Trump calls on a male reporter and disarms him with compliments: "Let me pick a beautiful looking person, a beautiful person from Japan.... Oh, he doesn't believe he's beautiful. Oh, he's just — he sounded shy."
The reporter asks: "Why didn't you tell US allies in Europe and Asia like Japan about the war before attacking Iran?"
Trump: "Well, one thing 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? Okay. Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor? Okay. Right.... Don't you believe in surprise? I think much more so than us.... 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?"
There's a difference between surprising the enemy and surprising your allies. But the point seems to be that surprising the enemy will fail if too many allies and supposed allies are in on the plan. Also the specifics of the attack could be kept secret while the decision to go to war is shared.
ADDED: Trump was actually complimenting Japan.
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87 comments:
Awwww, he made him blush! It's either that or razorburn.
What surprise? We telegraphed our attack on Iran to those who were paying attention. If anything, we were wondering what took us so long to attack.
Japan had no need to know as they had no role in the action. It would have been a needless risk to inform spectators. But he can't say that so he makes a shocking reference, but in a positive way--the happened we're right to not tell us--so they can't complain about it.
Quite funny
Best. President. Ever.
OTOH, if Japan needs oil from the Persian Gulf perhaps they could spare a couple frigates and/or destroyers for escort duty through the Strait of Hormuz? Maybe they can shame their old allies the Germans into sending a couple frigates too.
What surprise? There were two carrier groups off Iran's coastlines. That's a whole lotta ships plus subs.
Why didn't you tell US allies in Europe and Asia like Japan about the war before attacking Iran
What horseshit. What’s really being asked of Trump is ‘Why didn’t you get permission from the leaders we like before you _________?’ It’s like Dubner the leftie economist with his ‘How do you feel about living in the U.S. during this rather odd time, politically..?’ What he’s really asking is ‘As a German you dont like Trump, do you? DO YOU?’ Fuck you all…
They seemed charmed by Trump, right up to the Pearl Harbor line - but boy did that one quiet the room.
I get the feeling that the demure little lady with the soft smile and her hand delicately placed on her knee is one tough son of a bitch.
The Japanese empire had a tactic without a strategy. America has a strategy with tactical support.
Flashback to Trump confronting the South African President about white genocide and the "Kill the Boer" song.
Trump offered an ultimatum, but the timing and tactics were a surprise.
The better historical analogy would be the Soviets and the British launching a surprise invasion of Iran in the summer of 1941 (to secure the Persian supply route to the Soviet Union). Like with Pearl Harbor, the element of surprise would have been lost if they'd declared war beforehand. Although, somewhat like the ongoing operation in Iran, I don't think it could have come as all that much of a surprise, given that they must have been massing forces near the border (in the Caucusus and Iraq) in advance.
Venezuela was a tactical surprise with strategic planning, not limited to aborting the Iran-Hamas Affair and regional legacy conflicts, along with ambitious global adjustments.
It was a long-term bad decision by the Japanese, but the Pearl Harbor attack was an impressive surprise attack. Moving six fleet carriers across the Pacific for two weeks and getting them in striking distance of Oahu with the US being none the wiser was am impressive move. The biggest failure was the diplomatic blunder from the delay in translating the "this means war" message in DC until after the attack was completed. It was supposed to be delivered something like 30 minutes before the first bombs fell.
Trump thrives when he's the spectacle. It draws attention away from the real stuff on the ground. It's instinctive.
He really doesn't think at all, before he speaks, before he starts wars and before he threatens and insults allies further diminishing American soft power whilst trying to reap its benefits. It's just a vibes based presidency from someone who's utterly uneducated and incompetent with horrible gut instincts.
Don't mention the war!
Asked by a German reporter why the furious unrelenting bombing campaign? Trump replies that Germans know how successful blitzkrieg is. "Nobody does blitzkrieg better than Germans except Trump. It must be because I'm part German"
Loose lips sink ships.
Interesting view into Trump's mind. Born just 5 years after the sneak attack that killed 2500 Americans, he somehow thinks its "cool" and matter for humorous asides. Wonder if he's going to compliment Hamas on their "surprise" October 7th attack?
Or would that touch a nerve that Pearl Harbor doesn't?
