Re: "It was obvious from the president’s tweets that he had not studied the prior negotiations with North Korea". Were those negotiations documented on twitter? If not, how could he have studied them?
It's not going to work regardless, as nobody is going to want to stay in the new Trump hotel in North Korea.
3
Poster boys time is up - he should meet the same fate as that school kid that got arrested and ended up brain dead for stealing a North Korean poster off a hotel wall as a souvenir.
As so often, Trump is projecting: “tremendous anger and open hostility” describes nothing better than Trump and Pence's threats to "totally destroy" North Korea and follow the example set in Libya.
3
Does anyone in this white house talk to one another? Is there an semblance of protocol followed? Obviously not because the players, in this game called diplomacy with N.K. are shooting off from the mouths these disjointed statements with little or no thought as to the repercussions.
I.E. Mike Pence :
" Mr. Pence warned that North Korea’s government could end up like that of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the former Libyan leader."
Pence sent off a boomerang statement of incongruous threat to Kim Jong Un. Did Pence forget and/or ignore the fact that this man's sole purpose in life is to hold on to the 70 year old rule of the Kim Dynasty? Un's goal was to offer the minimum that would result in lifted sanctions.
What response did he expect with a statement that conjured the not so distant memory of a civil war and the violent death of Quaddafi? Oh, O.K.?
I come up with much better adjectives than calling Pence a "political dummy"
Clearly Our government has no leader.
A thought…..DJT and his followings had not created a clear path to a plan of action regarding the "historical" summit. DJT knew this summit would not be deemed a Noble Peace Prize endeavor. This discombobulation of events was an orchestrated plan to end the meeting and save him face from embarrassment. Maybe?
1
What Mr. Trump has just done was foreseeable. I didn't expect him to meet Kim at a summit. Mr. Trump was not elected to do the right things. He was elected to do populist things like these. The only thing he cares about is to be on all headlines of all media outlets, all the time. And that's what he is doing e getting, all the time. He has enough money to live as a rich man until Jesus comes back. He does not care about the fate of poor Americans who need a working US economy to get what they need.
2
This is how toddlers "negotiate".
5
"Trump pulls out of North Korea summit". In reality, Kim Jung Un told Trump, Bolton, and Pompeo to pound salt over nuke deal.
4
I am no fan of our President but, in this particular case, I think the strategy makes sense. Signals from N. Korea were beginning to sound like the tail wagging the dog. Perhaps it was different six months ago, but N. Korea must truly recognize now that they need world investment in order to exist and grow. Another way to say that is, they need us more than we need them. I agree Pence is an idiot (he'll be the reason Trump isn't impeached), and Bolton is a loose cannon, but I think Donald actually made the right move here. N. Korea will come back to the table...
4
"N. Korea will come back to the table..."
North Korea didn't walk away from the table.
President Trump did.
2
This article was published at 8:30am and says trump has cancelled the meeting.
I got an app notification from another outlet at 10:00am stating trump said it could still happen.
We live in a country where a man who can't stick to his word for a mere two hours has a 40% approval rating. Let that sink in.
8
Natural authority/deference (respect--even obedience) is based on knowledge and competence. Those with less defer to those with more--often paying well for the privilege.
Bureaucratic authority is based on a "chain of command" those with lower rank defer to those with higher. Those "higher" have rights over those lower who have liabilities to have their rights and duties assigned.
Economic relations are not based on authority but on power-- richer have power over poorer. This seems to be another authoritative matter only because these powers are backed by bureaucratic systems--property rights and police prevent those with less from taking from those with more. ("Stealing" presumes rightful ownership.) Tax laws further determine distribution of wealth. And labor laws further determine rights of the haves over the havenots.
Bully-power is like money-power. Weaker defer to avoid hurt and harm--but do not think "might is right"--and wait to get even.
It's unstable politics--too many brigands, pirates and and conmen--for comfort. This was the world order for much of history.
Trump has no natural authority.
His bureaucratic authority is limited. None over foreign nations. Little over US states and other branches of government. He is not a dictator--internally nor externally.
He confuses bullying with authority--tries to make the world defer to and obey him and his bully power. But the world and many US states do not confuse bullying with authority.
2
We'll know reality has struck home when the issue becomes a treaty to end the Korean War, assuming the ridiculous US Senate will actually ratify a treaty.
1
When you have a con artist grifter occupying the White House, appealing, disgraceful, corrupt, shameless self promoting behavior inimical to the country’s interests is all we have seen and should expect. Don’t adjust to this new normal because it’s not normal.
6
We can all recall Trump boasting of conduct Harvey Weinstein turned himself in for today. Trump is the most enabled scofflaw in US history.
2
TRUMP: “The Libyan model isn’t the model we have at all. In Libya we decimated that country.
There was no deal to keep Gaddafi .
That model would take place if we don’t make a deal [with Kim Jong Un].”
May 17, 2018: Trump’s press-statement at the White House. Trump threatening Kim with the Libyan model is a ridiculous attempt at “The Art of the Deal”.
3
"He's trying to prevent nuclear weapons in NK. No future US president will even try to do the job." --tigershark
That horse has left the barn, tiger. They've got 'em. They're just working on a better delivery system.
In an age of technological advancement, it was inevitable that nuclear weapons would be developed. We opened Pandora's box, and there's no cramming the stuff back in and snapping the lid shut. The best any world leader can do, now and in the future, is to try to keep that lid on--diplomacy, in other words. The whirling dervish in the Oval Office can't "negotiate" his way out of a paper bag, and the whole world knows it, except for those who get their "information" from Fox.
4
What a total incompetent jerk. Worse than that, yet another example of our President's incapacity to understand and deal with a complex issue of policy and politics. The President's 'letter' to the North Korean dictator reads like a jilted lover who is so disappointed that two people who appeared to like each other SO much is finding that indeed, they do not. Actually I am relieved that this meeting appears to be cancelled because without due preparation and multi-layered strategic thinking our President should decidedly NOT be sitting down to talk with Kim Jung Un. Our great leader he decidedly is not.
5
One key factor you seem to forget in your analysis is that Mr. Trump is absolutely not ready to meet Kim Jong-un, and has shown no serious effort to prepare himself, less that three weeks before the planned event. For such an encounter, he would need to absorb and digest massive amounts of information, an endeavour extremely difficult and time-consuming for a man of whom his friends say that reading a two-page briefing is an almost impossible task. Whereas Kim, whatever his other faults, has demonstrated an ability to master wide-ranging and complex data. The only conclusion this leads to is that knowing this, Mr. Trump never really intended for the summit to take place, whatever the circumstances.
11
I don't believe Trump wants a deal. Just like he scuttled the DACA agreement, he is scuttling this agreement. First Bolton says their model is the Libya deal, which would leave Kim dead in a few years.
But the way, I don't really believe far Kim blew up any nuclear facilities yesterday. Those mountains are probably riddled with tunnels. There is no way to know if they blew up anything important. Kim is probably straining for time as he has for decades.
Trump is also stalling and distracting. He is only playing at diplomacy while he loots the national wealth tries to become president for life.
He doesn't really want peace with North Korea. He wants wars that can raise his approval ratings, distract from his legal problems, and further enrich the military industrial congressional complex.
If Trump wanted a deal his negotiators wouldn't be telling Kim that we want him to disarm so we can help rebels kill him.
Read between the lines.
4
Our president in playing checkers while the rest of the world, including Kin Jong-un, is playing chess. It's embarrassing and dangerous.
8
Does he even know how to play?
The RepubliCons in their thirst for $ and power are the ones to take aim at
Vote against every single one at every level especially the ‘ moderates’ who still voted for the tax scam
Even and especially local offices
as that party needs to be put out of its angry self righteous entitled misery
1
What is with your analysis piece labeling this a bold initiative worth trying? This was an erratic, impulsive impaired president blurting out something he never intended to do, because he doesn't understand the difference between marketing and governing. And btw, Mike Pence is a political dummy.
6
Art of Deal, Chapter 9. Be ready to walk away from table. Trump is brilliant. Three hostages home. North Korea dismantling their nuke sites. Yet Trump walks away from table because N Korea "disrespecting" USA. Trump demands full submission and capitulation from the pot belled dictator. And the veiled threats of nuclear war were carefully crafted to scare the little man into begging for a reprieve. Compare Obama appeasing mullahs of Iran. He gave them 2 billion in unmarked cash bills , released their holds on bank accounts in USA and got nothing from the radical Islamicists. Those days are over. Obama relegated to obscurity. Obama's legacy, thin as Russian gruel from the gulag, is being dismantled piece by piece, executive order by executive order, to the point where is 8 years will be judged by the accuracy of his NCAA brackets every March. America back in bully pulpit. We lead ...the world follows...like the old days of Reagan. Stay tuned.
3
Congratulations. We have managed to make Kim look like the sane leader on the world stage. MAGA
8
You really have to stop and think...is this another one of Trump's con scams? Does anybody really think Pence who is brainless, said what he said without first getting permission from Trump. Trump conned NK into releasing the prisoners, talking about a "Peace Plan", then walked away from it, using some nonsense that they, NK was being hostile. Then he resorts to the same usual nonsense of "mine is bigger than yours" threat. He doesn't really want peace in that region yet, he has a base to energize with his usual "I'm a tough guy" talk. Trump is only thinking about himself, and how he can stop the Democrats from getting the House and Senate because then impeachment becomes real. This is about him and his dumb base who can't see the con job and getting them to vote for the GOP in the elections to come. If he gets to keep the House/Senate, he then will make his "Peace Plan" which will mean giving up the store, giving NK billions, and getting his potential business interest going in that region. It's always about him, never about what he claims to be doing this for. Peace translates into enriching himself. And don't expect the GOP leadership to do anything, he ripped their spine off. Cowards is what they are.
3
Regarding Pence, since North Korea is built on a blinding loyalty to the dear leader, Mr. Kim recognizes a total stooge when he sees one.
4
If there is ever a remake of dumb and dumber I have just the two for the lead parts. DJT and KJU. This can't be how true negotiations are really done. I think we should be them in a room together (alone) with one box of cracker jacks on the table between them and whom ever gets to the prize inside wins. Lets all hope the prize inside is button that does nothing to harm anyone when pushed.
1
Confused by the commemorative coin's price drop, his angry mob screamed -- "ig-No-bel, ig-No-bel, ig-No-bel"
3
Meeting won't happen. Trump and Pence blew it.
2
Good move, making NK lose face. Of course it was a fake site they destroyed. It was a symbolic gesture on several levels.
Trump might as well insist on Kim's ceremonial sword now. Plus agreeing to receive a personal spit-take in the face with a glass of Trump-brand water.
Even the most TV-educated president in the entire course of American History knows the ethnic stereotype of the Asian. Trump should understand. He lost face during the "Looking for Bigfoot" routine Obama did at the WH correspondent's dinner years ago.
Help me out does Mike Pense look like a catatonic standing in back of Trump at these meetings. At what delusional state of authority does he make these incredibly stupid remarks. What the heck is going on in Indiana when you put this guy in charge.
I'm not a Trump fan but I am a fan of his negotiation style, it diverges from the past and at least we get to see if it works.
That's if he can keep Mikey and Bolton off the podium.
This is not a "victory" for the Current Occupant; he's just had the Nobel rug pulled out from under him--not that he should ever get one, given the messes he's made everywhere he goes--peace, shmeece--he's a chaos kind of guy. His base will admire him for canceling a meeting--so manly, you know. The reality is that Kim has thumbed his nose at him and gained stature in the process.
4
Give the man time. He still could get us all killed.
3
Trump’s letter to Kim is reproduced in its entirety on the front page of today ‘s New York Times.
The quality of the tone, language, text, grammar, and punctuation does not rise to the level of a sixth grader.
Trump does not have the intelligence to write a proper letter. If his staff reviewed the letter, they also share the blame.
4
And by the way mike pence IS a political dummy
4
Trump and his team didn't do their homework and strive to present a consistent message. With people like Bolton and Pence on your team, the President is at a distinct disadvantage.
2
So Pence is now fully afflicted with the Trump contagion, or maybe vice versa, No surprise NK called him out on the Qaddafi remark.
Between Trump, Bolton, and Pence negotiations were fated to get derailed.
South Korea must be reeling given the blunt ineptness of the Trump and his team’s utter lack of even a modicum of strategic savvy or any semblance of finesse.
3
The canceled meeting is as big a mistake for Trump as it is for No. Korea. In fact worse for us. I think Trump is afraid afraid to go and that is the real reason he canceled. He does not understand Asia mentality or social mores and he couldn’t handle the meeting and neither could Pompeo. Neither have any diplomatic sense at all—no tact.
I read recently in a report from another news outlet that Mr. Trump had cancelled this “historic meeting.” Pardon me if I’m being too picky here, but a meeting can only be “historic” if it actually takes place. Am I incorrect on that?
It seems to me that what is truly historic about this entire episode is the level of arrogance - hubris, if you will - being displayed by this administration. That, and the unprecedented level of American diplomatic discombobulation that the entire world is witness to.
2
"Based on the recent statement of North Korea..."
Controlled media are often a gold mine of information about plans and intentions. In the late 1970s I started my career in intelligence analysis reading Soviet newspapers and analyzing their contents for insights into Soviet leadership thinking. This practice was known as "Kremlinology."
North Korea is one of the last countries on earth to have a controlled media; I have several colleagues who have spent their adult lives parsing and analyzing North Korean media and leadership statements.
When called upon, they can make sense of North Korean statements, such as the one that offended Mr. Trump.
Anyone with even a cursory understanding of North Korea understands the role that Pyongyang's rhetoric plays in internal NK politics. Parsing NK media is an art; the offending language could be explained in multiple ways.
This is as much about Mr. Trump's thin skin as it is about the failure of US national security decisionmaking. The NSC exists for a reason. Bolton could have convened a snap session to discuss the NK outburst, But he did not, of course.
It will be fascinating to see SecState Pompeo's reaction to this imbroglio.
3
They have fallen into the hands of smarter leaders than themselves. And make no mistake about it, Kim Jong Un is smart. And Trump and Pence are not. So now how will these non-leaders of America put a good face, a successful one (the person Jimmy Carter stupidly said could win a Pulitzer Peace Prize) on anything they have done, except get the 3 back from North Korea. It now looks like Kim is conciliatory and Trump and Pence are not. And China, the people these 2 idiots threatened with tariffs must be chuckling as well. I should add that Bolton puts the icing on the cake. He is out of his depth as usual, based on his hardline refusal to budge on anything that does not go his way.
The liberal media is celebrating this setback, one wonders why they would be happy something like this failed ?
Is their hate so strong it clouds their reason ?
3
It is quite amusing that when the Liberal media simply points out the missteps and mistakes of Trump and his administration comes off as celebrating to his supporters. If Trump was remotely sincere he wouldn’t have hired a unapologetic moron like Bolton who has never been right about anything.
2
I still think a deal could happen. From Kim Jung Un's vantage point, this is a once-in-a-lifertime opportunity to negotiate with an amateur President.
3
There isn't even a peace treaty to conclude the Korean War at this point. Technically, the present situation is an armistice. Trump thinks he can shoot the moon, but real progress goes step by careful step.
