President Donald Trump didn’t hold back from praising himself during a White House meeting that quickly took an unexpected turn.
What was meant to be a diplomatic sit-down with Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instead unfolded into a public airing of frustrations, particularly aimed at America’s NATO allies over the ongoing war with Iran, while Trump made sure to highlight his own role in the conflict.
The meeting featured several awkward moments, including a controversial joke referencing Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II. Not long after, Trump shifted focus to Europe, criticizing allied nations that have declined his calls to join the US and Israel in the war against Iran, according to UNILad.
At the same time, he praised Japan, claiming the country was “stepping up to the plate” and suggesting it intended to assist in the Strait of Hormuz, though he offered no specifics on how that would happen, particularly given Japan’s reliance on Iranian oil exports.
“I’m not putting troops anywhere”
He contrasted Japan’s stance with NATO, saying its response stood in stark contrast to what he described as a lack of support from the alliance, which has so far avoided involvement in what he framed as an offensive war initiated by Israel and the White House.
However, those claims were soon contradicted. The UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan released a joint statement confirming their “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the [Hormuz] Strait.”
Trump also appeared to flirt with the idea of deploying troops, before quickly walking it back.
“I’m not putting troops anywhere – and if I was, I wouldn’t tell you,” he said.
He then downplayed the scale of the conflict, referring to it as an “excursion” that he claimed would be “over very soon.”
That assessment came despite ongoing developments in the region. Still, Trump maintained that Iran had already been effectively neutralized.
“Their navy is gone, their air force is gone, their anti-aircraft equipment is gone, we’re flying wherever we want… their leadership is gone,” he said according to VT.
“I had to take this little excursion and do something that no other president had the courage to do.”
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