The Washington Times stories: Politics

Trump to Japanese reporter: 'Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?'

Mar 19, 2026Center Right

President Trump referenced the attack on Pearl Harbor during a meeting Thursday with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, explaining why the war on Iran had to be a "surprise" to the rest of the world.

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Hilarious! Trump to Japanese Reporter: “Who Knows Better About Surprise Than Japan? Why Didn’t You Tell Me About Pearl Harbor?” (VIDEO)

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Hilarious! Trump to Japanese Reporter: “Who Knows Better About Surprise Than Japan? Why Didn’t You Tell Me About Pearl Harbor?” (VIDEO)

President Trump on Thursday gave a hilarious response to a Japanese reporter asking why the US conducted a surprise attack on Iran last month. While meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Trump reminded the Japanese of the 1941 surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii. The post Hilarious! Trump to…

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President Trump ribbed the nation of Japan over its World War II bombing of Pearl Harbor in a Thursday Oval Office meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Taking questions from reporters, Trump said he would call on a “beautiful person from Japan.” Asked why he didn’t tell allies like Japan about the conflict in…

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President Trump defended his decision not to give advance information about the timing of his attack on Iran to Japan — citing Tokyo’s 1941 surprise raid that killed 2,403 Americans at Pearl Harbor. “We didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise,” Trump told a Japanese journalist, as the country’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi...

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