BTW, we considered bombing Hitler at his "Eagles Nest" but decided that might make him a martyr. We tried to kill Castro under JFK, and everyone was shocked about it in the 70s. Now, we've evidently adopted the Israeli standard of behavior, anyone we don't like can murdered at will.
Good thing no one ever tries that on us. Cause people never retaliate. That's in the Bible.
When asked too many questions by the reporter from Spain, Trump said "I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition." The reporter replied "no one expects the Spanish Inquisition."
Some dumb clown congressman from Nebraska called Dan Bacon tweeted out that "Antisemitism is sin", thereby proving he's not a Christian or reads the Bible. But then thats standard for US Pols. Howard Dean said his favorite book of the New Testement was "Job" and I doubt Trump could tell you if the book of Mormon was in the New Testament or not.
Of course, George Bush II was a big Christian, so maybe we're better off with Pagans.
I laughed out loud when he answered that question.
Trump got it from a 1970s book From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor: Front-Line Dispatches from the Advertising War by Jerry Femina, a losing suggestion for a Japanese car company ad campaign. Everybody read it. Available on Kindle.
If I didn't see it live, I'd have said this was a deepfake. The expression on her face as he blathered on was priceless. What an absolute buffoon.
I’m genuinely curious how that clip is playing in Japan. Are they as hardened to all this as we are? Morning NHK TV should give us an idea.
The CCTV reporter asked Trump if "he thought there was something funny about putting the PRC's main source of fossil fuels at risk." Trump replied, "Me Donald Trump. Me play joke. Me delay the oil for your folk."
Little Excursion™️ said...
Trump thrives when he's the spectacle. It draws attention away from the real stuff on the ground. It's instinctive.
He really doesn't think at all, before he speaks, before he starts wars and before he threatens and insults allies further diminishing American soft power whilst trying to reap its benefits. It's just a vibes based presidency from someone who's utterly uneducated and incompetent with horrible gut instincts.
3/19/26, 2:52 PM
...
You know it seems to me DJT is a Rorschach test. People like me read about what's going on in Iran and the systematic way they took out their defense and then the systematic way they are taking out the regime and the systematic way they seem to be tentatively taking out oil but ... waiting to see how certain things go before advancing to the next part of the plan.
And then reading about the genius of Trump's thoughts on USA Maritime power (see previous Twitter post). Like WOW these guys thought through a lot of stuff.
And then the lefties on the board saying "he's just a big dummy head!" and I'm puzzled because it seems like we are living in a different reality.
And then I think DJT is a Rorschach test. He is anything you want him to be depending on your worldview. Never-Trumpers think he has no plan. Conservatives see the plan.
RCO although your routine of saying the JOOOOS are the cause of literally everything bad in the world (I dunno maybe you hate Catholics too. You sure don't hate Islamism)...
At some point as bad as you are, you're just boring. I mean it's always "THE JOOOOS" "Netanyahu!!!!" "Epstein!!!!" Israel!!!
It's boring. You have nothing interesting to add so "JJJJOOOOOOS!!!!!"
Little Excursion™️ said...
"I’m genuinely curious how that clip is playing in Japan. Are they as hardened to all this as we are?"
They're too busy thinking "I can see China from my house" to be bothered by a joke that is funny to some and awkward to others.
I guess the Japanese were expecting General Milley, who would have given the Ayatollah the exact time place of the strike, and probably snuck him out of the country.
Saw it on twitter... thought of RCO:
Strxwmxn
@strxwmxn
So sick of being called antisemitic by Jews just for criticizing Israel. Then again, what more would you expect from these bloodthirsty, money-grubbing demons who killed the Baby Jesus, JFK, and Charlie Kirk, and now manipulate everyone on earth (except me and some podcasters).
11:06 AM · Mar 19, 2026
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7,929
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"Moving six fleet carriers across the Pacific for two weeks and getting them in striking distance of Oahu with the US being none the wiser was am impressive move."
Well, it would have been. But in fact the US tracked them the whole way, although they were careful not to let anyone at Pearl know about it. FDR wanted into the war in Europe, and tried to provoke the Germans, but Hitler didn't bite. So he provoked the Japs instead. They bit.
If she were quicker, she would have replied with "Yes, and you learned quickly from us. You didn't give us any warning when you nuked us. Twice!" Guffaws all around.
