup. Later, he claimed a grand teacup and a large vase as prizes, as well.
Trump said at dinner that he and Melania have had a 'great time' and were having a 'great stay' in Tokyo at the halfway point of their visit.
'Tomorrow is really the main event, a very important event in the history of Japan. It's over 200 years that something like this has happened, so it's a great honor to be representing the United States,' he said before the meal. 'I think we had a very productive day, and tomorrow, likewise, will be a very productive day.'
U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive at the sumo tournament
The president and first lady were the center of attention for attendees of the sumo match
Trump and Abe engaged in golf diplomacy earlier in the day, playing with professional Japanese golfer Isao Aoki.
The day in the sun took a toll on the fair-haired president. He arrived at the sumo tournament in a lavender tie and sunburned skin.
Melania Trump, who spent her day indoors at an art installation, had changed into a fuchsia dress, ditching a navy jumper she'd worn earlier in the day.
She sat between her husband and Mrs. Abe, who'd participated in the tour of the art exhibit earlier on Sunday. Her husband leaned in to talk to her several times throughout the match, when he wasn't talking to the prime minister. The first lady appeared to be having fun.
His acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, the U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer and senior policy advisor Stephen Miller, also attended according to the White House.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and social media director Dan Scavino were also spotted close to Trump.
The President's Cup sits on display in the lobby of the Palace Hotel Tokyo on Sunday
Officially called 'The President's Cup' the trophy has been dubbed 'The Trump Cup'
The cup was out on display for several hours at the president's hotel in Tokyo before he gave it to Asanoyama on Sunday evening
Trump's social media director, Dan Scavino (center right) and senior advisor Stephen Miller (upper right) look on at the spectacle
Trump did appear amused once the actual sumo match got under way and the fighters were shoving one another, in an attempt to push their competitor out of the ring first
The president and first lady dined in the Roppongi neighborhood at a hibachi restaurant with the Abes afterward.
In brief remarks to the press, Trump said: 'The prime minister and I talked a lot about trade, about military and various other things.'
He said it is his hope that Japan will keep the 'beautiful trophy' he brought for hundreds of years to come.
The menu for the evening was a course of 'Japanese potato with butter' and 'salad' followed by a third course of 'grilled chicken' and fourth course of 'Wagyu beef steak with broccoli and carrots.'
For dessert, they had vanilla ice cream, Trump's favorite flavor.
Trump seemed like he was having fun when he gave sumo champ Asanoyama a giant trophy weighing more than 60 pounds that needed help handling, because it was so heavy
Police officers stand between right-wing, nationalist protesters and a group demonstrating against Japan's monarchy and U.S president Donald Trump's forthcoming meeting with Emperor Naruhito on Sunday in Japan
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump meanwhile gathered near the Palace Hotel Tokyo
Trump played golf on Sunday morning with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in Chiba at a country club