1
This is just a ploy. Trump wants to pull troops out of South Korea, and Kim just has to agree to kind of phase-out that his father used. Trump thinks it will be great for mid-term elections, and Kim expects lots of aid from the South. They both want the deal, so this is just a chance for Trump to act tough. With the US withdrawal from Asia, China is the big winner. Lots of business for Trump there.
Did anyone else think that the letter itself was rather badly written? If this is the way djt writes, then it is no wonder he talks so poorly - and if this is the way his advisors write, then it is no wonder we are in such trouble intentionally. (I am sure his base thinks it is wonderful.) My blue-pencil was aching to be applied to this shambles of a letter. An embarrassing display of an inferior intellect.
4
Trump prays to God he won't have to nuke the planet. When will someone pacify this baby?
1
If it weren't so critical a situation, I would laugh about how Trump got played. It is so obvious that he and his ilk have no idea what the heck they are doing but unfortunately any blowback will hurt not him but others.
Of course his followers will believe the nonsense that he decided to withdraw rather than the fact that he had to, to "save face". I hope they all cling tightly to their commemorative Trump/Kim coins and keep their fingers crossed for that (extremely premature nomination for) Nobel Prize.
1
"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter." Whether attributed to Pascal, Lincoln or Churchill, this quote defines the lack of editing in the White House letter declining a meeting with NOKO. A formal letter of diplomacy can't be "chatty." The letter is just as wierd as mentioning the "Libyan Solution."
1
Trump's inexperience, belligerence, and ignorance managed to raise Kim Jong-un status and make Kim Jong-un look like the rational adult in the exchange. Quite a win for Kim.
1
Trump has again demonstrated that he is unfit to lead the US - much less provide global leadership, leaving it to others to lead. The door is now open to Moon Jae-in and Kim Jung to lead moves toward peace. The government of South Korea can defy trade sanctions, which, after all, have been put in place to protect South Korea as much as the U.S. Ultimately South Korea can compel the U.S. to reduce the number of troops on its territory. These are potent bargaining chips to use with North Korea.
1
I’m not a soothsayer, but I wrote several weeks ago in the Times comment section that the actual meeting would never take place. Trump still thinks he’s on the TV show where he can say and do anything he desires without consequences. There are school children who know more about foreign policy than our president. That’s NOT an idle claim. That’s a fact!
2
Let's be clear: tis meeting was purposely torpedoed by Bolton and Pence -- the reference ti Libya was not stupidity -- it was a deliberate act to undermine any hope of an agreement.
This "president" is being manipulated by people far more knowledgeable and informed than he can ever be.
The warmonger element was once before terrified -- when Reagan and Gorbachev seemed ready to agree to dismantle the nuclear mutual suicide machine both nations hold over the world's heads. They were rescued by Reagan's determination to go ahead with "Star Wars."
If there is a war, these people will be responsible, even more so than a "president" of dubious legitimacy.
I have difficulties to accept that US leaders are so stupid they think they can pressure North Korea to abolish its atomic weapons without any security process taking care of North Koreas souvereignty and right to decide in their own country. They have learnt from the Serbian, Libyan, Ukrainian and Syrian cases. So then why cancel the meeting? I think Trump and his hardliner new staff are hiding ulterior motives here. In its mildest form it could be uncertainty and bewilderness. More serious it could be their longtime aim of developing superior weapons and bringing down the growing power of China, Russia and other countries who do not like US overlording. In this last perspective it is important to keep the conflict areas alive so that US can keep and finance its military bases throughout the world intact. A Korean Peace Treaty signed by the two Koreas, China and US is contrary in this perspective, because it will restrict US ability to use South Korea as a springboard for aggression against China. I think the planned meeting and Trumps earlier good face about it mostly were aiming at spreading illusions of US good intentions in home and world opinion.
An Open Letter to Kim Jung-un
Dear Supreme Leader,
Despite the recent, tragic death of your brother, for which you were entitled to the same outpouring of sympathy that America so unhesitatingly extended to the recent kidney difficulties of our president's third wife, it perplexes me as to why here in the states you are viewed only in the harshest of terms. But I digress.
If you succeed at what I am about to suggest, I can almost guarantee that you - and you alone - will be the next Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
My suggestion is that you proclaim your absolute eagerness to destroy your nuclear weapons subject to the most rigorous verification procedures, asking in return only that all other nations of the world agree to do the same.
It's really so simple and reasonable a suggestion that I wonder if you feel the same giddy, hopeful relief from reading it that I myself feel just in typing out the words.
Please note that my suggestion conditions your offer on the agreement of all nations who are known to possess nuclear weaponry or who do so secretly.
If this approach appeals to you, I would humbly make one additional suggestion: Let your first overture to the rest of the world be a question asking why some nations seem to believe they are entitled to possess nuclear arms while simultaneously believing other nations are not.
Again, my deepest sympathies over the loss of your brother (and your beloved uncle whom I forgot to mention earlier.)
Sincerely,
Robert Harders
1
It was predictable with Trump he does not know where to go I think that the sooner the US get rid of the Idiot the better off the country will be. He his looking for trouble and he will get it the only thing his where and when,
1
Miriam Webster definition of patriotism: " love for or devotion to one's country. "
It does not mean " blind obedience to authority " and it states love of country not love of a leader of the country.
There are so many examples of how people who put true love of country above blindly following its leaders or policies made positive contributions to our country. The women who fought for the right to vote, the abolitionists, the civil rights leaders etc. All these "critical" " unpatriotic " Americans helped make America great.
Ironically, our country was founded by those who were "unpatriotic" to the King of England . Those who blindly supported the King were called Tories. I bet the Tories considered those American rebels who fought in the Revolution unpatriotic!
Trump's tactics assume he is negotiating with someone who wants to make a deal, like his real estate and business dealings. When it's business, you have two sides who usually want to come to some agreement. But with Kim, Trump is dealing with someone who wants self-aggrandizement more than he wants the deal - which is probably what Trump wants, too. The deal, if there ever is one, is probably irrelevant. The subject of this summit was going to be bragging rights, nothing more.
1
oh well, not that I ever believed that this would happen but our fearless leaders future looks very bleak after this. The only positive thing trump had going for him was the prospect of peace with North Korea and now? It's once again about trumps collusion, obstruction, lying and generally indiscreet behavior. Good luck Mr. President you're gong to need it.
1
Donald Trump does not have a clue what he is going to say or do from one minute to the next. His administration is a hopeless mess from the top down. Trump just makes up things and is confused. Pence bumbles and acts like a bobble-head. Giuliani is - well - Giuliani. Why would anyone, even a petty tyrant link Kim Jung Un, believe anything they say.
14
Guess this rules out Trump's Nobel Peace prize. Whats he going to do with all those commerative coins that were minted? Perhaps he'll sell them to his supportors.
13
No surprise here.
9
Does this impact the Nobel Peace Prize. No right? Everybody was saying.... kind of...well...
9
This is what happens when the Administration does not have its act together.
You have John Bolton threatening North Korea with the "Libya" solution. In other words, basically telling North Korea once they get rid of their Nuclear arsenal, regime change will follow.
You have Mike Pence threatening to assassinate Mr. Kim. What kind of diplomacy is that. Doesn't Pence know that it is a Federal rime to threaten to assassinate a foreign leader?
The U.S. going into negotiations announcing such rubbish, putting Mr. Kim on the defensive. Especially after Mr. Kim released American prisoners, asked for the meeting and destroyed weapons
Our response is to insult him, threaten him, and cancel the meeting. I believe the meeting was really cancelled because Trump and company are out of their league.
It is Trump and his Administration who are acting in bad faith, which is basically Trump's MO.
This is not a setback for North Korea it is a set back for our Country. With Trump reminding North Korea of our Nuclear capabilities, which are greater than Mr. Kim's, how can we expect to ever solve our differences.
All Trump is doing is incentivizing South Korea to kick us out of their country, joining forces with North Korea and China. Not a smooth move on Trump's part.
Trump is determined to destroy our country by his hasty decisions, his mercurial behavior and his lack of keeping his word.
He is such a horrid leader. And to think that Pence is next in line is even more chilling.
11
Looks to me like what happens when two bullies try to share the same playground.
6
This businessman's pattern has been to build up his part in an enterprise via braggadocio, then, if in any way disgruntled, walk out, leaving good faith partners bankrupt, shamefaced, holding the bag. His presidency is Atlantic City all over again. Why would anyone expect otherwise? He's over 70 years old and, as the saying goes, his mother already raised him. He's not suddenly going to begin dealing in good faith. I do wish, however, that he gave his dictation to a professional secretary with good editing skills. It would relieve a little anxiety to know someone in the white house is competent at their job.
10
This is a comedy of errors, but what astounds me is how Trump's cult following are far worse than I was ever accused of being about Obama. There were things Obama did that angered me plenty.
Contrast this with The Cult of Trump. Donald could bite Kim Jong-Un's ear off over a conference table and his followers would salivate over it and croon about how tough he is.
9
I would love to have a psychologist analyze Trump’s letter. What struck me most was the way he expressed the importance of the relationship between the two countries as being simply a dialogue between Kim and himself. “[U]ltimately, it is only that dialogue that matters.” Maybe that is true in Kim’s case (he is a dictator), but certainly not true in our system.
5
Didn't Kim cancel first? But Trump can't stand not to be seen as 'first' or leading on something.
4
Hilary Clinton was correct when she said, a man (in his case a petulant child) you can bate with a tweet, is not someone you want with the codes to the nuclear weapons.
25
I just don’t understand why Trump is getting any credit for any of this. North Korea was always going to talk to whichever president was in power once they got nukes and the means to deliver them. That was the ENTIRE POINT of their nuclear program—to force the USA to bargain as equals.
To give Trump even an iota of credit for this when he clearly lucked into office at the end of their decades-long plan is just ridiculous.
They won. We lost. Now it’s time to accept that and move on.
17
Chant for the next Trump rally -
"No Nobel! No Nobel! No Nobel!"
12
The problem seems to me that while Mr. Trump may consider himself a master chess player here Mr Kim is playing Go instead.
9
Trump hastely (and stupidly) committed itself to the meeting with North Korea when it was proposed by South Korea without preconditions. The administration is completely unprepared and once it took on the hardliners Bolton and Pompeo, set unacceptable preconditions. North Korea has made some goodwill gestures (release of hostages, destruction of missile testing site), while the US has continued with combat exercises and threatened N.K. if they don't accept their preconditions. Bolton, Pence and Co. know exactly what they are doing-- its either total surrender or regime change... of course they have saved Trump the embarassment of coming away with nothing but have no plan B on the negotiation front.
8
People. Have you considered that we all are being played for fools. The reality tv “star” is building suspense - looking to drive “ratings” like he always does. Everything is only and always about him - he worships at the temple of Trump. It’s off, it’s on again. You can’t call my VP names (huh? This from a man who is a schoolyard bully and namecaller - little rocket man among so many others?). Whether or not this actually takes place, who knows, but we will all keep tuning in to find out. We - all of us and the press - have no idea how to deal with him because we’ve never faced such disregard for common decency and lack of respect for - or even the most basic understanding of our government (we are not an autocracy no matter how much he wishes that to be so). Maybe best to try and ignore this pathological attention seeker. Feeding his narcissism does not seem to be working for anyone but him. Then again maybe he’d just keep getting more outrageous to feed his dire need to be the center of attention and create greater danger? What to do? Tune in next week to find out in this reality show called Trumpworld.
19
Even those with armchair interests in foreign affairs might detect an absence of diplomatic process and mixed messages by this administration for such talks.
It appears the president made a knee-jerk, uninformed, unilateral decision to agree to meet with North Korea’s Kim. In a short time, some may have realized the US had given up some leverage by the president’s decision. Regardless, the dynamic between the US and North Korea has changed due to the president’s decision to pull out of the meeting to which he initially agreed.
The appearance of unpredictability is touted as a strategy by this administration. It can also be defined as an excuse for incompetence.
6
Folks, you are all acting as if this chess match is over and Trump has lost, but we're in the middle of the game. Don't be so hasty with all the articles and opinions of how Trump got played, etc.
5
Looks to me like one guy is playing chess and the other is playing checkers. Decide for yourself which is which.
1
No, it's over. Meeting isn't going to take place. Trump and Pence blew it. Why would Kim meet with Trump now?
1
Neither Pence nor Bolton wants peace anywhere. They are the bonafide neocons with a chip on their shoulder. And Trump is treating denuclearization like let's make a deal with his casinos.
But why'd anyone believe in any of this? I did. Because it is our fantasy to have peace on Earth and all warring efforts would then be channeled to the advancements of humanity. That is why even realists like us chose to suspend our skepticism in face of evidence - Trump dumping the Iran agreement is really a warning shot against the possibility of a NK deal - and hope against all odds Trump might pull it off.
Well, the fantasy is over and we have to wake up.
10
Pence only wants evangelical fantasies to become manifest. Which includes converting as many non christians into christians in those countries where other religions are practiced. It is as though in order for christian prophecies to come true they need to have certain conditions in place: x number of zionists or christians on earth; Jerusalem as the holy place for all these converging christians..and making them as "white" and as "non gay" as possible.
1
Better than 3000 comments as of 5 a.m. America is obviously interested in this saga. Amongst those thousands of comments someone has probably already suggested Trump's decision may be a strategic move with more logic behind it than most are willing to credit him with. We'll see.
It's Pence who defies logic. How does this "Christian" man reconcile his beliefs with the threat to murder Kim? Maybe he needs to don one of those "What Would Jesus do" bracelets and actually consult it once in awhile. Those who wish to dump Trump should consider who would replace him. Trump is disgusting, narcissitic, dangerous but he isn't an ideologue. Pence is and that is way beyond scary.
14
Analyst here in Pakistan are firm in their belief that Trump is a one term President. No, he will not be defeated but will not run the second term. These analyst have studied him in his private meeting and public persona. If there is one thing they are unanimous is that he is a businessman and purpose of all of the current and future dealing is to consolidate and profit for his business in future.
He does not understand the complexity of Korean Peninsula nor the Palestinian-Israel conflict and I don't think he considers himself exceptional because his motives is to profit from his relationships in future that he would have built when he was President. He is taking everyone one a ride.
9
This all saga reminds me of the movie Dumb and Dumber. Where Jim Carey asks Lauren Holley as to his chances of going out with her. When she responds with one-in-a-million, perhaps most of the audience thought Jim Carey will be heart broken but he comes back with mind twisting response with "YES!! I do have a chance with her".
Here the Dumb one is Donald and denuclearization of North Korea is Lauren Holly ..... Sir, not in a million year.
If the plan is is to go to war, may I suggest the War machine goes with series of questions that President Obama used to ask ... then what, then what and then what .... if you can't answer for sure then stay put and hope diplomacy will pull through; it does inevitably.
3
Build a wall across the Pacific! That'll show them.
14
Hopefully - and soon - ppeople and governments will realise - the BEST way to defeat the North Korean dictatorship once and for all, is to IGNORE them.
Totally.
The pattern up to now has always been the same; the leader makes a threat (or, in this case, an appeasement), and everyone 'bites', and believes, but soon after he gets what he wants, he renegs.
The media in N. Korea is tightly controlled, and therefore what is shown puts Kim in a good light.
If he had no nation to threaten (or cajole), he WILL go away.