Hey, if you can't joke around with your former enemies, maybe they're not former. It's part of the Westphalian norms everyone complains are going away. CC, JSM
It came as a complete surprise...
Trump could launch ‘sustained’ attack on Iran within days after US military’s ‘unprecedented’ Middle East buildup (NYPost 18 February 2026)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/trump-iran-tehran-deal-military-action-latest-news-b2924085.html (UK Independent 20 Feb 2026)
More seriously, if we want to guide Japan into being a stronger counter-threat to Red China, we have to do like we did with the Krauts in the Cold War: let them be proud of their martial accomplishments, while abandoning the war-crimes and genocide thing. CC, JSM
Headline for UK Independent was: "Trump-Iran latest: US president gives 10-day ultimatum to Tehran to agree to deal or ‘bad things happen’"
Well, it would have been. But in fact the US tracked them the whole way, although they were careful not to let anyone at Pearl know about it. FDR wanted into the war in Europe, and tried to provoke the Germans, but Hitler didn't bite. So he provoked the Japs instead. They bit.
Bullshit conspiracy theory. And war with Japan did not automatically mean war with Germany. Germany foolishly declared war on the U.S.
we have to do like we did with the Krauts in the Cold War: let them be proud of their martial accomplishments, while abandoning the war-crimes and genocide thing. CC, JSM
Except we didn't do that. The Germans still bear the guilt of WWII, and German schoolchildren study the holocaust extensively. There are certain phrases and objects that are illegal to display. Heck you can't even get a license plate with the letters "SS" or "SD" or the numbers 911 or 204. The U.S. army uses 999 as their emergency number rather than 911 out of sensitivity to the associations with those numbers.
The question was not a serious one. It was the long established introduction for a head of state to offer some humorous, friendly non-answer, which Trump provided, but in Trump style. One of a kind.
Trump's aggressive style has changed a lot of other politicians who now try to copy it, even those who hate him. It started in the 2016 election when the other Republicans tried to fight back in the primaries, and it always fell flat. People like Newsom now swear a lot and make crazy bold statements that often seem out of place in the attempt to sound as tough as Trump. The difference is for Trump it's natural and honest when he does it. The UFC President.
I’m genuinely curious how that clip is playing in Japan
I suspect the Japanese right is guffawing and the Japanese left is remaining silent. We’re besties now. I think they can take it. Funnier than hell, though.
That woman is so shy and unassuming here, but policy wise a complete bulldog, a real boss. Like a split personality, or a Venus flytrap.
You can’t trust most of them. Maybe Japan, Italy, and Poland
Trump was complementing Japan, and removing sanctions from Iranian oil will hurt Iran. Enough with the gaslighting.
Did Obama give our allies a heads-up when he sent Iran some pallets full of cash?
"When asked too many questions by the reporter from Spain, Trump said "I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition." The reporter replied "no one expects the Spanish Inquisition.""
Really? Hilarious!
"Original Mike said...
"When asked too many questions by the reporter from Spain, Trump said "I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition." The reporter replied "no one expects the Spanish Inquisition.""
Really? Hilarious!"
Sorry, it was just me, channeling Monty Python.
john mosby said...
“If she were quicker, she would have replied with "Yes, and you learned quickly from us. You didn't give us any warning when you nuked us. Twice!" Guffaws all around.”
Yes and no. The US warned Japan that it had new and powerful weapons. Because it was vague, Japan thought it was just bluster.
After Hiroshima, the US warned that the atomic bombing would continue: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/truman-leaflets/
She gives a "I can't believe he actually is saying this" look.
Trump could have taken the moment to segue to surrender. "Whatever happened to surrender? When countries were getting their ass kicked, they used to have the decency to surrender. Right? You guys knew that."
"Sorry, it was just me, channeling Monty Python."
Too bad, it would have been hilarious. Well played, though.
Jupiter said...
“Well, it would have been. But in fact the US tracked them the whole way, although they were careful not to let anyone at Pearl know about it. FDR wanted into the war in Europe, and tried to provoke the Germans, but Hitler didn't bite. So he provoked the Japs instead. They bit.”
Freder responded…
“Bullshit conspiracy theory. And war with Japan did not automatically mean war with Germany.”
