LARRY: FOLLOWING THE HORRIBLE
ASSASSINATION OF SHINZO ABE.
O’BRIEN TWEETED, SHINZO ABE
INITIATED THE TERM FREE AND OAP
PACIFIC, A JAPANESE PATRIOT AND
TRUE FRIEND TO THE USA.
CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY AND
JAPAN.
I THINK THAT’S LATIN FOR REST IN
PEACE.
HERE TO TALK ABOUT HIS LEGACY IS
MY GOOD FRIEND, ROBERT O’BRIEN.
DID YOU HEAR THIS FROM THE
JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTRY AT
SOME POINT THEN YOU TURNED
AROUND AND CALLED OUR FORMER
BOSS DONALD TRUMP.
>> I HEARD FROM MY STAFF, LARRY,
THAT ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT HAD
TAKEN PLACE.
IT WAS UNCLEAR WHETHER THE PRIME
MINISTER WOULD SURVIVOR NOT.
I CALLED A CLOSE COLLEAGUE OF
MINE.
HE WAS WALK INTO THE HOSPITAL AS
I CALLED HIM.
I EXTENDED OUR BEST WISHES FOR A
SPEEDY RECOVERY, AND I CALLED
PRESIDENT TRUMP LATE IN THE
EVENING HIS TIME, AND WE HAD A
TALK ABOUT PRIME MINISTER ABE.
I THEN WENT BACK TO THE JAPANESE
AND EXTENDED THE PRESIDENT’S
BEST WISHES AND HOPE FOR A
SPEEDY RECOVERY.
UNFORTUNATELY THAT DIDN’T
HAPPEN.
PRESIDENT TRUMP CALLED A FEW
MINUTES AGO AND SAID THIS IS A
VERY SAD DAY FOR THE WORLD, AND
I AGREE WITH HIM.
LARRY: THE PRESIDENT CALLED ME
EARLIER TODAY ON ANOTHER MATTER.
BUT RIGHT AWAY WE GOT TO TALKING
ABOUT ABE.
AND HE WENT ON ABOUT HOW MUCH HE
LIKED HIM AND RESPECTED HIM.
HOW LOYAL ABE WAS AS A FRIEND TO
THE UNITED STATES.
HOW HE DID GREAT DEALS WITH
JAPAN.
I MYSELF RIFFED A LITTLE BIT AT
THE TOP OF THE SHOW.
ABE WAS KIND TO ME PERSONALLY.
I AM SURE YOU WERE IN THE U.N.
MEET WHERE HE GAVE THE SLIDE
CHART TO SHOW JAPAN BUILT MORE
CARS IN THE UNITED STATES THAN
MOST OF OUR CAR MAKERS BUILT IN
THE UNITED STATES.
I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD LAY THAT
ON YOU.
>> HE BELIEVED IN A STRONG JAPAN
BUT HE ALSO RECOGNIZED A STRONG
AMERICA WAS KEY TO PEACE IN THE
INDOPACIFIC.
AND HE UNDERSTOOD A STRONG
AMERICA WAS GOOD FOR JAPAN.
HE WAS DIFFERENT FROM MANY OF OW
OTHER ALLIES WHO WOULD SOMETIMES
HARP ON THE U.S. AND UNDERMINE
OUR INITIATIVES.
HE WAS THE CLOSEST FOREIGN HEAD
OF STATE TO PRESIDENT TRUMP.
THEY SAW EYE TO EYE ON THE
CHALLENGES WE FACED AS
COUNTRIES.
AND ABE WAS HAPPY TO SEE A
STRONG AMERICA.
NECESSITY SAW EYE TO EYE, AND
HAD A STRONG PERSONAL BOND.
THEY BOND OVER GOLF AND FAMILY,
THEY GOT ALOCK VERY, VERY WELL.
IT WAS A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
FOR THE PRESIDENT AND THE PRIME
MINISTER, BUT ALSO IT WAS A HIGH
WATER MARK IN THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND JAPAN.
LARRY: APPARENTLY HE LOVED TO
PLAY 50 HOLES OF GOLF IN ONE
DAY.
