A video from 2018 has resurfaced showing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dismissing a deck of Donald Trump playing cards as "the lowest level," drawing criticism online as she now presents herself as close to the US president.
The footage comes from a segment called "Totsugeki! Tonari no Giin Kaikan" (Raid! The Diet Members' Office Building Next Door), live-streamed on the Liberal Democratic Party's official YouTube channel in November 2018. It shows Keiko Onoda, now the economic security minister and then a first-term upper house member, visiting Takaichi's office.
Onoda had just remarked on the posters on the wall when Takaichi brought up the cards herself. "Well, the lowest level is the president's playing cards," she said, picking up a case printed with Trump's image from a nearby shelf.
Asked where they were sold, Takaichi said they were a souvenir from Hiroshige Seko, then the economy, trade and industry minister, who brought them back from a business trip while she filled in for him. She answered with what the video shows as a wry smile.
Onoda, playing along, pointed out that the pack appeared never to have been opened. "There's no sign it's been opened," she said. "Of course it hasn't been opened," Takaichi replied. When Onoda tried to smooth it over, Takaichi joked that throwing them away would also be awkward, and Onoda protested in mock alarm.
Eight years on, praise for Trump
As prime minister, Takaichi has worked to project closeness to Trump through body language and physical contact. When Trump visited the US Navy's Yokosuka base in October 2025, she was seen hopping beside him, and she was reported to have told him during their summit that she would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
On a trip to the US in March 2026, she embraced Trump, who was facing international criticism over attacks on Iran, and praised him. "The only one who can bring peace and prosperity to the world is Donald," she said, according to reports. She was also reported to have laughed off being shown a portrait mocking former President Joe Biden.
At a summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September, Takaichi repeatedly called him "Donald" with evident familiarity. Trump did not call her by name, and some experts described the relationship as somewhat one-sided.
Backlash online
With the old clip circulating, social media users reacted with exasperation. "Good grief, what is this," one wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Another said Takaichi apparently had not always been fond of Trump, and a third accused her of turning with the wind.
Singer-songwriter Jun Shibata also weighed in on X, wondering what would happen if Trump saw the video.
Takaichi has often faced accusations that her past words and actions contradict her present ones. In February, after she was accused of contradicting her earlier position on cutting the consumption tax, a column on her official website was deleted entirely. After she was elected LDP president in October 2025, she declared she would "work and work and work and work and work," but this year she has drawn attention on social media for saying she has not been sleeping, prompting questions about the consistency of her statements.
US midterm elections begin voting on the morning of November 4 Japan time, with Republicans reported to be at a disadvantage. As Trump shows frustration at his weakening influence, Takaichi faces questions over whether she can navigate diplomacy in the period ahead.