March 19, 2026

In an apparent awkward moment at the Oval Office on Thursday stateside, U.S. President Donald Trump referenced Pearl Harbor in his first meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after her landslide electoral victory.

When asked by a Japanese reporter on why the U.S. did not inform allies such as Japan before carrying out the attacks against Iran on Feb. 28, the U.S. president said it was to maintain the element of surprise.

“Who knows better about that. Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? You believe in surprise much more so than I.”

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https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/20/trump-pearl-harbor-japan-takaichi-iran-war.html