US EditionTrump makes joke about Pearl Harbor while meeting with Japan’s PM
Trump justified withholding advance notice of strikes on Iran by citing the need for surprise, referencing Japan's 1941 Pearl Harbor attack as an analogy during a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister.
- On Thursday, March 19, 2026, President Donald Trump in the Oval Office joked, 'Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?' during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
- Following questions about the Feb. 28 strikes, the president responded that his administration "didn't tell anyone" because it wanted surprise, Trump said.
- Observers said the president's remark drew laughter from those gathered, while Sanae Takaichi remained largely silent and appeared taken aback during Trump's answer.
- Amid rising oil-market pressure, Trump urged Japan to 'step up' on strait security, while Takaichi said help depends on fighting stopping.
- Some 3.2 million people have been displaced and more than 42,000 civilian sites damaged amid the conflict, which cost taxpayers more than $11.3 billion in its first six days.
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325 Articles
The Seattle Times
West Hawaii TodayIn Japan, Trump’s Pearl Harbor joke elicits scorn and dismay
Many Japanese scholars, politicians and commentators were aghast. Some criticized President Donald Trump, saying he should not have revived a painful World War II chapter so casually.
Trump Flips Script on Japanese Reporter With Pearl Harbor Joke During Iran Press Briefing
President Donald Trump showcased his decisive leadership and strategic thinking during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday. The discussion turned tense when a Japanese reporter asked why the United States had not informed allies, including Japan, before carrying out military action against Iran. Trump explained that operational secrecy was...
Donald Trump Barfs Jokes About Pearl Harbor, Nuclear Annihilation All Over Japan's Prime Minister
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reacts to Donald Trump’s very funny and timely joke about Pearl Harbor. Screenshot from Bluesky video by Aaron Rupar.Donald Trump’s primary mode of communication is Internet Troll, so it shouldn’t be any surprise at all that when he hosted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House yesterday, he felt obliged to make rude comments about the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Japanese …
An embarrassment at the White House: Donald Trump blows out a frantic sentence – Japan's head of government is visibly shocked.
Master of faux pas: Trump humiliates Japanese PM with surprise...
The US president referenced the WWII attack to defend the decision not to notify allies of the strikes against Iran. US President Donald Trump joked about the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor in front of a visibly uncomfortable Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, as he defended his decision not to warn allies before striking Iran. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump was pressed on the lack of advance notice to Washington's…
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