It's something people are always taught - ignore being bullied. In this case, almost 3/4 of a century of the Kim's playing games had kept them in power, simply because they can edit, and censor any stories about them.
'There's no such thing as bad press', and this regime is the master of it. It MUST stop of the period of N. Korea are to ever get it from unset this brutal regime's thumb.
3
Kim is in it for the same reason Trump is - self-aggrandizement, ego. For Kim, as for Trump, it's all about him.
trump never had any intentions to go through with the talks. If he had intentions he would have used “proven successful negotiating techniques,” instead he behaved like a 12 year old bully knowing his behavior would dismantle the “proposed” talks so that he could blame Jong-un and divide the American public, maintaining the status quo. Trump has no ability to negotiate or make any kind of successful deals and he does this all the time. And his supporters love it.
5
Bolton and Pence chose to end the talks. Sure it was always likely that Trump or Kim Jong-un would not have shown up. But Bolton and Pence clearly chose to undermine it.
5
A year and a half into trump's reign one thing has become clear. He is very good at walking away from deals but has shown no notable ability to create and implement any deals. In this case though I think it was better to crawfish than to be humiliated. He and his gang don't seem to have done their homework or studied before the big test.
7
I can recommend a book for Trump. It's called "The Art of the Deal," written by ghostwriter Tony Schwartz. The book is filled with good, workable negotiating advice, and it's clear that Trump has never read it.
After all this to me unbelivable communication, why does not Kim make the non-atomic deal directly with China, South Korea and Japan ?????
1
For Alec Baldwin on SNL or any other late night comedian, I offer this slightly edited version of Carly Rae Jepsen's hit:
"Call Me Maybe"
I threw a wish in the well
Don't ask me, I'll never tell
I looked to you as it fell
And now you're in my way
I'd trade my soul for a wish
Pennies and dimes for plaudits
I wasn't looking for this
But now you're in my way
Your stare was holdin'
Striped suit, no neck showin'
Hot night, wind was blowin'
Where you think you're going, baby?
Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy
But here's my number
So call me, maybe?
It's hard to look right
At you baby
But here's my number
So call me, maybe?
Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy
But here's my number
So call me, maybe?
And all the other boys
Try to chase me
But here's my number
So call me, maybe?
You took your time with the call
I took no time with the fall
You gave me nothing at all
But still, you're in my way
I beg, and borrow and steal
At first sight and it's real
I didn't know I would feel it
But it's in my way
Your stare was holdin'
Striped suit, no neck showin'
Hot night, wind was blowin'
Where you think you're going, baby?
Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy
But here's my number
So call me, maybe?
It's hard to look right
At you baby
But here's my number
So call me, maybe?
Before you came into my life
I missed you so bad
I missed you so bad
I missed you so, so bad...
etc...
1
What about the Nobel?!
1
The stupid talk by Bolton and Pence certainly didn't help win over Kim's trust; but let's also not forget that Trump unilaterally pulled out of the nuclear deal with Iran. That certainly was not a brilliant move - and the timing disastrous - in trying to get Kim to trust the USA.
11
I believe every spectrum of opinion is expressed in this comment column. I have no other opinion on the issue. However I am a Korean and live in South Korea and believe I would grow older in this land. My brother’s son is serving his share of army service at the demilitarized zone right now.
My blood and my relatives’ blood will be shed if war breaks out in Korea.
Korea had been a single nation for one thousand and five hundred years. As a Korean I want to see north and south to be united before I am called to heaven or hell. At least I want to see the two Koreas to be connected economically as German princely states were in the 19th century before the unification.
This is my wish from Korea.
9
When the realization in the administration struck that Kim was not sincere about "denuclearization," Pence was set up to deliver the Bolton message again. The expected response from Kim was enough to justify what was the administration's intent. All of it because the whole affair to date was hurriedly slapped together by our side to make for political theater and not for real disarmament.
6
Tremendous anger and hostility??!!
What about fire and fury???
And any way it was simply wishfull thinking to expect Kim to give up his bombs, which are the only protection he has.
Let's hope Trump does not get angry at being rebuked, to the point were he will decide on a "military option"
1
<Green, a former Asia adviser to President Bush. “... clear that North Korea was going for sanctions relief and de facto recognition as a nuclear weapons state.”> To me it is clear that Kim has little interest in either sanctions relief of defacto recognition as a nuclear state. Nuclear weapons are a tremendous burden, useful to establish a negotiating position towards the goal of a unified Korea where Kim would not be prosecuted but rather gain stature. For a relatively small country nuclear arms do not build on the inherent strengths of the Korean people, their extraordinary capacity for work and innovation. Kim wants to change the game not gain a pawn or two until the next U.S. administration.
Changing the game is what Trump appeared to offer, so Kim was interested.
Both Bolton and Pence have zero interest in changing the game. Neither would have a role in such a future, which may explain their reference to Libya, more to prevent negotiations than to encourage them.
In 2003 Gaddafi was focused on building a unified Africa. Nuclear weapons were more a barrier than a path towards that. So denuclearizing Libya's embryonic program was easy, not much of an achievement for Bolton who seems to take pride in his role at the time.
Kim is focused on a unified Korea. A deal that works for both South and North Korea may be no less difficult than an African Union, but it is thinkable.
1
Trump's experience in negotiating is limited to situations where he is attempting to sell something for the highest amount of money he can get. If the customer buys the deal, he wins. If the customer refuses the deal, he still has the property and can try to sell to someone else. He has not suffered a loss of face so he can just move on to the next prospect for the same property. As long as he has something to sell, he is in business.
Diplomacy doesn't work that way. If you've agreed to meet and then change your mind, you have lost your position and your credibility. Sending a formal letter and making it public was another ridiculously crude tactic.
And the letter...at once threatening and offering a resumption of talks? Trump is, again, an embarrassment to the United States.
Would you buy a used car from this man?
11
What does Trump want?
After he unilaterally tore the Iran deal, he alienated the US allies in Europe.
And now, he is doing the same in Asia.
Taking such a decision without leastening to South Korea and Japan, what a diplomatic disaster!
8
Well bullying didn't work, what else has Trump got in diplomacy bag .....?
8
Score 1 for NK. 0 for US.
Let’s not be naive. How could anyone expect the summit to happen when the US is stepping back from a deal made with Iran and now threatening them? Or dummy Pence and warmonger Bolton threatening regime change before the summit?
Thanks to the present “administration” the US has lost ALL credibility with the rest of the world.
11
This is why diplomacy needs diplomats, not fools, to conduct foreign policy. Bolton and Pence both implied that once North Korea had destroyed all its nuclear weapons—with no quid pro quo by the U.S.—that Kim Jong-Un could meet the same fate as Muammar Gaddafi.
Assassination of the main participant in a high-stakes dialogue to reduce nuclear weapons is not exactly a carrot to encourage participation by the North Koreans. Trump can spin the abrupt halt to talks any way he likes, but seasoned statesmen and women across the globe are shaking their heads at the sheer stupidity and arrogance of the U.S.
Yes, restart the talks. The North Koreans are willing. Examine their nuclear sites. Verify. But by all means proceed—to make the world safer. Behind all the bluster, North Korea seems to want to emerge from isolation. U.S. officials need to quit posturing and guide this rogue country into the world community, in a process that protects both sides.
8
Since Trump was designated president of the USA we are, from day to day, living in a more dangerous world.
Nobody is trusting Trump and nobody will follow his policies.
North America was a safe place to live and work;not anymore.
Trump is tearing apart the USA and poisoning the relations between Mexico,USA and Canada.
NK , like any other countries in the world, cannot make a deal with Trump,he is utterly unstable and malicious.
Mark my word this administration will start a war soon and it won't be pretty!
12
If Trump was capable of two-step thinking or critical review of a new idea, like Obama was, he would never have planned this meeting at this time.
6
So Pence put his foot in Trump's mouth.
Should Trump fire Pence for costing him the Nobel Prize he could've won with one quick sit down on June 12th?
Not to mention those millions of commemorative Trump coins he could've made $ millions from, for doing so.
13
Possibly the smartest thing Trump could do is fire Pence. Is this possible?
2
Surely objective reporting would say that Trump cancelled the meeting in a temper tantrum and Kim replied with moderation.
Neither of them is exactly admirable, but I see more and more evidence that Kim is smarter and has better self-control. Certainly Trump would not have lasted a week as dictator of North Korea; he lacks the ability to plan ahead, to carry out a plan, to evaluate a situation, to control his impulses, even (thank goodness) to be brutal enough to have anyone executed. His one talent, to rouse rabble, would be of no use in North Korea.
11
As Eli Lake pointed out, Qaddafi was overthrown by his own people, which had nothing to do with his not having nuclear weapons. Similarly, the Soviet Union collapsed despite having a nuclear arsenal that could destroy the world several times over. A nuclear deal might save N. Korea from the other countries but is no guarantee that Kim's people will not rise up against him.
If Pence and Bolton point out to the North Koreans and their leader that they're in weak position which is bound to get weaker, they are: a) Informing that cruel government of a reality of which the U.S. is aware and b) It is in their best interest to negotiate a deal acceptable to the likes of Pence and Bolton--that is, a "real deal" that is very different from Obama's capitulation to the Iranian theocracy.
It seem the N. Koreans cannot handle hearing tough talk. And if they have problem with talk, they will certainly have a problem with taking action.
Nothing better could have happened than pulling the rug from under a meeting in which the US president would fail to get what the US and most of Southeast Asia needs. Previous administrations did not dare taking this attitude--and, like most respondents here--were very careful of N. Korean sensibilities. So here we are, with a much hated president tasked with cleaning up the mess of those who had once been much loved. Live with it.
2
This isn't about Trump or the United States. This is about both the cessation of hostilities and the long-term reunification of South Korea and North Korea, which everyone in Asia wants. Trump is trying the massage his ego with a prospective Nobel Peace Prize for doing nothing. The North Korean market will be South Korea's and China's and the rest of southeast Asia's; the U.S. troops in South Korea will eventually have to leave as business can't have countries blowing-up each others' assets, and the U.S. will have to heel in the long-run. Then comes the new basket of currencies: yuan, won, yen, baht etc. to replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency, and the economic pivot will be complete. But for now, Trump, Bolton, Pence, and the U.S. have nothing to do with what's happening on the Korean peninsula. In effect, the letter of agreement between Moon Kae-in and Kim Jung Un: the so-called "Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula" is basically a letter to inform the U.S. and Trump know-nothings that it's nice to have your support, but we'll run this unification project on our own thank you. Hence, the nodding-Pence, bluster-nothing Bolton, and untanned-eyed Trump can return to 'Making America Great' again instead of meddling in Korean affairs, Iranian affairs, and other countries' affairs.
9
Trump. Send me to North Korea. One American citizen. I will work to improve relations, one conversation and one day at a time. Reasonable, smart, serious, firm, kind, easy going, sensible, good natured, smart, patient, can listen effectively, bond, trust, respect for others, sincere, honest. Check the list. It's what's missing from your plate. My Father even played JUCO where Rodman played JUCO. I've got photos from Fort Riley Kansas during the Korean War of American families in the Army eating together, holding their babies, training, standing next to cars to share. I can work with Kim, I can communicate what he really needs to know about Americans and our desire for a peaceful outcome to this armistice. Kim is looking to the future now. He has a big back side at home. We are too slow to engage and in the right way of trust and understanding. John Bolton is hurting your case, and he actually believes what he states, which is sometimes remarkable to believe. Politics at home and personalities projecting themselves at home have no place in serious foreign policy D-M which effects multiple countries abroad.
2
It is time that the Trump administration wakes up to reality. North Korea is not going to give up its nuclear-weapons development. The US accepts nuclear-weapons capabilities from all kinds of other countries (India, Pakistan, Britain, France, Israel,...) so why the inability to face the reality that other countries will also develop nuclear capability?
This is actually an opportunity for the US. The willingness to accept NK nuclear capability can be an important negotiating position to get NK to agree to a peace treaty with South Korea and to offer tangible guarantees that it will abide by such. At worst, NK can refuse to negotiate, but there is chance that peace on the Korean peninsula will ensue, especially if the carrot of some economic aid is also dangled. Of course the US needs to consider carefully the effect of such aid.
2
That North Korean dictator will be in power longer than Trump, assuming no mutiny. It would be interesting if Pence has a chance to negotiate with Kim Jon Un at a later date, so why not express his views now? That Pence view could replace the Trump administration in a heart beat if Mueller findings ran the Trump administration hard aground.
Walk away from the table is supposedly a Trump strategy out of his manual on negotiations, sold for profit to inspire the masses. To be optimistic, assuming the Mueller investigation wraps up soon, additional negotiations would be likely to occur through team Trump before 2018, so the "success" of the negotiation would encourage Republican voters. The question of loss of face for South Korea and political fallout will take time to figure out. North Korea could also go back to bomb building and seek stronger ties with China to overcome sanctions. Building Chinese hotels in North Korea would seem more likely than building Trump sponsored hotels, and backing away from he U.S. is a detour around the Libyan model, allowing North Korea the luxury of dismissing the U.S. completely.
1
Let's bring our troops home. Our well-intentioned engagement overseas can have negative consequences. It's like stepping into a neighbor's argument with his/her spouse.
1
In the weeks ahead, it will be interesting to see if South Korea decides unilaterally to negotiate a peace treaty with the North and without the United States at the table. A condition of this treaty could be the removal of all United States forces from the Korean peninsula.
The result could give the south a much coveted normalization agreement with the north that might also be allowed to keep its nuclear weapons that will remain pointed at the U.S. Kim could even isolate the U.S. further by signing a bi-lateral agreement with Japan and other nations in the region.
I will be interested to see how this plays out.
4
A peace brokered by China. No Emmy, er Nobel for Trump.
When I first heard on the news that Trump canceled the meeting, my first thought was to be grateful because God knows what Trump could have agreed to in the spur of the moment.
Then there is the letter. He thanks Kim for his "beautiful gesture" releasing the hostages. Following a similar theme of the last few weeks when he referred to him as "honorable". Of course, this comes way after the Rocket Man period.
I cannot avoid feeling like we are living on an alternative reality. I am flabbergasted. He insults our allies and praises/thanks bad political actors.
Every day he issues insulting and demeaning words to our American Institutions, athletes, entrepreneurs, politicians and even members of his own cabinet.
If this reality were a movie, I wonder if anybody would have watched. It probably would have been labeled as a sci-fiction and rated RG13. I just pray there is not a 2020 sequel...
14
When do we attack N Korea?
That’s easy.
Right after Mueller announces a press conference.
9
Trump knows that Evangelicals are getting restless for their promised WAR. They don't really care who or where, as long as its soon. Trump has been trying to hold off exactly as you say, when Mueller comes forward with Trump's crimes. But Evangelicals won't wait too much longer before they start to turn on Trump for not starting another WAR somewhere soon.
2
The more time passes with this president, the more befuddled he appears. We're in for a bumpy ride.
7
This is what brats do, losing the game so they take the ball and go home.
5
Gee thanks, while the president and the supreme leader act like they don't care if someone starts aware over a war that ended 60 years ago, gasoline prices went back up to the what they were during the O'bama administration when people were being encourged to by electric vehicles. Only now the president thinks we should burn coal instead.
1
The president was intrigued by the thought of a Nobel Peace Prize. Sadly, he didn’t understand that he needed diplomats to receive such accolades.
