While attending a banquet hosted byJapanese prime ministerKiichi Miyazawa on January 8, 1992,U.S. presidentGeorge H. W. Bushfainted aftervomiting onto Miyazawa's lap at around 20:20 JST. The incident took place at theNaikaku Sōri Daijin Kōtei inTokyo, the Prime Minister's personal residential quarters. Doctors later attributed the incident to a case of acutegastroenteritis.
George H.W. Bush celebrated the New Year of 1992 with a 12-day trade-focused trip to Asia and the Pacific to discuss the United States' post-Cold War readjustment of economic relations and policies.[1] On January 8, 1992, Bush played adoubles tennis match withU.S. ambassador to JapanMichael Armacost againstEmperor of JapanAkihito and his son, Crown PrinceNaruhito. The emperor and crown prince won.[2]
That evening, Bush attended a state event for 135diplomats held atthe Japanese Prime Minister's residence. Between the second and third courses, Bush, who had been scheduled to give remarks at the dinner, fainted in his chair while vomiting onto Miyazawa's trousers.First LadyBarbara Bush held a napkin to her husband's mouth until theUnited States Secret Service took over. While still on the floor, Bush quipped to hispersonal physician,Burton Lee, "Roll me under the table until the dinner's over."[3] He assured dinner guests he had "influenza" and left for the evening. Barbara Bush later gave a speech in President Bush's place where she affectionately teased Armacost for the tennis game and jokingly claimed defeat was somethingher family was not used to.[2]
The following day, January 9, spokesmanMarlin Fitzwater said Bush had a mild case ofgastroenteritis and he was feeling fine.[4] That afternoon, Bush held a news conference with Akihito at theAkasaka Palace.[5]
The incident was widely reported,[4] coming just weeks before theNew Hampshire presidential primary and became fodder for the nation's comedians. Footage of the President vomiting was broadcast on theABC network. The incident was parodied bySaturday Night Live[3] with amock documentary reminiscent of documentaries covering theJFK assassination, featuringBarbara Bush trying to escape by crawling across the table in a manner similar to howJackie Kennedy escaped the limo in which her husband was shot.[6]
Shortly after the incident, anIdaho man named James Edward Smith calledCNN and posed as the president's physician, claiming Bush had died. A CNN employee entered the information into a centralized computer used by both CNN and its sister networkCNN Headline News, and Headline News nearly aired it[7] before it could be verified. Smith was subsequently questioned by the Secret Service and hospitalized at a privatemental health facility for evaluation.[8]
InJapan, Bush was remembered for this event for several years.[9] According to theEncyclopedia of Political Communication, "The incident caused a wave of late-night television jokes and ridicule in the international community, even coiningBushu-suru (ブッシュする[10]) which means 'to pull a Bush'" (or"Bushing it").[11]
According to a 2007listicle published byUSA Today, the incident was one of the top "25 memorable public meltdowns that had us talking and laughing or cringing over the past quarter-century."[12]
In 2008, when asked about hisinfamous tank photograph,Michael Dukakis said "Should I have been in the tank? Probably not, in retrospect. But these days when people ask me, 'Did you get here in a tank?' I always respond by saying, 'No, and I've never thrown up all over the Japanese prime minister'."[13]
President Bush fell suddenly ill and collapsed at a state dinner being given for him Wednesday night at the home of the Japanese Prime Minister.
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