Freder is correct. The surprise was so total that the radar intercepts just before the start of the attack were assumed to be an expected flight of US B-17 bombers from the mainland. And war with Japan would make war with Germany (FDR’s desired war) less likely.
Freder said…
“Germany foolishly declared war on the U.S.”
We had already been shooting at Nazi subs for a couple of months. Look up the USS Reuben James. Hitler just made it official, thinking Japan would take priority. Unfortunately for him, the Allies prioritized Europe over the Pacific.
yes, according to leyton, who was the senior intel officer, they had the composition of the task force, but not the location,
this is somewhat akin to knowing the number of planes on september 11th, but not the departure points,
which is what that thread bare August 6th PDb suggests but doesn't spell out, in fact it leaves out more than it includes,
in fact it had some red herrings, or whatever fish is common to the Arabian coast, like the Brooklyn cell,
The foreign leaders usually look bored because the fucking MSM reporters instead of questioning the foreign leader, or staying on subject, usually just throw gotcha questions at Trump.
The new Japanese PM has expressed a desire to deport all the foreign migrants who are unwilling to adapt to the Japanese way of life. By this she is understood to mean Islamists.
He should have just ended after "Who knows better about surprise than Japan" and left them uncomfortably laughing. Don't oversell the joke, Don!
Nearly there Fredo.
Four days after declaring war on Japan the United staes declared war on Germany. About time because Germany was sinking our merchant ships for two years.
FDR didn't end the depression. Hitler did.
PMILF ;
Well, she is a drummer and they tend to be badass. Think Tommy Lee and Buddy Rich
John Henry
Yes and no. The US warned Japan that it had new and powerful weapons. Because it was vague, Japan thought it was just bluster.
I suspect that after a few months of the B-29 campaign nobody believed there could be more powerful weapons.
The destruction of Tokyo in the Feb/Mar 45 raids was every bit as total as that of Hiroshima in August. Probably more total than that of Nagasaki.
Don't believe me? https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/07/asia/japan-tokyo-fire-raids-operation-meetinghouse-intl-hnk/index.html
John Henry
Freder,
You are right that war with Japan didn't necessarily mean war with Germany.
But have you ever read the German Declaration of War on the US? They are pretty explicit about their reasons, and they had plenty. We'd already been at war with them for a couple years. Invading Iceland, sinking German ships, financing their enemy and more.
You might have been making that point but seemed unclear.
John Henry
Rustygrommet said...
Four days after declaring war on Japan the United staes declared war on Germany.
Factually correct but misleading.
Japan declared war on the US THEN the US declared war on Japan.
A few days later Germany declared war on the US, THEN the US declared war on Japan.
But we had been at war with Germany, against the wishes of about 70-80% of the American people, for a couple years by the time it was declared by congress.
"Gee, I'm just lending our British neighbors a garden hose when their house is on fire. Surely you don't begrudge that?" - FDR to Congress in 40 or early 41. Quote from memory and approximate.
John Henry
Also still official is "Erika"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8co7yDPdAI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elTu1r6LH7U
"Panzerlied"
"Three can keep a secret, if two are dead."
-- Benjamin Franklin
Conflating the buildup of forces with the launching of the attack is hard to see as an honest opinion. Unless it's just poorly reasoned or uninformed.
According to what I read (don't know if it's true or not), Trump brought Tucker Carlson to the White House and told him that he was bluffing and had no intention of attacking Iran. Carlson allegedly then texted some people in Iran about what he had learned, which meant that the Iranians relaxed their guard a bit. That might explain why the Iranian leadership was all at an in-person meeting instead of a Zoom meeting, and why the initial decapitation strike was so successful.
“PMILF”. I should’ve looked up the acronym. I’d thought it stood for Prime MILF.
To get a feel for how Japan thinks about ww2, in 2013, PM Shinzo Abe was photographed sitting in the cockpit of a Japan Self-Defense Forces training jet. The aircraft’s tail number was “731”, which drew immediate criticism because of its association with Unit 731. Unit 731 was the imperial army’s biological warfare unit that conducted fatal experimental testing on POW’s and Chinese. Japan has not forgotten. Unit 731 is widely known.
I just hope the reporter does not have to do seppuku for his loss of face.