China, South Korea, and North Korea may proceed forward without him.
5
So "Little Rocket Man" has hurt our president's feelings, and the negotiations are off. Back to fire and fury.
Name the nation, having developed a functional nuclear deterrent -- the "great equalizer" -- that has ever given it up. Surely not us. One can only start with the premise that NK is now a member of the club, accept the facts and deal with them realistically as equal in that regard.
So what's the meaning of bringing up "Libya" in this context? It's a threat -- of murder, really, the actions of a bully. . Do Pence and Pompeo not believe that KJU doesn't know what happened to Quaddafi? Do they understand the culture they're dealing with when humiliating a leader?
Like so much of what Trump does, this hasty summit was for show, an empty distraction from Mueller, that never really had a chance the players are such amateurs -- scornful of history, diplomacy and experience. Comedy is tempered by fear that things could get out of hand, as they have, alas, in the past.
24
Kim is playing trump, and trump doesn't even see him doing it = Kind of ironic
9
Saying Kim is “playing” Trump is like Obama used to say that he would actually get SOMETHING accomplished. Not. I understand you are hoping Trump fails, at any price, but to root for our enemies is almost unconscionable.
1
Reality check the north can not be trusted by free world. North has zero human rights for its own people case closed.
1
No one is defending NK.
3
What utter disdain for the president, knowing that NYT readers dislike him makes me know he will win again. Maga
5
Now that the meeting has been canceled - Trump can go before the Grand Jury immediately.
Fear and trembling as Trump's Liegate will be called
to account.
5
Predictable outcome when Trump builds his house on sand. His administration is like an orchestra of babbling baboons; all on a different page.
In the short time Bolton has been on board, he's racked up quite a scorecard of diplomatic achievements.
The much vaulted Art of the Deal is the art of no deal with this brood of vipers.
10
Kim didn't pull out. In fact his response to Trump's letter was mild. Let Trump negotiate. He's spent a lifetime doing it much to his success. Maybe he can do better than past presidents who gave away the store.
1
This whole thing has been an incompetently executed farce. It was never a win for Trump. All Trump did was agree to direct talks with North Korea, which has been a longstanding North Korean policy objective. He basically got no concrete policy commitment in return. It's not winning if you give someone something that they've stated repeatedly that they want while asking nothing in return.
I mean, it's not a bad idea. It's worth giving peace a chance. The chances of success were always low, obviously. But so are the chances that American policy objectives will be achieved by containment or aggression. But this policy was incompetently executed. Trump got little of substance in return, and he managed to whipsaw between the pro-summit Pompeo view and the anti-summit Bolton view. He managed to let his dirtbag national security advisor Bolton poison the negotiations with the Libya comment, which the administration clumsily half-walked-backed before cancelling the summit to save face. An astonishingly incompetent execution, even if savvier presidents would probably have also failed for different reasons.
5
I think the world would be much better off if President Trump would limit his foreign policy ventures to North Korea and nowhere else. Trump and Kim are clearly kindred spirits who mirror one another's mentalities. Natural soulmates.
3
Just look at the picture at the top of this article. Have you ever seen such a bunch of befuddled empty-heads?
12
Trump: weak, small, naive and completely unable to negotiate anything. This is my opinion as a 30+ year republican.
His political appointees are no help either.
I want qualified, responsible people back in government
14
Please explain, I'm not being sarcastic, what you see is good in the republican party?
2
The irony here is Trump cancelled the meeting he arranged, for an insult his Vice President said!
8
it was all a publicity stunt, and still is. a cunning distraction for the media.
6
For all the criticism of Mr.Trump by US media actually when push comes to shove the media is trying to portray as if Mr.Trump has won the first round by cancelling the meeting .US presidents are held in awe in third world countries like India and all but the present president is a shocker.
5
Everyone with a brain knew this would happen...trump does not have the stuff to be a diplomat! It takes more than bullying, then fake flattery, then threatening....he is a reality tv game show host, elected by people who worship television and watch Fox noise spewing.
12
Meeting, no meeting with NK. Big deal. Meanwhile, the much more critical development for American security and the integrity of our democracy is happening right under our noses. The Trump administration and Congressional Republicans are interfering with an ongoing investigation by the FBI to get confidential evidence they are not legally entitled to and have no reason to demand except to protect President Trump personally and discredit the Mueller investigation into Russian subversion of our elections and possible complicity with Trump campaign staff and other Americans. This president and his Republican allies continue to break down the protective barriers between law enforcement and justice on one side, and the president and executive branch on the other. Maybe it is no accident that the summit with NK was cancelled on the same day that these highly irregular "briefings" by Justice Department and intelligence officers are taking place.
8
This is just another in the long list of Trump and his "band of merry henchmen" still having no concept of how to deal in the real world of diplomacy. The fact is quite simple in that in this futile attempt to reach out to North Korea and its leaders, in Kim Jong-un, Trump has run into an adversary who is as unpredictable and unreliable as he is!
2
Mr Kim was hostile to the USA and then suddenly flipped without warning and started grovelling because his nation is bankrupt and he probably needed more money to continue his nuke testing. Then Iran whispered in his ear after falling out with the USA and probably promised him lots of money so he got hostile again. The only way to prove if North Korea have blown up their nuclear sites is to send in a team to inspect them and take samples. Russia also has its eye on lots of North Korean minerals so there's lots of money to be made in North Korea. I did read that lots of goods flow between Russia and North Korea as they swap ships and take the cargo into Russia under another nations foreign flag. I'm guessing Mr Kim has received a big wad of cash from either Russia or Iran and that's why he's flipped his lid again and threatened the USA. The irony of all this is that Mr Kim is a puppet and the strings are being pulled by other nations and he's not in charge even though he is a dictator. He's a little fish in a global pool and his times up!
Mr. Trump is personally and professionally incapable of making peace with anyone; perhaps not even himself. With this most recent action, he has been out maneuvered by Mr. Kim who, responding in polite terms, offers the carrot of future possibilities more likely than not, under his own terms.
7
North Korea 1
Trump 0
Pence? Foot In Mouth
7
Kim should have said Trump deserved an Emmy for the apprentice.
10
Who would have ever thought the U.S. President (a despot wannabe) would appear in this "summit" mess, as a clueless, bratty, child, and Kim Jong Un (a well-established despot) appearing as as the statesman and adult in the room. What hath the 30% wrought? Do we suppose the US President really communicated his petulance to Chinese and South Korean leaders, or was he too antsy to get on camera and see how the ratings would play out? The one thing I'm most grateful the DJT for is that since having taken the token oath of office, my prayer life has increased in time and quality directly proportionate to his hourly propagation of mayhem and madness.
5
I see the hand of Choi Hai-Gun and Johnny Xi Yun at work in this matter for the N Koreans. And even more plainly I see the handiwork of John Bolton stirring the pot. Trump's "Art of the Deal" is no art at all. Who else beside Trump negotiates on the front page of the N Y. Times? He is famous for not keeping his word or paying his subcontractors. "Let them sue me," Trump tells them. Trump behaves like a fool, but we fell for it.
5
Consider the reality that Trump and his cronies are in
an anxiety panic - this explains their actions, like Trump cancelling the North Korea meeting.
Does he believe that while he's out of the country that
he will be impeached or indicted?
Tyrants intend not to leave their country in the fear that they will be toppled. What fears must be in Trump's mind.
Liegate fails again.
6
I think Trump just wants the pretext to attack N. Korea.
"We tried diplomacy, but it didn't work out. I have no other choice."
7
For the record, Mike Pence's comments do not exactly echo with political savviness.
7
Who knew international diplomacy could be so hard ... wait! What? This is starting to feel like a broken record...broken record...broken record...so hard...so hard...so hard.
10
The more time Trump and Kim spend hurling personal insults back and forth at each other, the less time China has to whisper any ideas that only suit them in Kim’s ear. Call it male bonding.
3
That Nobel Prize for Peace,
turned out to be "FAKE NEWS"!
10
Looking at The Post, and The Times, The Times is much more unbiased; however, in these times I think the wiser rubric is honesty. James Madison (who I am proud to say is my 2nd cousin, five times removed), had the foresight to predict the day someone like DJT would become president. Read Federalist 10. Your well-intentioned loyalty is destroying the country you claim to love! This is the darkest period in American political history; Trump and his ilk must be relegated to the dust bin.
9
Well. Now what to do with all those handsome commemorative coins Trump had made for this special occasion? Hopefully we can sell them on the Home Shopping Network or with some kind of entertaining informercial on late night TV. The profits could totally cover the teeny little bump to our Deficit caused by the innovative Republican Tax Plan.
5
A Failed Bromance. Jesus wept. Where are the adults?
5
Trump is a chicken. He's seen the news stories about how failure would be an embarrassment. Again, like with ZTE, he's caving to the Chinese to protect his trademarks in China.
7
Who writes a letter like this? I thought there was supposed to be adult supervision in the room. This is now an official communication from the United States of America, formerly the most powerful nation on earth. It would not pass the a third grade English test. Maybe Betsy DeVos can fix that. Any American who is not embarrassed by this is not an American.
19
Well shoot, there goes the Nobel Peace Prize.
4
And, the Trump administration, via the over-stuffed Circus Clown car of GOP Incompetence, keeps barreling down the hill, faster and faster, with four flat tires and no breaks!
5
This admin is full of blockheads.
I can't think of anything more hostile and aggressive than the 'suggestion' ( threat?) that the North Korean leadership could well go the way of Muammar Gaddafi.
And meanwhile the 45th is having a conniption fit courtesy of his own dark imaginings and sick thoughts about others.
6
Totally unprofessional of trump. He's brought our country low in our eyes and the eyes of other nations. He's nothing but a petty mobster type.
6
Pence made the same stupid approach that he used during the Korean Olympics: insult and ignore the DPRK representatives. All he had to do win good will was smile and shake a hand. But no, Mr Steele and Ice together with Bolton, blew the game out of the water. Pompeo's stick-handling got skewered at the same time.
The DPRK has its own contradictions. "Dear Leader" has underlings who are now being quoted in the western press when formerly it was only Kim Jong-Un. Does that mean he does not have the total control the West seems to think he has?
In reality, the only thing that brings the DPRK to its knees is the UN Sanctions, not the political gamesmanships.
3
unfortunately is typical Trump belligerence and ignorance.
and it's really too bad that McConnell and others kow tow to trump as if the emperor can do no wrong
5
The world sees Trump as a little man who will go away soon.
Liegate fails again.
10
Between Putin and Kim, trump is their toy, batted around like a mouse between two cats.
7
He's China's toy too. They can share.
5
Well this was a success for Bolton and his Neo Con buddies. Pence must have decided to join the rapture folks and pile on with Bolton.Maybe this was a warning of what we will be facing if Trump resigns or is impeached and we have once again , Neocons running our foreign policy.
2
Who would have thought denuclearizing the Korean peninsula was so complicated???
13
Who among us ever believed this meeting would happen! Anything that has to do with sound bites or print this pathetic excuse for a president will do. Any other dope like him would have been ousted a long ago. Instead we, as Americans, are caught up with so much P.T. Barnum type behavior that has made fools of us as well as many worldwide leaders. Commonly accepted that the"president often lies". I feel like my country is being run by crooked real estate developers and who knows where we will land.
8
Botton line is that neither Trump nor Pence understand the working of the Korean Peninsula. Both of them are unteachable and arrogant. The ignorance of this administration about the international working is astounding.
10
No surprise at all. Who would be most affected by any deal with US. The KPA! The Korean Peoples Army. Who controls this Kim kid? The KPA.
1
Obviously this means President Trump's much lauded chance (by dimwitted GOP lackeys) at a Nobel Peace Prize has also been cancelled too. The probability of Trump getting a Nobel was about 0.001% anyway.
9
This is not news. This was clearly going to happen months ago. There was zero chance an actual summit would be held, and an absolute certainty that Trump would blame the other guy. Please put something we could never see coming on your front page.
6
Pulling out of the summit and saying KJU is hostile is also hostile
4
Whoa, Nelly! There goes his "piece" prize. I thought a "piece" prize would be perfect for the main who called his wife "Melanie" in a tweet last week, and tweeted "which" hunt this week.
8
(I meant to write) A summit on denulearization should be the final capstone on an extended and highly technical series of negotiations conducted by career diplomats and experts in nuclear disarmament. The positions of the US and North Korea are so far apart that a summit would have been a certain fiasco. Such a meeting must be a reward for compromise and good will shown by Kim, not a photo op for Nobel Laureate wannabes. So, it's a good thing this plan imploded before a highly risky and pointless meeting could come to pass.
2
A summit on secularization should be the final capstone on an extended and highly technical series of negotiations conducted by career diplomats and experts in nuclear disarmament. The positions of the US and North Korea are so far apart that a summit would have been a certain fiasco. Such a meeting must be a reward for compromise and good will shown by Kim, not a photo op for Nobel Laureate wannabes. So, it's a good thing this plan imploded before a highly risky and pointless meeting could come to pass.
1
Based on observations made after watching the video of trumps announcement, is there any correlation between the more pronounced white circles symptomatic of increased tanning activity and more bizarre actions on his part?
6
Trump with his fit of pique is throwing Kim the chance to be the reasonable statesman. See? A lot of Trump's stuff is just showboating to give the other guy the chance to wear the high hat. Usually in these types of situations it's always America wearing the high hat. My bet? In the fallout from all this hullabaloo the Koreas will unify.
3
This Summit has failed, and now the rest is in God’s hands. I hope he will be merciful.
He thinks he understands why "this" is taking place.
Of course he does. His gut is infallible.
Midterms, November 2018. Be there, and do something constructive.
5
There is one thing that Trump never fails to achieve. Disappoint.
As everyone knows, DJT is binary. Either win or lose. No room for substance and careful consideration of the facts, detail and course moving forward.
This is one of many train-wrecks that we all knew would exist. No sign of intelligence, sanity or credibility - just me-too diplomacy and a complete disregard for others.
Iran. Jerusalem. Democracy and international diplomacy failing, and failing fast... Not sure what another 2.5 years has to offer that could possibly be better under DJT!!??
6
Kim will cave. He’s starting now. He’s never had his bluff called before...
1
Trump shows his hand before he bluffs.
2
It really comes down to one thing: North Korea must submit to Trump. He will offer incentives to cooperate but they must cooperate. Its really not an option for them.
In the past few months, Trump has seriously harmed U.S. relations with Western Europe, South Korea, Turkey, China, and portions of the Arab world. Give the man another term in 2020 and I guarantee you he will relegate the U.S. to a minor player on the world stage. No national leader can trust this POTUS. I never thought I would live to see the day when the U.S. empire was dismantled piece by piece - and in a matter of weeks.
13
Again, the media lives in a soundbite vacuum penning commentary prior to events, comprehending nothing and reacting incessantly. Diplomacy is a process that is deliberate, strategic, yet disguised. A poker game is in progress and no cards are yet exposed.
A little more than a week ago, Kim Jong-un had canceled talks and or threatened to cancel, posturing for effect much like his father before to get the concessions to continue constructing a more formidable nuclear arsenal. The media was silent.
