Trump’s ‘embarrassing’ Pearl Harbor joke told in front of Japanese PM sparks criticism | indy100

Japanese Prime Minister reacts after Trump makes Pearl Harbor joke

REUTERS

Just days after being criticised for his remarks about California governor Gavin Newsom and dyslexia, US president Donald Trump faces a fresh wave of condemnation after he decided to joke about Pearl Harbor in front of Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi.

The comment was made as the Republican was questioned on his military operation against Iran in the Oval Office on Thursday, when a Japanese reporter asked why Trump opted not to inform Asian and European allies in advance about the US strikes.

The 79-year-old replied: “You don’t want to signal too much, you know? 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, OK? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbour?”

The joke sparked an immediate reaction from Takaichi, who was seen leaning back in her seat and adjusting her posture with a neutral expression on her face.

Pearl Harbor, of course, was the US naval base subjected to a surprise air attack by Japan in December 1941 during the Second World War.

And needless to say, Trump’s comments haven’t gone down well on X/Twitter:

Jon Sopel of The News Agents podcast said: “It really is John Cleese out of Fawlty Towers”:

Fellow journalist Mehdi Hasan said it was “legit hilarious”, before adding: “If only he wasn’t the president and just a character on TV”:

“Every day I’m reminded we could have had Hillary Clinton. We could’ve had Kamala Harris,” wrote one user:

While another branded Trump “the most embarrassing president of all time”:

It’s the latest controversial moment with a country’s leader in the Oval Office, after the Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin had to endure Trump attacking his country’s president for her opposition to the war in Iran on Tuesday.

“Look, he’s lucky I exist. That’s all I can say,” he said.

Ireland’s prime minister, Catherine Connolly, is a woman.

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