Hostile acts and Acts of War by the USA against Germany prior to December 1941:
-Seizing German ships and assets
-Breaking diplomatic relations
-Providing the UK and USSR weapons and munitions free of charge
- Joining the UK blockade of Germany
- Allowing American citizens to join the British Armed forces and fight Germany
-Convoying weapons of war to USSR and USA In American Ships.
-Declaring they would "sink on sight" any German naval vessel
-Occupying Iceland and shooting at any German airplane that came near it.
Here's what FDR said on December 9th after Pearl Harbor. Full of obvious lies but needed in his opinion to keep Americans from doing "Japan First" :
Your Government knows that for weeks Germany has been telling Japan that if Japan did not attack the United States, Japan would not share in dividing the spoils with Germany when peace came. She was promised by Germany that if she came in she would receive the complete and perpetual control of the whole of the Pacific area....
We know also that Germany and Japan are conducting their military and naval operations in accordance with a joint plan. That plan considers all peoples and nations which are not helping the Axis powers as common enemies of each and every one of the Axis powers."
Anyone who took Tucker Carlon seriously deserved whatever they got. Foreign signal intelligence would have picked up whatever TC sent to them - all of course monitored in the US, but only "fair use" if the adressee is outside the US. This all came out in re the Trump organization "wiretap" affair of 2016. A rather Jesuitical distinction. The NSA knows everything anyway.
And TC, that fool, should have known that.
FDR was not wrong. The coordination was not very detailed (it could not be, given the circumstances) but the OKH knew what the Japs were up to in broad strokes.
OKW not OKH, sorry.
Freder Frederson said...
The U.S. army uses 999 as their emergency number rather than 911 out of sensitivity to the associations with those numbers.
Jeez Fredo, even when you could make a half-way reasonable comment you throw in complete bullshit like this. It is why nobody believes (or should believe) you aren't constantly lying by choice. The use of 999 as an emergency services contact number started in England in 1937. There is almost no way it could have been influenced by whatever association 911 had with the Nazis, and was actually chosen for technical reasons such as the easy of locating the 9 position on a rotary dial phone and reduced chances of a misdial in rotary switch systems. 911 was chosen in the US in 1968 rather than using 999 because the X11 series had already been established as special use numbers like 311 and 411, was never used as an area code, and since rotary switching was still in wide use 999 could have conflicted with local exchange codes. Other countries have chosen to go with low dial pull numbers such as 111, 110, and 100 to reduce the amount of time needed to complete a connection on pulse or rotary switch systems even though that increases the chance of a misdial or other spurious activation. In 1991 the EU standardized on having all GSM cell phones treat 112 as an emergency call.
There is no substantiation to the claim the Army uses 999 rather than whatever emergency number is standard in their location.
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus believed the greatest danger to powerful nations was not external enemies but hubris—the arrogance that comes from believing success makes one invulnerable. That hubris always summoned Nemesis, the goddess of divine retribution, who then punished arrogant heroes and leaders.
That warning is worth remembering as the United States continues its war with Iran.~Mark Hertling
Or perhaps Iran is experiencing divine retribution.
Breezy: According to Herodotus, the key word is hubris, defined as "Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance." That would be Trump, who listens only to himself.
So now he has the gall to request $200 billion or so to fight a land war when we run out of Tomahawks costing $1.1 million each and expensive Patriot air defense systems.
“Trump was actually complimenting Japan.”
December 7, a date which will no longer live in infamy, thanks to Trump.
There is no substantiation to the claim the Army uses 999 rather than whatever emergency number is standard in their location.
911 is the ninth of November, the anniversary of kristalnacht. (204 is Hitler's birthday). November 9 (switching to American format) was also, coincidentally, the day the Berlin wall came down. They chose another day for the reunification holiday precisely because of the coincidence.
I worked for the U.S. military (as a civilian contractor) in both Germany (Ramstein) and England (Mildenhall). The U.S. military uses 999 as their emergency number in Germany and the American 911 in England.
So there.
Damnit, now I have to vote for Trump again today. There's no election but I have to vote for him anyway.
Maybe Tucker is deliberately a double agent? Great pick because everyone on all sides hates him already but still pays to watch him - he is immune from social or economic penalties.
When all the memoirs get written, he may turn out to be like that guy in Washington's Spies who ran a Loyalist business in occupied NYC but had really been spying for the rebels the whole time. CC, JSM
Like whatshisname in mother night howard campbell
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