When Trump calls the bluff and leaves the table he remains the player with the winning hand yet is content to collect later while sanctions remain in place. Now Kim slinks away from the table having lost the media glow and he will flounder with nothing to show except a collapsed missile launch site and three prisoners released. The game will resume as gullibility is no longer in play except with the media.
1
yes, and -- to what effect? Trump has tactics, but what's the strategy?
3
It was pre-ordained. Kim was never going to travel to Singapore. For one, he hates flying. For two, he would not leave his position in Korea vulnerable during his absence. For three Singapore is right next door to Malaysia where there is a murder trial going on after his half brother was poisoned. There was a likelihood, however, small that he would actually be arrested and interred at the request of the Malaysians. How the American diplomats did not know or take into account these basic facts is a mystery or pure incompetence. As soon as Singapore was announced as the venue it was a given that the talks would not take place.
7
I think number of U.S. administrations have been short sighted about their dealings with North Korea. They should have been working on the reunification of the two Koreas to create economically and militarily powerful nation state, the United States of Korea, which would create regional balance of power to other regimes in the area, like China. Washington was helpful in this exercise when it came to the reunification of a European country, Germany (“Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall”). Unfortunately, all they see is another Asian power with nuclear options and they rush to offer them the Libya model. Perhaps it is not as bad as we think that they opted to keep their nukes. They know the history of the world and they remember the United States is the only power that ever used nuclear power in Asia during the Second War (incidentally, the atomic bomb was used against Asians, in Japan, but not the European country, Germany, Trump’s ancestral homeland, that started the war). They are not stupid like the current occupant of the White House who doesn’t listen to experts, doesn’t read history, and is busy ruining the image of a country and a people who used be admired around the globe.
2
Germany was reunited, when the people there rose up and in a moment of confusion the regime folded and opened the gates.
The West-German constitution was written that East-German states could join one by one the Federal Republic - and they did.
The US played a minor role in it - but yes, all four powers had to agree. France was the biggest obstacle, fearing a dominant Germany. They got the EURO and the first EU expansion as a token.
He canceled before Kim Jong-un did. So he could say he canceled the meeting. Pure and simple.
6
The blame for this fiasco falls entirely on Mr. Bolton and the VP Pence. What US did in Libya was not right, and you --in this day and time--talk about that as the ploy to get North Korea. A no no by any means! Now it will be a Blessing in Disguise if both the Koreas seat down and on their own work for the unification of that Nation and People.
7
Mr. Trump called the canceled summit meeting a “tremendous setback” for North Korea and the world. But he's the only person responsible for cancelling it. Does he think the American public will fall for his faulty logic?
4
The Trumpoon 30% will fall for anything. Remember, gross ignorance is 144 Trump supporters.
2
This is part of the negotiating dance. It will take a little more time but will probably happen.
Interestingly, I'm pretty sure that the North Koreans got rid of nothing by blowing up the facility and tunnel entrances.
They had nowhere near the resources that the US had for the Manhattan Project, as well as the follow-on production of fissile materials and delivery platforms. We ended up with an incredible array of contamination problems, despite our resources, There're are dozens of locations both domestically, and abroad (think Bikini Atoll), that have still not cleaned them up today.
The problem is way, way worse in the former states of the USSR. The French did it in French Polynesia, and the British dd it in Australia.
I definitely believe the North Koreans believe that their site had become so contaminated, that they sealed the tunnels, and destroyed the above ground facilities, because they're no longer of any use. They definitely don't have anywhere near the money to clean up the mess, which will definitely make it's way into the groundwater and nearby environs.
Additionally, it's possible they may have created a new problem, in that they've widened the zone of contamination by ejecting some of the radioactive materials, via the explosive event(s), into the atmosphere.
So where was the winning part of "the deal" for the US? As I said in my last post, They have shown their Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) technology in parades, and in their propaganda. They have everything they need, and now all that's changed is that it's decentralized.
We're winning! Yay!
6
This whole conversation was started and is being led by Kim. All moves by the U.S. have been in response to Kim's moves. While Kim remains a crazed dictator, he has clearly changed the perception of his murderous regime by blowing up what is supposed to be a nuclear facility (who knows if it really is) and releasing the 3 Americans (who had done nothing wrong from the start anyway).
But it started by putting up what the Japanese were calling the "smile diplomacy" led by Kim's propaganda chief and younger sister at the Winter Olympics.
The world is now hoodwinked. The onus was on Trump to be the bigger player. He fell right into the North Korean trap. Trump even believed that a Nobel Peace Prize may be on the table. The Chinese saw the "political foolishness" of Trump and jumped in on the game and got a few favorable moves in for themselves (reducing tensions on trade negotiations while giving Kim power to be more forceful).
As Trump cancels the summit meeting, he now looks like the lesser of the two men. He was led into this with his eyes wide shut. Turns out that the previous presidents were not so silly in being extra careful in dealing with Kim.
5
North Korea released US hostages in the build up to the summit. Now that US got the hostages and photo op, of course they'll cancel the summit. Once again proving the US to be an unreliable school yard bully.
3
No surprise. When I read last week that he was asking his advisers if it was wise to meet with Kim I told my wife that he was getting cold feet. After all, we only had his word how great a negotiator he is, and we know that we can take that to the bank. So he turns loose the three stooges, Bolton, Pence and Pompeo, to blow the thing up.The one thing we can be sure of with bullies is that they are cowards.
5
What are South Korea and Japan to make of this? Japan probably is somewhat happy that the summit is not taking place since now there is no risk that the United States will trade its presence in Northeast Asia in return for Kim's nukes. Nor will the United States now threaten to leave Japan on its own to face down China and North Korea after signing a peace treaty to end the Korean war. On the other hand, Japan will have to continue to live with the threat of North Korean nukes for the foreseeable future.
What happens if the Chinese instruct the North Koreans to offer the South Koreans a sweet deal, without the participation of Japan and the United States? Will the South Koreans be willing to accept political neutrality in return for Kim's nukes? That would certainly be in China's interest.
From the beginning there has been a belief that North Korea might be acting at China's instruction to try to drive a wedge between the United States and its allies. We can also never be sure 100% whether North Korea has abandoned its desire to unify the Korean peninsula on its terms.
Nevertheless, I feel that it is a real shame that apparently nothing is going to come of this peace overture. It means that North Korea will remain a nuclear power and the threat of war will continue to hang in the air in Asia for the foreseeable future.
If we can't get a country to give up their nukes and also can't attack a country for having them, then other countries will follow suit.
1
I think Moon will pursue his own deal having realized America can’t be counted on for anything.
4
Apparently it was the other guy, not Trump, playing three-dimensional chess this time.
Could be he needs to search a little beyond the deplorables that got us into the disastrous Iraq War for his foreign affairs brain trust.
2
I would feel better if the Divided States of America would let another country deal with NK.
Clearly this type of agreement is way over trumps head.
More winning?
3
This qoute from a corrupt republican legislator in Kentucky, who was fortunately defeated in the primary election, sums it up:
"What I have observed, since I became involved in politics, is that Republicans do just fine by criticizing when someone else is in power ... but when they get in power, they cannot govern," Morgan said. "And the reason they can't govern is because they're consumed with self power."
Trump can't negotiate like a diplomat because it would infuriate his base, and he is more concerned with self power, than avoiding a nuclear conflict.
5
It is utter insanity that so much depends upon the whims of any two individuals, let alone these two.
5
The Great Trumpini outconned by another con man.
Of course, the fool-in-chief has to fess up to his limitations as a president and deal-maker!
3
The South Korean President was in the US as recent as last Tuesday, to meet with our POTUS. As this article points out, the SK president was in shock to learn about the cancellation of the proposed Summit with North Korea.
South Korea deserves much credit for laying the foundation, to pave the way for a possible Summit between the US and North Korea. Yet, it looks like SK was not consulted or advised regarding the intention to cancel the Summit. This does not look like a healthy way to treat one of our key allies in the Korean peninsula.
1
They didn’t know who they were dealing with. Or were overly hopeful trump was actually president.
1
SK has just learned it is alone in this. Just like Europe.
1
The reason N Korea decided to come to the bargaining table after all these years is that they knew they were going to be dealing with this current bunch of dodos in the WH. They were sure they were going to get over on these incompetents.
6
There are some very angry people in Stockholm. After spending all that time preparing the Nobel Peace Prize for the Donald only to learn the Donald doesn't understand a crazy old concept called diplomacy. Of course some of the blame can be shared by Kim who is obviously super sensitive about Mike "I'm dumber than my boss" Pence threatening to kill him.
9
The White House Gift Shop website just crashed because so many people are getting their now heavily-discounted shame coins!
5
thank god. I was holding my breath for this moment. With his unpredictable behavior - coupled with insatiable appetite for melodrama and attention-grubbing posture - Trump would have been played like a booba by the young NK leader.
In public, kim Jong Un would stoke Trump's overinflated ego - while will all watch Trump giggle. Then, behind closed door play the tough guy and extort such concession which no US official would even dream to grating to NK.
2
Does this mean we can do the Mueller interview tomorrow now?
5
Now is the time for Mueller to make his move on Trump.
He can no longer say that he’s too busy preparing for a “summit” with North Korea to be bothered with testifying before a grand jury.
Go after him right now. What else has he got to do besides the golf course and Mar a Lago.
8
Oh please. All these intelligent assessments. Is he strategizing, or isn't he? Who didn't know this is the way this farce would and SHOULD end. He doesn't even want to read the PDB. The two of them (Trump and Pence) are way out of their league. We are not safe.
Somebody, recycle the coins.
The other bird he killed with this "pull-out" is cover for the giant Constitutional crisis he created pitching a fake hissy over the FBI's attempt to ultimately save HIS CAMPAIGN from Russian meddling! "Spygate", indeed. What a farce. Sorry, but I think the term's only going to be used by his patsys over at Fox News.
Why aren't we in the streets?
9
Whether the North wants to be recognized as a nuclear weapons nation is unclear because it contradicts what the North was proposing. But it is certain from the beginning that they want a peace treaty ending the war, some help for building economy (from the US as well as the South and Japan), eventual withdrawal of US forces from the Korean Peninsula and visible reductions of the US forces in Japan and Japan's air force. Which are very reasonable and welcome for ourselves. This move shows Trump was not ready for this.
2
This is not an example of a foreign policy gamble that didn't work. It's an example of an ego-insecure President who first pondered aloud that he might win a Nobel prize and then worried that he would look the fool. On balance, North Korea did little that was unsettling or hostile and much that was putting the right foot forward. It was Vice-President Pence's incredibly stupid and hostile statement implying that Kim could be assassinated like Qaddafi that caused a demeaning, not hostile, comment from North Korea. It was Trump's ego that caused him to jump at the opportunity to meet with Kim and then in the end caused him to get cold feet and pull out. As always with Trump, it has nothing to do with substance and everything to do with how he sees something impacting him personally.
4
Our hostile president does not like hostility from others?
5
Never was going to happen. The senior of the two clown bullies flinched.
2
There Trump goes up/down the stairs holding TIGHTLY to the handrail.
Dummy IS past his due date.
2
I believe Trump made the following mistakes:
1) Failure to demand release of US hostages as a precondition to talks, putting our people at the mercy of Kim. Fortunately Kim let them go.
2) Impulsively agreeing to talks without thinking about what he didn't know. Like how complex disarmament is. Like how PDRK has calculated mood swings towards a goal compared to his unhinged mood swings.
3) Over reliance on South Korea (ROK) for advice when he should have competent staff to do the same.
4) Thinking his bombast made Kim want to talk. Trump didn't scare Kim into stopping his nuclear program. Kim kept going until he got a credible nuclear program. Now he has nukes so Kim has an advantage at the table. PDRK nukes are what made talks possible.
5) Failure to realize disarmament isn’t possible without a strict and invasive inspection and monitoring protocol by IAEA. Doubt he even bothered to talk to them to figure out the requirements.
6) Failure to restrain Bolton and Pence with their “Libya model” bombast, implying Kim could wind up like Quaddafi. Message discipline is clearly lacking and it’s unrealistic to think an undisciplined Trump can control his own subordinates. This is the first time ever I’m forced to agree with PDRK Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui that Pence’s remarks were “ignorant and stupid.”
It’s better talks are cancelled. Way too many unknowns especially in what one side expects of the other.
3
It's not over until it's over.
2
If for no other reason Trump should still go on the trip to see the DMZ. It’s served as a pretty impenetrable barrier for seventy years and it may give him some ideas for here at home. He can blow an air kiss to Kim as he passes by.
It appears that Kim got rid of some nuclear facility today.
Is it smart, on the same day, to be boasting about America's nuclear capabilities.
Unless this was a keen bargaining maneuver, it smacks of bad faith.
4
Another fumbling of the football by amateur Trump and Co. Missed opportunity to get out in front of China and Russia in this contested part of the world. Trump and the guys he's got around him don't have a clue except how to threaten - no nuance, lateral thinking or clear headed strategy behind anything they do in foreign policy. Trouble is, anyone qualified has long since declared themselves unavailable for Trump duty.
10
If this performance by Pence is a sample of what we can expect if he ever becomes president, then we're still in deep, deep trouble even if the results of the Mueller investigation eventually culminate in an impeachment.
13
not ready for prime time, at least in the democratic, free, western world and/or Election posturing.
7
Trump wrote a letter? That’s more than 140 characters! I’m sure someone else wrote it for him. That’s more than his little vocabulary can take!
8
You begin this article by calling attention to something highly unusual in Trump's letter to Kim Jong-un canceling their meeting. What you say is worth calling more attention to.
You say towards the beginning of the article that Trump made his "announcement in a remarkably personal, at times mournful-sounding letter to Mr. Kim, North Korea’s leader." The letter to Kim should be read and reread. For Trump, everything is personal. Everything. He doesn't exist outside that.
8
A little off subject here, but I do have to point out that he is looking extra "orange-y" today (isn't he ??). At least the protective eye goggles for the tanning bed are effective, eh ?
9
If it is acceptable to Trump to stop a process because of attitude: Stop The Music.
These are bargaining maneuvers on both sides, not unlike what goes on in the construction, real-estate, and dictatorship businesses.
Think Kim will trump Trump or is he merely an apprentice?
4
President Trump knows what he is doing. One, you are not just dealing with North Korea. You are dealing with China the supporter, and Russia the Rocket adviser. Both China and Russia have an ally in Kim, they like to frustrate the US for its free trade and democratic agenda. Two, you have to give North Korea a strong reason to negotiate. Life or death. Start from a simple point of reference. Trump never threw off the sanctions on NK; he knew from the beginning this was going to be a long and difficult process. The fan fair is over. Now the negotiations begin in earnest in front of everyone.
2
It seemed apparent from the start of this diplomatic charade that neither Trump nor Kim Jung-un were capable of making such a potentially historic detente and both were seeking reason to cancel a meeting for which neither was prepared or equipped.
4
This man is so predictable. First he takes credit for making peace with North Korea, bragging about being the only president to hold a summit. Then reality sets in and the realization he's going to get his clock cleaned so he cancels. Now he will be taking credit for saving America from dark forces - of his own creation - yet again, e.g., set fire to the building then brag about putting out the fire.
He does absolutely nothing but bluster and calls it a win. Yes, Mr. Trump, we are really tired of winning.
9
Hey, Trump wasn't planning on the meeting in the first place. Just another attention getter to keep him in the spotlight.
