Donald Trump and Pak army chief Asim Munir to lunch: What’s really cooking behind White House doors?

U.S. President Donald Trump will host Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, for a closed-door lunch at the White House, just one day after Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on Truth Social, in a dramatic escalation of West Asia tensions.

The 1 p.m. meeting in the Cabinet Room with no press access marks a rare moment of high-level engagement between the U.S. and Pakistan and comes amid regional turmoil and stark geopolitical divides. 

Trump’s post claimed the U.S. had “complete and total control of the skies over Iran” and warned the “Supreme Leader” was being watched closely. “Our patience is wearing thin,” he wrote, ending with: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”

In contrast, General Munir has publicly backed Iran. Speaking earlier in Washington, he affirmed Pakistan’s solidarity with Tehran and called for a “swift resolution” to the conflict. 

The divergence casts a shadow over the Trump–Munir lunch, raising questions about policy alignment as Israel–Iran hostilities surge.

General Munir’s visit comes just weeks after he was promoted to Field Marshal—the first since Ayub Khan—despite criticism over military setbacks in Pakistan’s latest clash with India. Islamabad credited Munir’s leadership in “Operation Bunyanum Marsoos” and the Indo-Pak confrontation “Marka-i-Haq” as grounds for the elevation. 

Critics, however, cited intelligence failures and strategic missteps.

Munir had made inflammatory remarks against India shortly before the Pahalgam terror attack that left several tourists dead. The rhetoric aligns with Pakistan’s long-standing military strategy of “bleeding India by a thousand cuts.”

Despite these tensions, the U.S. is looking to maintain strategic lines with Pakistan, especially as China deepens its regional footprint. Munir will also meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss counterterrorism and regional security.

Outside Munir’s D.C. hotel, protests by Imran Khan supporters continued, accusing him of human rights violations and authoritarianism—underscoring the political volatility surrounding the visit.