Donald Trump made a shocking Pearl Harbor joke as he met with the prime minister of Japan -Credit:AFP via Getty Images
(AFP via Getty Images)
Donald Trump made a shocking Pearl Harbor joke as he answered a reporter’s question about his surprise attack that launched the war on Iran at the end of February.
The reporter asked the president why he didn’t tell U.S. allies about the attacks on Iran beforehand, including its Asian allies, like Japan.
“Japan and the U.S. are very good friends, but one question — why didn’t you tell U.S. allies in Europe and Asia, like Japan, about the war before attacking Iran?” a reporter asked Trump. “We are very confused, we Japanese citizens.”
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“One thing — you don’t want to signal too much, you know?” Trump answered. “When we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise.”
That’s when Trump made the Pearl Harbor joke: “Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
The incident occurred as the president met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon. Takaichi sought to reaffirm her alliance with the U.S. leader after he complained earlier this week that Japan hadn’t joined his call to help protect the Strait of Hormuz.
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Takaichi told the Republican president that Japan has opposed Iran’s development of its nuclear program and appealed to his desire to be seen as a peacemaker, despite his launching a war of choice with Iran.
She told him through an interpreter, “Even against that backdrop, I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world.”
The meeting with Takaichi was meant to give Japan’s new prime minister a chance to grab Trump’s ear before a previously planned trip by the U.S. president to China.
Takaichi hoped to reaffirm her alliance with Trump after balking at his war in Iran -Credit:AFP via Getty Images
But now, amid the Iran war and Trump’s unsuccessful bid to get Japan and other allied nations to help him protect the vital Strait of Hormuz — which Iran has strategically cut off, stemming about 20% of the world’s oil trade.
Before leaving for Washington, Takaichi acknowledged that she expected her meeting with Trump to be “very difficult.” But when she arrived at the White House on Thursday, both world leaders had warm words for each other in public.
Trump called Takaichi a “popular, powerful woman,” telling reporters that the pair would be discussing Japan’s level of support for U.S. in the Iran war. “They are really stepping up to the plate,” he said, but didn’t offer further details.