3
Trump's letter would get a fail on any english composition exam or grammar test, it would raise eyebrows and serious questions of fitness to serve in any group of psychologists/psychiatrists, it would get a fail in any dispute resolutuion or international relations program, it would result in instant rejection of its author in an application for employment by the State department. And Trump is proud of it, it represents him too a tee.
8
Another excellent argument for giving all presidential candidates a written civil service exam. Trump would have disqualified himself before the primaries even took place.
So this process has not played out yet.We have no intention of bombing NK and NK has no intention of making us bomb NK.One big poker bluff going on at this point and with the sanctions in place NK is getting squeezed.Problem is that it will be hard for NK to give up their nukes and hard for the US to make a real deal.Stay tuned.
My head is still spinning from a comment Trump made two days ago when he said that “ he would guarantee Kim’s safety”
Apparently Kim was worried that he’d get knocked off if he left his own country. But Trump will guarantee his safety??
Does he not know that this man kills at random and with sick vengeance.
And not one word from Congress or the media.
How can he get away with saying and doing these things.
Where is the bottom?
2
From the start, the summit was doomed to fail (or not take place). Trump thought he could score a quick win, by bullying Kim into accepting whatever the US dictated.
This is a master piece in failed diplomacy.
The summit should have included (at least) South Korea and Japan. But then I guess the credit would not have gone to Trump alone.
Next, you don't have advisers suggesting a Libya solution, not exactly boosting confidence in North Korea. Then you pull out of the Iran deal, demonstrating that even a written agreement is not adhered to by this administration.
Last, but not least, the letter which was probably dictated by a third grader is the icing on the cake. Trump complains about Kim calling Pence and Bolton names. I guess the insults hurled at Kim by Trump were far worse. Trump cancels the deal, and then asks Kim to call him if he wants to have the summit. Hello? Who called off the summit?
It just shows that a) this government can't be trusted b) this president does not know how to make a deal c) it's not really about peace in Korea, it's more about his glory
The US has hit rock bottom!
5
Congress should get Trump should work on the anger and hostility HE emits. Let's start there to open peaceful dialogue with anyone. Sigh.
3
Playing to 'The Apprentice' script again.
2
One radio commentator said (correctly) that the letter was surprisingly polite for Mr. Trump. He added that in fact it was the most polite threat of thermonuclear annihilation he had ever heard.
Let's be quite clear. Kim would never actually give up his nukes and ballistic missiles (though North Korea might, again, agree to a treaty that it had no plans to follow). We all knew that, including Trump. But Trump's latest move is very dangerous. He has made Kim, a spoiled brat with nuclear weapons, lose a LOT of face. If Kim had called off the meeting, it would have just been normal behavior. Now Kim must do something to strike back at us.
4
On the contrary, Kim gained a lot of face. He made unilateral moves to show good faith intentions on his side and what did he get in return, nothing but reminders of what happened in Libya after Kadafi gave up his nuclear ambitions. He got rid of a sensible and knowledgeable NSA and replaced him with strike-'em-before - they= can =strike Bolton. He showed he had no intentions of keeping his word on anything and he's never going to negotiate in good faith. He doesn't know the meaning of the words.
2
Marvant, who you callin' a spoiled brat?
Hostile statements? Hilarious. Incompetence rules in Trumpland.
21
While cancelling the meeting was the right thing to do, amateurish missteps by the Trump Administration created an environment in which success was impossible, thus leading to the cancellation.
The litany of missteps ranges from Bolton's early enthusiasm for the "Libya model" that ultimately led to Qaddafi being impaled with a bayonet to Trump shifting his tone wildly day to day from flattery that bordered on the obsequious to belligerent threats. Add to that the entire Trump Administration's penchant for publicly jumping, without any basis, from an agreement to discuss an issue to a complete agreement on the Administration's desired outcome.
It is good that Trump left the door open to future talks with North Korea. Now if only he would leave the door open to involving genuine U.S. diplomatic and North Korea experts in the process.
8
Who would that be...there are no experts left. 60-70% of the experienced diplomatic corp have retired early or resigned.
9
Trump is simply too afraid to meet with Kim.
Can you imagine him eating food at the summit?
He's so paranoid about being poisoned in the U.S. he prefers to eat from random fast food joints.
11
This doesn’t change anything. North Korea holds no leverage. They are desperately poor and have a nuke they will not use unless they are mortally threatened. The weaker party to a negotiation does not have space to make threats and continue hostile behavior
@ Thomas
Are you serious? No leverage? Nukes and thousands of artillery pieces aimed at Seoul. Trump was punked by the weaker party. LOL
15
It really doesn’t matter to Un how “powerless” his nation is. He has nukes and a foolish buffoon in Trump who doesn’t understand one blessed thing about North Korea. Un will continue to maintain the upper hand in any and all negotiations until Trump starts delegating power amongst his ship of fools to negotiate in his behalf and...um... when he decides to read a history book.
Bullies usually back down when they meet a stronger force.
9
Face it — this summit was really a distraction stunt by Trump to shift focus from his failing administration. The "Libya" comments by Bolton and Pence were meant as provocation to torpedo the talks as they got closer. Trump got the optics he wants — the jilted peacemaker — but in reality he was just working another con on the American people.
22
TRUMP: “The Libyan model isn’t the model we have at all. In Libya we decimated that country.
There was no deal to keep Gadhafi .
That model would take place if we don’t make a deal [with Kim Jong Un].”
May 17, 2018: Trump’s press-statement at the White House. Trump threatening Kim with the Libyan model was a failed attempt at “The Art of the Deal”.
2
The war is between South Korea and North Korea, so the important peace talks/meetings must be between South Korea and North Korea, while USA and President Trump should be totally irrelevant!
USA must stop being involved in every conflict around the world! USA is the big problem against world peace!
3
Nobel prize... so close!
13
Put it next to the Emmy.
I may be becoming a bit paranoid from watching too much “Fair and Balanced” Fox News and contrasting MSNBC TV. I have come to fear somewhat that this June 12 summit cancellation may have been carefully planned and staged from the start by Trump to make Kim Jung Un look bad and Trump look good.
When I look at the restricted published facts, as I understand them, serious questions are raised. Knowing the hermit kingdom’s traditional fear of outsiders, particularly Americans, and Kim Jung Un’s dread of a coup, why would Trump fan these fears by expecting N. Korea to quietly trust him while he had: 1. Fired recently the centrist Tillerson; 2. Just hired the well-known hawks Pompeo and Bolton; 3. Permitted lately Bolton and Pence to suggest similar outcomes for Libyan and Korean denuclearization; and, 4. Asked Kim Jung Un to travel abroad and attend a meeting in Singapore, effectively the same region where Kim Jung Un allegedly had his half-brother assassinated in last year?
Let’s pray that the implied answer to these Machiavellian questions is wrong, and this talk of a summit and its cancellation wasn’t merely a pretense by Trump to achieve his foreign policy objectives through the possible use of military force, including nuclear weapons. Trump would have to be some sort of a psychopath for this hypothesis to be true. Alternatively, let’s all hope that I am simply becoming overly suspicious here from say watching too much cable television.
7
King Jong Un’s brother was killed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Singapore’s a different country. It’s like saying don’t travel to Canada because it’s close to the U.S.
You're giving Trump waaaaay too much credit. He's not smart enough to plan something complex like you laid out. Rather, he only reacts on impulse, with limited understanding of (or regard for) facts.
The real explanation is much simpler: Kim started wooing Trump, knowing that they could play him like the fool he is; either Trump would give away the store just to get an ego-stroking "win," or Kim could pretend to be civil and mature while Trump messed up everything. Trump believed (narcissistically) that he could pull of an easy win. Then he realized that it wasn't going to be as easy as he thought; he got cold feet, and flinched. Pence and Bolton opened their bellicose mouths, which Trump couldn't resist echoing in order to not look like the weakling that he is. In the end, Kim totally outsmarted and outmaneuvered Trump.
It's that simple.
The whole thing was to take the heat off the Stormy Daniels affair. He needed a distraction.
1
please cancel your entire Presidency. reverse everything that has happened and go directly to jail!
30
Any objective observer has to admit that, compared to other nation's heads, Trump appears the most poorly informed, the most empty, the least aware of the state of things, the least able to understand. When you hear the Canadian prime minister speak, the British prime minister, France's president, Germany's president, even N. Korea's head of state, you have a sense that they know what is going on, understand the details, have a thought-out strategy, have people underneath them who have considered and analyzed the issues. With Trump, you have none of that. Trump is just a guy who thinks he is "winning" if he gets a relatively minor concession on hostages from a ruthless nuclear dictator, who throws diplomacy aside when he feels personally insulted, has no sense of professionalism or duty to the people of this country. He is at best an ordinary person who occupies an extraordinary position, has extraordinary responsibility, and fails to recognize that and fails to elevate his game, his outlook in response to that position and responsibility. He still binges on television, plays golf instead of attending to his responsibilities, deprives himself of sufficient sleep to perform ANY job, let alone the job he has. We are in deep trouble with Trump in office, and that fact manifests itself every time he speaks.
31
Or tweets (or an aide or Hannity writes a tweet for him).
Trump is bullying a narcissistic bully.
Let's be honest, this plays to his expertise.
DPRK has nothing to gain by using nuclear weapons, and everything to lose.
I'm no great Trump fan, but everyone has skills and here for once he is actually playing to his strength.
Donald Trump does not operate in the same world most of us do. In a way, I think Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump are soulmates. They both live in propaganda dimensions, where publicity and attention are everything, and achievement and honor mean nothing.
19
Except that the DPRK is an authoritarian dictatorship and the U.S. is an emerging dictatorship.
1
Our President*, with an asterisk, boots another one. Having a State Department might avoid these embarrassments. The President* should think about getting one.
6
Kim and Trump are not going anywhere for a long time. This is just posturing in a long negotiation. Trump is right to pull out when Kim is playing him like he did previous Presidents who worry about their own optics more than our Nation. Kudo's to Trump who did the right thing even though the left/liberals will attack him at home based on the optics that does not look good.
How much more of this do we have to endure? I’m exhausted.
24
There are best practices that should be adhered as the roadmaps for successful negotiations and problem resolutions. Sadly, Trump is all about the cult of personality.
2
Well played, Kim. You beat him at his own game. You must of read his book, The Art of the Deal, thoroughly. This reminds me of Patton beating Rommel at his own game because he reportedly read Rommel's "Infantry Attacks" for understanding how the man thinks.
4
An other president would have succeded. Not this one. His supporters find solace in his chronic failings. I don't!
4
Vice President Pence, obviously has serious religious ideas that are wrapped up in warped views related to foreign policy. His statements were worse than just ignorance, but put the leader of North Korea on defense, and uncertainty, in believing that this administration is no different than President Obama on October 20, 2011, who hailed Gaddafi's death, in Libya. Even Vice President Joe Biden described this model as one for the future in relation to Bashar Al Assad. These statements were reported in the Guardian. That said, it proves that honestly dealing with foreign policy, prevention, and not politicizing anything, and having military men making the decisions weren't done at all. If we are honest, from 2000 until now, this period has been some of the most dangerous, and destructive foreign policy by America, causing millions of deaths, millions of refugees, and using trillions of borrowed money. Even President Obama admitted that not planning for the overthrow of Gaddafi was his worst political mistake, no, it wasn't, as it was letting his overthrow, and death happen in the first place. We really need someone who is probably over the age of 90, still alive, to write a piece about America's foreign policy disasters in the last almost 2 decades. Then, maybe those former Presidents, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, could learn something. Trump is never going to learn anything, at all, but I won't hold my breath, that the other two will learn either.
1
Too bad The Donald didn't try Barack Obama's clever strategy when faced with the possible loss of a deal and legacy he really wanted to make -- such as with Iran. The old groveling and begging trick. Of course, Obama would never describe this sure-proof technique in those terms. He'd describe it more as "respecting equities and assuming a non-threatening stance."
"... xxx yyyy, citing a flurry of hostile statements from North Korea, pulled out of a highly anticipated summit meeting with Kim Jong-un on Thursday, telling the North Korean leader “this missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.”
What's "sad" is two dictators (one weak and one strong) competing with each other. As with "its" failed and bankrupted real estate messes and despite the obvious monetary losses since the tax returns were never publicly displayed any bullying tactic with a stronger dictator without diplomacy would be doomed.
I don't care why the coins of success of a mission bound to fail were printed in advance other than, once again, the autocrat had to prove to its base "mission accomplished" using the 99% taxpayers' dollars. The rest of us knew it was going to be as effective as everything else done to kill America. That, perhaps was the ultimate goal like everything else it has done.
1
Where's the hostility coming from?
Where are the examples of North Korea's "hostility."
Trump and Pompeo making demands of North Korea. which were nothing short of insulting.
South Korea and North Korea have been working on a deal. South Korea's president was elected for wanting to bring peace between the two Koreas.
Peace is not Trump's idea, never has been. It's about domination.
Trump is isolating America by diminishing its role and integrity in foreign relations. Whether supposed enemies or long-time allies, Trump is about giving them the finger.
You'd almost think he was working for Putin to make America weaker. The only thing sadder is a Republican party that doesn't care.
5
Trump even knows (with counseling) that he is woefully uninformed on the topic of nuclear disarmament in addition to the fact that his State Dept has NO ONE capable of negotiating anyone at this level.
3
What can be expected of a grown man who still thinks like a child in the school playground?
8
It is truly incredible that Americans are still sitting back and allowing this Dark Comedy to go on for so long. Some time ago I heard tell and sung that the Free and the Brave has made America their home. Where are they ? Have they all emigrated ?
6
Amateur hour at the WH on the international stage. How embarrassing. Doubtful, though, that our supreme leader has the understanding (ie knowledge) or ability for introspection to know how foolish he and those around him look.
That Trump did not extend the simple courtesy or possess the awareness to even notify Japan or South Korea before making his letter public is unforgivable. They are our ALLIES, for Pete's sake. This omission has made President Moon look a fool, too.
This is what happens when our country is led by a bunch of know-it-all bobbleheads.
There is a reason why past administrations have surrounded themselves with experts who gave informed advice and whose advice informed and guided decisions.
5
"Tremendous" anger and hostility? Oh my god, he does write his own official correspondence. Now that is another scary thought....
6
If there were a Nobel Prize for hubris, idiocy and naivete, Trump would definitely win. This effort might have succeeded with long planning, expertise and great care. But no. |It was all splash and dash, and MAGA-head rah rah garbage--just like everything else Trump does. He can blame Kim all he likes, but the blame is all his, and this time he can't try to sluff off the failure onto Obama or Hillary or Congressional Democrats. Not that he won't try! I am waiting for the tweet storms trying to show how the Mueller investigation undermined his stellar diplomacy.
11
What will you haters say when NKorea comes back to the table and gives in to Trump?
1
You haven’t figured it out yet apparently.
3
It's already happening as we speak. Kim already blinked.
1
It will never happen. Unless China decides its in her best interests.
2
"Open hostility."
Is Trump talking about himself?
12
I truly believe that the only way the civilized world will make any inroads into North Korea is when it’s current dynastic regime departs in body bags. They will only be able to keep the real world out for so long. Information always finds a way
This is a mess. But on the bright side, the President has the time now to immefiately sit down with Robert Mueller's investigators.
