U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy defended on Thursday President Barack Obama’s statement that world leaders are “rattled” by Donald Trump and said she had not heard the billionaire’s insults against her.
Kennedy told CNN’s Michelle Kosinski that people around the world are “interested” and “concerned” with what the presumptive Republican presidential nominee says.
“Well I think what the President said is right,” Kennedy said. “I think people are looking. They are interested, they are concerned and it’s something that I hear about but I think it’s in the context of a much broader bilateral relationship which is incredibly strong and constructive.”
Obama blasted Trump’s “ignorance” earlier Thursday and said it has raised concerns among global leaders.
“They are not sure how seriously to take some of his pronouncements but they’re rattled by him — and for good reason, because a lot of the proposals that he’s made display either ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude,” Obama said Thursday at a news conference in Japan during his trip to Asia this week.
Trump has also insulted Kennedy, who was an important early supporter of Obama, most visibly last fall in a speech, saying “she doesn’t even know that she’s alive.”
But Kennedy said she had not heard his insult or the speech, but said Americans’ should give closer attention to international relations with country’s like Japan than Trump’s insults.
“Well I try to do a good job and you know I think people can judge that and criticize,” Kennedy said. “This is politics. I’ve grown up around politics so I you know he said a lot of things in this campaign about people that are a lot worse than that so it’s OK with me.”