(The Lion) — President Trump gave a surprising response Thursday to a journalist’s question about why the U.S. didn’t warn its allies in Europe and Asia about the surprise attack on Iran.
“Well, one thing: you don’t want to signal too much,” Trump said while meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. “When we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise.
“Who knows better about surprise than Japan?” he continued, adding, “Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?” referencing the famed 1941 surprise attack on the Hawaiian naval base that killed 2,400 Americans. “You believe in surprise, I think, much more so than us.”
Takaichi smiled awkwardly as Trump went on to describe the success of the U.S. strikes in Iran.
Watch the video:
Q: "Why didn't you tell U.S. allies…about the war before attacking Iran?"
President Trump: "We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?" pic.twitter.com/esV9iyvMiV
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 19, 2026