8
He won't do that either, as I wouldn't bet in that happening!
Congratulations. Now we are playing poker on millions of life in South Korea and Japan.
6
Is Trump plotting to cancel the 2020 elections in America?
5
President Trump canceled because he knew he was in way over his head. He doesn't know the first thing about diplomacy. He couldn't negotiate his way out of a wet paper bag.
11
Yo Donald, you promised us over and over we'd all be sooo tired of winning. I'm exhausted, Donald, exhausted of you.
14
The Great Dealmaker. Haven't seen one yet.......
4
He didn’t cancel it, Kim canceled it. And, let’s face it, it was never going to happen anyway. Kim got what he wanted, a world stage, better, more productive relations with South Korea and China, and we got—nothing. Well, lots more embarrassment, a clear
understanding that no one in the WH knows anything about diplomacy, and lots of stupid-looking commemorative
coins.
10
If only President Trump had bothered to read the briefing notes on the PRK before getting a woody over the prospect of a Nobel Peace Prize.
12
So basically, trump blundered into a summit after roughly the level of planning your average crackhead indulges in before they knock over a convenience store, yelled at the State Department for a couple weeks, undercut his own people, became dimly aware that the whole thing was gonna make him look bad, and blew up the whole thing.
Without, of course, talking to South Korea or Japan, let alone the poor schnooks currently reporting from the DPRK.
Then he wrote a self-serving letter with lots of Impressive Language, and the rationalizing and alibi-spewing began.
Great. This'll go well.
6
"There was almost a jilted tone in Mr. Trump’s message. . ." Yup. A rejected 6th grader whining, "I broke up with him FIRST."
6
NK watchers predicted this summit would never happen. Kim made Trump dance like the marionette he is. How embarrassing to have to call this amateur “President”.
3
As classy as the conceited braggart knows he's about to be dumped so he breaks up with his girlfriend first. And as unsurprising.
6
Of the myriad reasons that Trump should be removed from office, this is #1. He is a dangerous incompetent, who threatens the lives of millions of people.
There are many who praise Reagan's "crazy man" tactic, and credit that with stopping the USSR's expansion and eventual dismantling, but Trump is a whole 'nother level of unstable. At least Reagan had seasoned people surrounding him, but all Trump has are sycophants and pretenders, who are no match for his breathtaking lack of knowledge of history and the world.
Can the Republicans in Congress be so partisan and stupid as to allow this man to continue to sit at the head of the most lethal military arsenal in history? Sadly, I believe the answer is yes, and we will all continue to be held hostage by this unstable, megalomaniac until he's removed from office, or he dooms us all.
5
Trump played expertly by North Korea....couldn’t see this coming a mile away...Trump should re-read his book....
1
Donald is taking his ball and going home. So there, Kim!
4
Talking to N Korea in the first place was only out of courtesy.. What’s the worst thing that the world can do to America? Force it back to self-sufficiency? That’s what made it great in the first place. Doh!
Trump is being advised to switch hit as a means of feeling out the bigger picture, which has not been easy to grasp. During exclusive war at sea games with allies, the Navy has issued a DARPA update revealing new radar capabilities, along with advances in cyber technology and electronics pertaining to laser weapons. The report was quite bold in its timing, which was immediately followed by breaking off the summit. This will hamper any intentions of recovery and be attributed to Bolton's influence.
I fire you before you fire me. Narcissism at its very dangerous worst.
4
The best solution was to air attack NoKo2 decades ago.
This photo and others: Trump looks older, more tired and less in command of his faculties day to day. This one, with Zero Pence looking over his left shoulder, should remind us all of the peril we're in.
9
I liked the letter. Trump said they both wanted change and both made mistakes that could end up being bad for everyone but the door is still open.
Trump could still win the Nobel for negotiating peace amoung the disperate groups of white nationalists!
3
the stupid remarks by administration apparatchiks were certainly not the only reason for the almost predictable end to this charade, but they certainly were a significant factor.
1
"North Koreans stood up White House advance team in Singapore"
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/24/nkoreans-stood-white-ho...
2
This all began with John Bolton's carelessly stupid and reckless comment that the Trump Admin will be guided by the "Libya model."
If Bolton was really serious, we must also condemn Mike Pence repeating the same outrageously stupid statement.
7
This would be amusing if it weren't such a serious conflict. I'll give Trump this: he knows when he's being outplayed and when his lieutenants have overplayed their hands and in effect sandbagged him and gummed up the works. He's bowing out of a "deal" he knows he can't get, with a great downside potential to publicly look very, very bad, which is Trump's bete noire.
North Korea's rhetoric is distasteful, but its truth is irrefutable in calling Pence "a political dummy" and Bolton "rude human scum" with a "psychopathological condition." And NK paid very close attention to Pompeo's pompous and gratuitous belligerence on Iran.
This tempestuous tricycle troika seems to be itching for an Armageddon on the Korean peninsula, Pence and Pompeo as religious practice for their desired Middle East conflagration, and Bolton for his own hotheaded megalomania, but to me they indeed personify "Yankee running dogs."
7
Have we heard Pence or Pompeo lately? From their recent comments prior to the meeting, it makes me think they were boycotting the entire process. Perhaps this was a photo op only or we are just witnessing another diplomatic and political blunder by the Trump administration.
3
The fundamental question is why North and South Korea need American involvement at all. They are independent countries who can decide their own fates. One of the biggest issues is that North Korea will want the US troops out of South Korea but the US will want to remain - not so much because of North Korea but because of China, The President of South Korea can order them out of course. The Koreans do not want to be another battleground in a proxy war between China and the us; 65 years ago they were the victims in the proxy war between US and Russia.
9
So depressing to see such a dismally written and grammatically awkward letter written on White House letterhead. I very much look forward to? The last sentence of the first paragraph was pure Trump—all chest beating braggadocio about his big nukes.
10
Read this as "What! No Nobel Prize! Cancel!"
4
Pence, a political dummy? Ok.
4
If the Nobel Peace Prize went to Trump it would also have to go to Kim. Which would make Tom Lehrer crawl into a cave and never come back out.
6
trump's excuse for not admitting his failure is North Korea's accurate description of Pence. I'm just surprised that there is a somewhat, diplomatic, though ridiculous, letter with trump's name on it. oh, and send trump the bill for those ridiculous coins.
9
When is congress stepping in to say that the greatest nation on earth (the U.S., for any who are understandably confused at this point) is not a war-mongering nation of bullies and dim-wits, but one of diplomacy and justice? How can anyone holding office not speak up before the country goes down with this ill-informed, mean-spirited, selfish fool?
13
How is this news? It's now mostly officially a non-event that was never likely to happen.
It's just Lucy and the football (NK) playing a sucker (Trump).
8
Once again Trump has shown he can be outwitted by a broken lawnmower and the US is humiliated.
13
This is not surprising at all. Trump will insult, bully, bloviate and threaten his opponent in the hopes they will yield. When they do not, Trump folds and walks away, excuses at the ready. He is incapable of 'manning-up.' He has no shame because he believes in nothing.
13
Like it was HIS idea and initiative to begin with. . . Trump is a colossal fraud.
15
Angriest man ever. No wonder no one wants to meet with our president.
10
Least surprising "surprise" EVER! It pains me to say this, but this Administration is a joke. GOP, this is on you.
13
This is what winning looks like:
1) Choke NK economy via sanctions
2) have Kim Jong Un give up hostages
3) have Kim Jong Un blow up nuclear test site
4) Give up nothing and re-assert leverage
Trump decimates ISIS, gets leverage on NK and Iran and the world keeps on turning. Sure beats Obama/Clinton foreign policy (fake red lines and billions of cash to Iran).
1
There goes the Trump nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Sad.
3
Apparently Kim Jong-un wasn't interested in being partners with Donald Trump on a Trump Tower in Pyongyang.
12
So Pence is calling the shots now. Good to know.
2
The cancellation is Trump prempting not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
oops, here goes the Nobel prize. But as everyone knows, Nobel is fake prize and anyway it is not worth the great leader Trump. Perhaps we should have a real prize, Fox News prize or something like that, that can be given to Trump.
4
Our Fearless Leader found out that, in order to not be made to look stupid in a meeting with Kim, he'd have to actually study about N. Korea's nuclear capabilities and the history between our nations. Rapid thumb to cancel button.
11
One can understand why any reference to Libya would be considered an insult. Quidaffi signed an agreement and several years later he was raped and murdered by rebels with support from the US. Not the world event you remind any dictator of.
6
OK....so Trump says: I have cancelled the summit meeting, but if you change your mind and want to have it, let me know.
I believe we will once again hear the term 'dotard'.
14
Donald Trump, you say you are a great dealmaker, but you get so played every time. Kim Jong-Un has SO played you. He completely manipulated you, easily got you to negotiate with him as though he is on a par with a U.S. president, even AFTER he called you a "dotard" (maybe you didn't understand that word, so you were not insulted). He played you in front of the whole world, and everyone knew it except you. What have you achieved? N. Korea has nuclear weapons, and we are left with no good alternatives. You violated the terms of the Iran deal. Now who will negotiate with us in good faith? You withdrew from the Paris Climate agreement. You think everyone is out to get you. You are right-and they are succeeding. Your pettiness is flushing this great country down the drain.
13
Alfred B. Nobel invented dynamite. Trump uses it often to alter the landscape. Should he receive the Nobel Prize? Or, is he going to blow us all up?
Stay tuned.
1
Alas.... No Nobel prize for someone this year ...
Oh well ... there might be one for causing mayhem and destruction if not for peace .
1
What a bunch of amatuers. We are in grave danger.
5
"The world" and "North Korea" "HAS" lost?
Can't the White House wait two seconds to copyedit a letter to another head of state?
Or are we trashing the English language while we trash our institutions and a global detente?
I'm ashamed of this illegitimate regime elected as a backlash to a black president and advances in opening our society. Women need to vote, take back our country, and exercise their numerical majority.
11
Anyone who thought for a moment that Trump would succeed where greater minds could not...please get in touch...I've got a nuclear site in North Korea to sell you.
5
Considering how sensitive this whole summit was, and how intensely unpredictable NK is, I think it was incredibly irresponsible of Mike Pence to say things like this.
We keep talking about Trump and his "deal making" abilities, but let's not forget had Pence not been so reckless with his words, there may have been a chance of some possitive developments.
Back to page 1 it seems.
1
So does this mean that his congressional nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize is on hold?
Mike Pence's mad skilz at diplomacy are in full display.
3
How many minutes ago was it that chants of “Nobel Nobel” were being heard emanating from the echo chamber?
3
The comments by Pence were inapproriate and should never have been made.
3
Please don't mention "praying to God" and "nuclear capabilties" in the same sentence.
4
“tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement.”
Says the guy you called Kim Jon-un "rocket man."
5
"ours are so massive and powerful that i pray to god they will never have to be used."
trans.: nice little country you have there. be a real shame if something happened to it.
7
Only someone with an attention span as short as the president's would refer to this event with this comment: “I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,”
3
"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used." This is a quote from the ridiculous memo he wrote to announce such cancellation. First, they have been used and the results were so catastrophic that we hope no country ever again uses them. Second, I could not believe this was an official WH document. This is truly a Historian's nightmare. The historic documents being produced by this administration are garbage and an insult to any educated person looking for a decent job.
5
Is there a World Ignoble Prize no one has received yet this year? Might I submit a nomination?
6
I like Borowitz's idea of a gold-painted plastic one.
I guess he didn't like the way his image was portrayed on those cheap coins which were minted. Maybe he can melt them down and use the dross to further gild his properties.
What a bunch of Bozos these people are! Come ON Congress!!! WHAT are you waiting for?! This administration needs to GO!
7
"Earlier on Thursday, North Korean official Choe Son-hui dismissed remarks by US Vice-President Mike Pence - who had said North Korea "may end like Libya" - as "stupid"."-BBC
So the man that call Kim "Little Rocket Man", is upset that "Little Pence_ is called Stupid" give me a break.
4
The vast way for this administration to win the Nobel Peace prize is to resign!
2
Oh man, Does this mean all of those trump/Kim peace talk commemorative coins I bought are worthless ?
Only trump would would make a commemorative coin with himself on it - What a chump.
2
Bolton, Pence and other irrational hawks in the administration can’t stand the idea that Trump and Kim just might make peace between the two countries. Hence, their efforts to derail the process before it gets to an actual meeting.
The wildcard here is Pompeo. Will he put aside his own hawkishness to work towards what is in the best interests of the President and the country?
And China, they have been driving this process from behind the scenes so far. Will they see it through to the end, perhaps as Trump surmised, contingent on trade and other concessions from the US?
The Donald does it again. Fumbles on the 38 paralle line and then blames everyone else for the fumble. He's tied with Richard Nixon as the worst President of the United States ever, and we can all thank Russia for giving us this clown. God help the United States of America.
7
In modern presidencies I would rank Nixon third from the bottom. Trump is the worst, Bush next and then Nixon. I detested Nixon but he did create the category of the "working poor", increased financial assistance to the needy, and of course went to China.
2
The art of the cancelled deal
4
If I were an English Teacher in high school I would have flunked the author of such a letter.
8
So, what happened? We know Trump ended it with a re-invite and unveiled his 'best wishes' under "so massive and powerful' circumstances.
We know some North Korean called our VP “ignorant and stupid.”. We know Pence couldn't resist a theatrical double-down concerning John Bolton's ill-conceived Libya analogy.
This is WHY! - - his frat dubbed him - - Mike Dense: On Fox News' "The Story," May 21, 2018, Pence said "You know, there were some talk about the Libya model last week. And you know, as the president made clear, you know, this will only end like the Libya Model ended if Kim Jong-un doesn't make a deal.
Hey, Bolton and Pence - try reading history before you FLUB the make-deal-or-else Libya analogy.
https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/LibyaChronology
December 19, 2003: Libya’s Foreign Ministry publicly renounces the country’s WMD programs. Tripoli promises to eliminate its chemical and nuclear weapons programs,..
..Bush promises U.S. help to “build a more free and prosperous” Libya if the country achieves “internal reform.”
October 20, 2011: Gaddafi is found and killed by rebel forces.
Did Kim Jong-Un refuse to sign the non-disclosure agreement forwarded by Michael Cohen?
8
Wow, from Nobel Dreams back to Threats. No wonder when the White House speaks with too many voices. Maybe instead of smirking about the Nobel Prize, Trump should think about preparation, real actual considered preparation.
1
I am glad that the noble prize committee didn’t rush with their award.
2
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44215656. Any more on this?
When are Americans going to shut this circus down? This letter is as if written by an eight year old.
6
doesn't someone edit his writings? unbelievable.
1
NO-bel, NO-bel!
More winning from the swamp drainer.
Come on, Robert Mueller, it's time to drop the hammer on this failure of a human being.
2
Trump playing with Kim like a cat with a mouse.
After dismantling its nuclear site, North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Institute said in a statement, that N. Korea was committed to building “a nuclear-free peaceful world.”
Did Kim basically say that he will give up his nuclear weapons when the rest of the world does ? Like in, never ?
No other politician would have done what Trump did -- do the right thing for our country, even if that meant giving his critics ammunition.
It took a lot of courage from President Trump to do what he did -- my trust in Trump just went up another notch.
