Donald Trump made a Pearl Harbor joke during a discussion with Japan's Prime Minister, saying no one understands the art of surprise better than Japan, after reporters asked why he attacked Iran without informing allies.
On 19 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C. to discuss the ongoing war situation in the Middle East and cooperation with the United States.
During the conversation, reporters were given a chance to ask questions. One asked Trump why he did not inform allies like Japan about his intention to attack Iran. The U.S. president responded partially with a joke referencing the Pearl Harbor attack during World War II.
"One thing is, you don't want to give too many signals. You know, when we went in, we went in hard, and we didn't tell anyone because we wanted it to be a surprise," Trump said in the Oval Office. "Who knows surprises better than Japan?" he added. "And why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor? Okay?"
Trump ordered the military to attack Iran for the first time nearly three weeks earlier, a move that heightened regional tensions and raised questions from allies about coordination and communication.
The sudden attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in the deaths of over 2,400 Americans and was the catalyst that pushed the United States into World War II in 1941.
/cnn