Trump makes Pearl Harbor joke during meeting with Japanese prime minister
President Donald Trump on Thursday brought up the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 when he discussed recent U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran during a bilateral meeting at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Asked by a reporter why the United States had not informed Japan or other allies of its decision to strike Iran before doing so, the president responded: “We went very hard and we didn’t tell anyone because we wanted surprise. Who knows surprise better than Japan? OK, why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
“You believe in surprise, I think, much more than we do,” Trump added, referring to the 1941 attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii that precipitated the United States’ entry into World War II.
Despite opposing fighting, which culminated with the United States dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, the United States and Japan signed a peace treaty in September 1951 and have been allies ever since.
Trump’s comment sparked some laughter around the Oval Office, occupied by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration officials. Members of the Japanese delegation and members of the American and Japanese press were also present in the room.
The president then explained why the element of surprise was important in the ongoing war with Iran, which began late last month after the United States and Israel launched a joint operation against Iran.
“We had to surprise them and we did and because of that surprise, the first two days we probably lost 50 percent of what we had planned, way more than we had planned. And if I tell everyone about it, it’s no longer a surprise,” Trump said.
Trump also joked about war with Iran last week, telling NBC News in a phone interview that the U.S. military had “totally demolished” most of Kharg Island in previous strikes, but that “we might hit it a few more times just for fun.”
Kharg Island is a strategic island off the coast of Iran that is home to part of the country’s oil infrastructure.
During the bilateral meeting, the president answered several other questions about U.S. military operations in Iran, including an upcoming Pentagon funding request and rising oil prices resulting from the ongoing war.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the Defense Department is considering asking Congress for $200 billion to support ongoing military operations in Iran.
The president confirmed that figure, but said the request for that amount was “for many reasons, beyond even what we’re talking about in Iran.”
“It’s a very unstable world, and the military equipment, the power of some of these weapons is unthinkable. You don’t even want to know about it. Oh, you could end this thing in two seconds if you wanted to,” Trump added.
He also said that oil prices did not rise as much as he had expected after the war began. The president’s comments come as prices have soared in recent weeks as Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime passage in the Middle East.
“Everything was going well, the economy was great, oil prices were very low, gasoline was going down as well,” Trump told reporters. “And I saw what was happening in Iran and I said, ‘I hate to do this excursion, but we have to do it,’ and I actually thought the numbers would be worse.”
As he made the decision to strike Iran, the president said he thought, “Oil prices are going to go up, the economy is going to go down a little bit.”
He added: “I thought it would be worse, a lot worse actually,” before saying: “It’s not bad and it will be over soon.”
