While taking questions from reporters on Thursday, President Donald Trump blindsided Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with made a joke referencing the 1941 surprise attack initiated by the Empire of Japan on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The question, from one of the reporters in the Oval Office, was about the current joint operation in Iran undertaken by the United States and Israel — specifically, why President Trump had not spoken with allies in Europe or Japan prior to initiating an attack against the Iranian regime.
WATCH:
Q: “Why didn’t you tell U.S. allies…about the war before attacking Iran?”
President Trump: “We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?” pic.twitter.com/esV9iyvMiV
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 19, 2026
“Japan and U.S. are very good friends,” the reporter began. “But one question: why didn’t you tell U.S. Allies in Europe and Asia, like Japan, about the war before attacking Iran? So we are very confused about — we, Japanese citizens —”
“Well, one thing, you don’t want to signal too much,” Trump replied, arguing that it was unwise to give away too much of the planning before taking military action. “You know, when we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? Okay? Right?”
Prime Minister Takaichi appeared to be slightly uncomfortable as several around the room began to laugh.
“He’s asking me — no, you believe in surprise I think much more so than us,” Trump continued, pivoting back to Iran. “But we had to surprise them and we did. And because of that surprise, we knocked out — the first two days, we probably knocked out 50% of what we — and much more than we anticipated.”
“So if I go and tell everybody about it, it’s no longer a surprise, right?” the president concluded.
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