Major cringe. That’s the only way to describe the Biden press conference with Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

The entire day was one for the books. This was Biden’s FIRST meeting with a head of state since he was sworn in in January. One would presume that there would be the typical greeting on the White House steps between Biden and Prime Minister Suga as has happened during all prior Administrations. However, that …DID NOT HAPPEN. 

Diplomatic protocol was broken immediately. Prime Minister Suga was greeted, not by Biden, but by Kamala Harris instead. 

Where the hell is Joe Biden? https://t.co/5fLu8uT3w1

— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) April 16, 2021

This move was jaw-dropping and raised eyebrows among many. Well, all except the very incurious media that is. Breaking diplomatic protocol like this during the Trump Administration would’ve had the media blowing up the world by now. But no…. Kamala got to do her thing. 

Once the tour was done, Biden showed up for his meeting. 

It truly irritates me to see Biden along with all the staff sitting their with masks and double masks on when they’ve all been fully vaccinated. It’s kabuki theatre and it needs to stop. Meanwhile, the talks between Biden and Prime Minister Suga centered mostly on China.  

“China topped the agenda, underscoring Japan’s central role in U.S. efforts to face down the challenge from Beijing.

“Today Prime Minister Suga and I affirmed our ironclad support for the U.S.-Japanese alliance and for our shared security,” Biden told a Rose Garden news conference, calling the discussions “productive.”

“We committed to working together to take on the challenges from China and on issues like the East China Sea, the South China Sea, as well as North Korea, to ensure a future of a free and open Indo Pacific.””

While Japan is one of China’s top trading partners, it’ll be a pretty significant risk for Japan to decide to sanction China over their aggression and human rights abuses. 

“China has been sanctioned for human rights abuses by every major industrialized country — except Japan. Many in Tokyo say Japan’s traditional, so-called “all talk, no action” form of diplomacy is no longer sustainable.

Tama University professor Akira Igata told CBS News that support is growing in Japan’s parliament to legalize sanctions — a favorite tool in the arsenal of the United States and many other powerful, wealthy nations — against countries like China and Myanmar.

“For Japan it’s necessary to show action, put money where their mouth is,” Igata said. “If we keep on saying we are afraid of China retaliation, then Japan [will] end up as a country which can’t say anything against China and we can’t do anything against China.”

Needless to say, having Japan and the U.S. on the same page regarding China is vitally important to both countries and carries a great deal of weight around the world. Therefore, this meeting between Biden and Japan was of critical importance. 

A meeting that started off on the wrong foot when Biden broke protocol and did NOT greet the Prime Minister when he arrived. 

If another world leader is planning to visit DC and the White House, and Biden greets him or her right at the start, can you imagine the reaction from Japan? 

Well, Biden’s disrespect didn’t stop there. NOPE. He opened his mouth and a jaw-dropping gaffe was uttered. 

President Biden congrats the Japan PM on Hideki Matsuyama becoming the first Japanese golfer to win the Masters:

"I know how proud you are of the people of Japan are. And you've got a Japanese boy coming over here, and guess what, he won the Masters." pic.twitter.com/cJ7cnm6FPd

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 16, 2021

Major cringe. EPIC cringe. One of those…. are you kidding me right now??!! moments. What has the media said about this? Nothing that I can find thus far. 

Why? Because the media is all in on protecting Joe. The problem is, when he goes off script like this, and as he did during that press conference debacle Toni wrote about, then we have major cringe that cannot and should not be ignored. 

Biden literally insulted Japan by calling Hideki Matsuyama a “Japanese boy.”

Guess we know why they kept him in a broom closet for the majority of the day today.

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) April 16, 2021

If ANY Republican let alone President Trump had said this, the world would be on fire for WEEKS. Instead, it’s media silence. 

The Biden press conference with Prime Minister Suga was major cringe. Heck, the entire day was major cringe and a significant breach of long-standing diplomatic protocol. 

This Biden Harris Administration is a bungling mess. And today is Exhibit 1200 as to why the world is laughing at us. 

UPDATE: This is NOT a good explanation and makes the US look even worse. 

BREAKING: Biden did not come down to greet Japanese PM because he was ‘feeling under the weather’ this morning, per WH official

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) April 16, 2021

Feature Photo Credit: Biden at Pentagon via Secretary of Defense official, cropped and modified