I THINK WE HAVE ON THE FULL
SCREEN, IT’S A SHOT AT THE G-7
MEETING WHICH IS NORTH OF QUEBEC
ON THE ST. LAWRENCE.
YOU CAN SEE PRIME MINISTER ABE.
YOU CAN SEE CHANCELLOR MERKEL.
YOU CAN SEE PRESIDENT TRUMP.
SEE THAT GUY IN THE GLASSES SORT
OF BENT OVER WITH THE PENCIL
MEDIATING A DISPUTE OVER THE
COMMUNIQUE.
RIGHT TO MY LEFT, JUSTIN TRUE
DOUGH.
I DON’T SEE MACRON.
BUT HE WAS RIGHT THERE.
AND THERE IS FORMER CHANCELLOR
MERKEL.
I WOULDN’T SAY THAT WAS THE
HAPPIEST G-7.
THAT’S PROBABLY BECAUSE YOU
WEREN’T THERE.
THE POINT IS, CORRECT ME IF I’M
WRONG.
IN NATIONAL SECURITY TERMS,
PRIME MINISTER ABE MADE JAPAN
MORE POWFUL AND DID SO WITH THE
FULL INTENT OF NEUTRALIZING
CHINA.
>> HE BEGAN TO REBUILD THE
JAPANESE MILITARY, THE AIR FORCE
AND NAVY.
NOT JUST MILITARY PARTNER BUT
DIPLOMATIC PARTNER WITH THE
UNITED STATES.
THEY PRESENTED A STRONG FRONT
AGAINST THE COMMUNISTS IN CHINA.
HE LEFT OFFICE AND I HEARD THAT
HE WAS DOING VERY, VERY WELL, HE
WAS OUT PLAYING GOLF AND SPEAK
OUT ON BEHALF OF CANDIDATES.
AS SOON AS I HEARD THE NEWS THAT
HE PASSED MY THOUGHTS WENT TO A
EULOGY WINSTON CHURCHILL GAVE
FOR LAWRENCE OF ARABIA.
HE SAYS WHILE LAWRENCE LIVED I
CERTAINLY FELT THAT SOME
OVERPOWERING NEED WOULD DRAW HIM
FROM THE MODEST PATH HE CHOSE TO
TRADE AND SAID HIM IN THE FULL
ACTION OF MEMORABLE EVENTS.
IT’S NOT GOING TO BE FOR
LAWRENCE OR NOW FOR ABE.
HE WAS SUCH A PROPONENT OF
FREEDOM AND THE JAPANESE-U.S.
RELATIONSHIP.
I ALWAYS FELT, AND I THINK
PRESIDENT TRUMP FELT THIS WAY
AND THOSE WHO KNEW HIM.
IF EVENTS GOT TOUGH THAT WE
COULD REACH BACK OUT AND ABE
WOULD RE-EMERGE BACK ON TO THE
SCENE TO HELP LEAD THE FREE
WORLD AND PROTECT THE U.S. AND
ITS ALLIES.
WE LOST A TRUE FRIEND WITH PRIME
MINISTER ABE.
LARRY: I WON’T NAME NAMES.
A LOT OF HEADS OF STATE LOVED TO
NITPICK AT THE UNITED STATES,
LOVED TO ANKLE BITE US TO DEATH.
ABE WAS FOUR SQUARE BEHIND US,
LOYAL, AND OUR ANCHOR IN THE
INDOPACIFIC AREA.
I HOPE YOU ARE GOING TO SAY THAT
THAT WHOLE THING, THE I DOUGH --
INDOPACIFIC AREA WILL REMAIN, IN
YOUR JUDGMENT?
>> I THINK IT WILL.
PRIME MINISTER ABE COINED THAT
PHRASE.
AND I WILL GIVE THE BIDEN FOLKS
SOME CREDIT, THEY KEPT IT IN
PLACE.
AND THE NEW PRIME MINISTER IS
SOMEONE PRIME MINISTER ABE
MENTORED.
HE HAS A BELIEF IN A STRONG
JAPAN AND A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES.
WITH THE UNITED STATES.
I THINK PRIME MINISTER ABE’S.