President Donald Trump drew sharp criticism online after making a joke about Pearl Harbor during an Oval Office appearance with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
The remark came near the end of what had been a largely cordial joint appearance between the two leaders. During the exchange with reporters, Trump was asked why he had not informed Japan or other allies ahead of a recent attack on Iran.
Trump initially explained that he wanted to preserve the element of surprise. But his answer quickly took an awkward turn when he tried to inject humor into the moment.
“Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Okay, why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
The reference to Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor prompted a few scattered laughs in the room followed by murmurs as the president continued explaining his decision.
“You believe in surprise, I think, much more so than us. And we had a surprise, and we did, and because of that surprise, we knocked out, the first two days, we probably knocked out 50% of what we — and much more than we anticipated doing. So if I go and tell everybody about it, there’s no longer a surprise, right?”
The remark quickly spread across social media where critics accused the president of making a tone deaf comment in front of Japan’s leader.
Former Chicago Tribune editor Mark L Jacob was among the first to respond online, writing, “Trump jokes about Pearl Harbor with his guest, the Japanese prime minister. He’s mentally unhinged, with no impulse control or sense of what’s appropriate.”
Democratic strategist Jon Cooper also reacted strongly. “I can’t believe that Trump just joked about Pearl Harbor while sitting next to Japan’s prime minister at the White House. What an absolute embarrassment!”
Journalist Steven Beschloss criticized the exchange as well, writing, “’Who knows more about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?’ — the embarrassing idiot Donald Trump in response to a Japanese reporter’s question about starting a war with Iran while sitting next to the Japanese prime minister.”
Others watching the moment said the atmosphere in the room noticeably shifted after the comment.
Educator Orion wrote, “You can hear the air go out of the room.”
Some responses went further, suggesting the remark reflected a pattern in Trump’s public behavior. One social media user writing under the name Democracy Dude commented, “This is another leak in the cognitive damn.
Look for increasingly racist comments in the coming weeks. Unless biology steps in and saves us, I have a feeling we’ll hear the N word by the midterms.”
Another reaction came from archivist Rubberband Girl Cheryl McNeilly, who wrote, “I didn’t think he could still make me gasp, but I was wrong.”
One commenter also shared a personal story tied to the history of the war. “My great-aunt Hisako was a Nagasaki survivor. Great-uncle was a pilot, brought her to US post-war. We saw her regularly till her death when I was 20. Sweet, gentle woman. First rule of the family was to NEVER discuss the war. Ever. Even when cancer finally killed her. The look on the PMs face …”