Donald Trump‘s speech at the signing of the GENIUS Act, his new crypto policy was problematic to many. He is getting slammed for mocking Japanese businessmen’s accents. Many people on social media criticized him for one of his anecdotes he was telling before signing the law. The new law is the first one to regulate stablecoin issuers.
What might have appeared to Trump an interesting anecdote came off as completely racist and tone deaf to many people. He started talking about his conversation with the Japanese businessman who told him he’s in the car business. He confirmed his last name, “Mr. Toyota” and said it back in an East Asian accent instead of his own accent.
Watch the video below to see how he says Toy-o-ta. One X user commented, “Embarrassing. Every. Single. Day.” Another user made a remark that he’s surprised Trump is not stretching his eyes to mimic them more for their facial features.
Trump: He was introducing me to Mr. Honda. I said, oh are you in the car business. Then, he said Mr. Toyota. And I said what business are you in. pic.twitter.com/yfB6zebDN5
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 18, 2025
Many users agreed that Trump is an embarrassment to the country, being a racist. It’s still unbelievable to many. Another user pointed out he did not have anything to contribute, so he started sharing irrelevant anecdotes.
Another user chimed in saying Trump seems to have deep rooted antipathy for Japan, verging on anti-Asian racism. So this explains his attitude towards them, and his fun anecdotes also appear to be condescending.
Many people also assume Trump’s speech and slurring to be signs of dementia. This isn’t the first time he has been called old and showing dementia symptoms. Earlier, he was seen with a bulge in his pants, with many speculating it to be a catheter.
‘Brain is peanut butter’: Trump mocked for calling Japanese leader ‘Mr. Japan’ https://t.co/mCuEMjroQI
— Morgan Fairchild (@morgfair) June 30, 2025
Other instances include forgetting things mid-speech and being unable to say certain words. In the past, Trump has also struggled with accents. He asked a reporter to repeat himself when he could not understand heavily accented English. Expert psychologists have also weighed in on his symptoms, saying he is exhibiting dementia symptoms.
Trump tells a Japanese reporter “say hello to Shinzo,” then continues the snarks with: “I’m sure he’s happy about tariffs on his cars.” He then tells the reporter, who has an accent, “I can’t understand you.”
I had to close my eyes for 10 seconds with a deep sigh on this one. pic.twitter.com/6rYdcPy0Gh
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) November 7, 2018
Trump’s cognitive abilities aren’t the same as before. Experts say his baseline and functioning have deteriorated over the years. His articulation and verbal pronunciation are the most impacted.