What courage? Courage to make a fool of himself?
1
The meeting probably conflicted with his golf schedule.
4
No surprise here. He never planned to do it. He just runs his mouth. Note to all: this person is a fraud through and through. If there is no cash value for him, his family and friends, he is not interested.
This could have been a real opportunity so you know he would blow it and HE DID!
2
It boggles the mind how a letter, so poorly written, could be sent to another foreign leader. For the love of God, is there no speech writer (or 5th grade language arts teacher) available to help construct a clear, powerful document for this man? Trump accepted a meeting without consulting any members of the diplomatic community, military council or State Department, later found out what a rash and ridiculous move it was, and now cancels the meeting with this rambling drivel???? When will this nightmare end?
8
Witnessing the Trump presidency is like watching a child learning to ride a bicycle for the first time - without training wheels.
5
The reasons issues, situation, etc. that precipitated the Trump/Kim Jong-un meeting were never issues that the USA had any unilateral position to stand on. It was the Trump optics.
It's an issue that really belongs to the world leaders of all the largest nations to solve. Donald Trump is seeking a dictators role, with TV ratings, that circumvents a legitimate combined world leaders cooperative solution.
1
I blame Bolton. On a Sunday show, he said NK would be forced to de-nuclearize just like Libya. Khadafi was ousted and killed shortly thereafter. A very dumb thing to say.
2
To give the devil his due, Trump has the most presidential guts since Warren Harding.
1
But Trump is still getting the Nobel Peace Prize, right? "Everyone said' he deserved it.
2
This is juvenile Trump pretending he really didn't care about meeting with Kim at all.
4
The only positive outcome thus far has been the release of three hostages. Otherwise, all claims of the deal-making prowess of the White House occupant or his nomination for Nobel peace prize has been entirely premature.
9
Premature...sorta like the commemorative coin
3
The Swedish Ambassador to N Korea is the one who negotiated the hostages. They act as a proxy for the USA.
It seems that Trump's foot-in-mouth disease has spread to Bolton and Pence. Their gaffes on Libya gave North Korea the out it needed.
So I guess this means there will not be a Trump-branded property in North Korea.
3
Wait a minute. Didn't Trump just praise Kim Jong-un for destroying his nuclear testing site? Now, he throws a temper tantrum because his vice president made an unhelpful inflammatory threat for which the veep was called (accurately) "ignorant and stupid?" How can anyone (any country) take the man seriously any more? His more plausible reasons for pulling out of the summit are: a) He suddenly realized all the reading he would have to do to prepare for the meeting; b) China told him to stay out of their backyard; c) Dennis Rodman had a previous engagement and wasn't available to join him; d) summer golfing season is about to begin and the idea of being on a 16-hour flight when he could be on the links was too much to bear.
3
Oh well. So sad. The man trumpeters thought was going to save the world failed. A failed deal. Lol not much of a deal maker there mr trump. Looking more and more like a loser
1
What both Pence and Bolton said are indeed inflammatory, and shows that the U.S. is not willing to honor any sort of Agreement, just like the U.S. did with the "Libyan Model". One can not blame North Korea for reacting as they did. America is notorious for reneging on agreements, just like they did the ABM treaty in 2004, the Climate treaty, the Iran nuclear deal, all the way back to the Native American treaties. Why should the North Koreans be any more trusting of America? Pence and Bolton need to spend some time, in a shared room, down at the balmy Carribean resort of Guantanamo Bay, to develop some appreciation.
1
Since the fullthroated cries of "Nobel" "Nobel" went up immediately, along with Trump's "some people are saying ...." with a grin and shrug, can this implosion of diplomatic incompetence, carry a penalty--namely that Trump will never be considered? There have been no "negotiations" in the register of seasoned, experienced diplomatic competence; and it is not "patriotic" to pretend that that we are unAmerican for thinking Trump a narcissistic, dangerous fool. It is American Patriotism to criticize this sorry excuse for a President.
3
As Hillary noted, a man who can be baited by a tweet is not fit to be president. Petty, vindictive, clueless aptly describe Trump.
8
The Swedes are thinking, "We're off the hook."
4
Kim billed the meeting as leading to nuclear disarmament and then reneged. Trump is correct to take the heat and pull out.
He now needs to redouble his economic pressure.
Kim tried to play Trump, and failed.
Pence and others remarks are immaterial. This has nothing to do with ego or words. It is strategic
As Americans we need to get behind Trump. Kim is evil slime who oppresses his people and threatens world peace
This is like trying to negotiate peace at a WrestleMania event.
1
Oh, gosh - Trump can't cancel the summit; he's got commemorative coins on the way!!!!
3
Actually, the sad moment for the U.S. occurred when Mr. Trump was elected and then inaugurated as president. The Trump train is a rambling, careless wreck headed for a cliff.
6
"He was MEAN to me! I'm going to take my ball and go home!"
Schoolyard diplomacy.
6
Does this mean he has to return the Nobel Peace Prize that all his followers already gave him ?
(Thimk before you answer)
1
Any mention of a Nobel Prize for such reprobate should send any selection running with their collective hair on fire, for fear of turning their eminent honor into the Titanic.
1
Diplomacy is defined as:
Tact, skill, or cunning in dealing with people.
Trump? - No!
Bolton? - No!
Pence? - No!
Next time:
Put the twittering machine away.
Act like one. Don't have everybody expressing their own strategies. It's more stupid than leaks.
Wait until ink is dry before minting new medals.
Don't boast - it's neither tact nor skill nor cunning.
Learn history.
4
"“If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit,” he said to Mr. Kim, “please do not hesitate to call me or write.”"
Mr. Kim isn't the one who changed his mind.
Please try to keep up with the rest of us Mr. President.
4
Trump: the art of losing, again and again. Maybe he can sell those Kim/Trump "coins" on Ebay.
4
After the "Coin" was released to the media, the planned meeting was already canceled just not announced. The coin showing Jong Un with three chins was a Boltonesque provocation. Awaiting a North Korean response.
And the winning continues . . .
1
Trump wants to bomb North Korea much more than he wants to negotiate an agreement with Kim Jong-un.
2
Well if Trump is not fully aware of the so called "Deep State" he might as well be told about whom General Dwight Eisenhower warned in his farewell speech on January 17 1961, Mr. Trump I make it easy for you and you can watch the 3 minute YouTube video of the Great General Eisenhower who happened to be our 34th President warning what just happened to you. (http://bit.ly/2KRCd1f). It is the Military Industrial Complex and people like your Vice P Pence
It is a shame you were pushed in the corner by the war machine, you still are the President and can fix it by standing up to the MIC.
2
Yeah, I also “ felt a tremendous dialogue building up” Unbelievable this dude this guy is in charge of anything other than a remote control.
1
Diplomacy by tantrum. Brilliant.
4
The reason cited for canceling this summit is the "tremendous anger and open hostility" that North Korea, an adversary if not an enemy, has shown to the U.S. in recent weeks. What then, are we to make of our own president's anger and hostility towards our allies? He regularly disparages Mexico and its people, sometimes insults Canada and Europe, and has withdrawn from two significant joint agreements that our allies begged us to stay in. At this rate, Donald Trump should be on the receiving end of one of these letters at least once a week.
3
LIEGATE
Lets be honest this was what Trump and his cronies planned
to deflect away from Mueller's Russia investigation.
This is all about Trump's liegate.
Media used by their own agenda - again.
3
Trump, stop wasting our time and funds.
1
So much hostility towards the president in these comments. Frankly, I’m over fellow dems at this point. Trump is playing Kim by Kim’s playbook. Get a clue. It won’t matter if you don’t, he’s still president.
I guess it's time to have DJT's speechwriter stop working on the Nobel Peace Price acceptance speech.
But where can I buy one of those newly minted coins?
5
"A North Korean official had referred to Mr. Pence as a “political dummy” after the vice president said Mr. Kim could meet the same fate as Libya’s leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, if he did not make a deal with the United States."
I seriously wonder if Pence has actually figured out what was wrong with the statement he (and J. Bolton too) made about using the Libya model with North Korea.
Sure looks like Trump and his 3 Foot-in-the-Mouth Amigos--Pence, Bolton, and Guiliani--are messing everything up again.
These 4 GOP "leaders" (of sorts) are so self-absorbed and wrong about everything that they don't anticipate the consequences of their proclamations, nor do they have a clue how other people interpret and react to their idiotic. statements.
Not ready for prime time, but unfortunately, they are in prime time worldwide and making America worse every single day in office.
5
"if you change your mind about this summit", Trump writes, let's meet then. Say, was that Trump talking/writing himself a note in a letter to another leader?
1
Alright, Nobel Peace Prize may be in doubt. Wait a minute, how about Profiles in Courage? Seriously not. I’m thinking more of The Art of the Deal, Chapter 8, Played like a Fiddle.
2
If you expect rational, measured rhetoric from Trump, Pence or anyone at what used to be an American place of respect 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I have a bridge to sell you.
2
Let North Korea be a reflection to all Americans what our country could become when is run by a narcissist. Ignoring history and running our country diplomacy via Twitter never works.
There goes the Nobel prize nomination!
2
Is "one more Trump negotiation failure" too obvious to say?
3
Totally predictable. The self declared dealmaker has no knowlegde of the situation, no diplomatic skills, no experience, not even an ambassador or a chief negotiator in place and yet - without consulting anyone - he thinks he'll just disarm NK and win a Nobel Prize. In your dreams Cheeto.
6
Interestingly, the President does not seem to have Tweeted this significant policy decision before releasing the announcement and the letter. Perhaps a “first” for him?
Now, those prematurely created Summit “coins” could become valuable for their comedic value.
2
Totally predictable. The self declared dealmaker has no knowlegde of the situation, no diplomatic skills, no experience, not even an ambassador or a chief negotiator in place and yet - without consulting anyone - he thinks he'll just disarm NK and win a Nobel Prize. In your dreams Cheeto.
2
Yes, it's Trump, Pence and Pompeo who are guilty of hostility towards N. Korea, Iran, Qatar, etc., etc.
1
Trump's fans feel that he should get one Nobel Prize for setting a meeting up with Kim, and a second Nobel Prize for canceling it.
5
I still haven't decided which crazy dude is scarier. Probably the crazy dude with the bigger nuclear arsenal.
5
Cancelling the much desired summit to coincide with the testing site destruction is obviously a spiteful, vindictive action that clearly reinforces any of Kim's notions that Trump rhetoric is unstable, ready to flip flop, and suspect about being genuine.
The rest of the world also gets reinforcement about the lack of meaning to any positive words from Trump. The abandonment of diplomacy by this administration is shocking.
2
The comments here are generally an intramural brouhaha over whether Trump's North Korea strategy is working better than that of any previous administration's, Democratic or Republican. No matter the merit of any of these individual arguments, in the aggregate they reveal an inconvenient truth: There is no good, quick, attainable solution to the North Korea problem. We know that because, for all intents and purposes, we've tried everything. Tact and diplomacy didn't work, and now bullying and threats don't work.
There are at least two clear reasons for this unhappy conclusion:
1. North Korea is controlled by a ruthless, murdering dictator who has no regard for the lives and safety of his countrymen. He'd sacrifice every one of them for whatever it is that he wants. He also has about 15 or so nuclear weapons, and probably the means to use them against the United States.
2. The United State is not a dictatorship but is led by elected officials who are accountable to the people. The 6K+ nuclear arms we have mean little, since Kim doesn't care if we use them to kill all his people. And, conversely, if Kim had only 1 nuclear weapon, it would be enough scare every American, since no one wants to be the one the bomb fell on.
So we have an international stalemate that has no exit strategy. Nor does it have a predictable timetable for resolution. Since most people love good news and can usually handle bad news, no one can stand the strain of constant uncertainty.
8
I'm curious. As to your first point, what do you believe is the murderous dictator's personal escape plan for a nuclear attack of his country? I understand that you believe he is willing to sacrifice his people, but what possible escape route do you think he has in mind for himself in that event? My understanding is that he only travels by train. Do you believe he intends to add himself and his family to the potential nuclear fallout? Or do you speculate that he has a fallout shelter from which he intends to emerge with a few chosen to reign over a radioactive wasteland?
Kim has played Trump like a master violinist. Tragic for the US
1
I see your point about the difficulty of the situation but I disagree that it is intractable because things are different now. Kim has nuclear weapons now, whereas he didn't before. That puts him in a better negotiating position than he was previously, and he's been reaching for that goal (now achieved) for a long time. He would lose that strength if he were to use these new weapons because he would immediately be obliterated. Therefore, diplomacy is likely his end game. Its not time to throw tact and diplomacy out the window. Kim feels like he's in as good a position as he ever will be to negotiate. We, the people of Earth, have to take advantage of that. I agree with your sentiment that this is not about one administration succeeding over another.
1
The palace coup is complete - Trump is out - Pence is in.
Today’s events are neither about Kim nor Trump - they signal a leadership upheaval at the WH.
Nobody should be fooled. This is not a game of words, it’s a game of power.
3
No surprise here.Trump must have been frantic for months to escape from a discussion calling for knowledge and coherence to negotiate with an hostile opponent who, if not too stable himself, is at least fluent. As usual when the chips are down, Mr Trump is gone... And the chips too.
Pity, Pence won't even get a thank you.
2
Arrogant, dishonest and incompetent....Trump preferred to ditch negotiations rather than be judged on outcome....
...and blame it on everybody else.
3
So, I guess that's it for the Nobel?
4
That exaggerated, indecipherable, Magic Marker-y signature looks like one that we would find in a preschool or play group.
10
This moment, along with the Nobel Peace Prize predictions and the coin minting, will go down in history along with GW Bush's parading on the aircraft carrier with the "Mission Accomplished" banner above him.
Hubris, Ego, Stupidity on display, in both cases.
9
But, isn't it true that Mike Pense is ignorant and 'a political dummy'? That should seem nonnegotiable.
6
Our VP, Mr. Pence, a religious fundamentalist, has now caused a cancellation of a meeting that would have made a very important contribution to world affairs. He deserves many of us expressing anger at his stupidity. It is so tragic that we have such ignorant men as are leading the country. The God of peace must be so disappointed in Trump and Pence. Neither of them is fit to be in a position of making such stupid decisions. May the true God help us to rid ourselves of such stupidity.
5
Reading President Trump's letter to Kim Jong-un, I am appalled at his sentence structure, language. Unbelievable that this man is President of our country. He cannot put words together to make a coherent statement. Very sad.
9
This kind of thing unfortunately happens when three year olds are put in charge of nuclear weapons.
7
This is a total, impetuous, malign blindside of one of our two closest allies in the region which has acted in good faith. Even North Korea has behaved more constructively than this. There is no good faith on the US side. With this administration, good faith simply does not exist.
This is how "tough" is defined by the numbskulls in the Trump bleacher seats. They think that this puts "America first." When no other country can trust us to keep our word, sooner or later, it puts America dead last. I don't know which comes first: "dead" or "last."
3
I see John Bolton's foot prints all over this, as well as Pence's. I don't think either one really wants to have a summit and are more interested in military action than negotiations. It also demonstrates what happens when the ground work for an event like this is not properly laid.
As for Chairman Un called Mr. Pence "a political dummy", I'm not sure he isn't far off the mark.
North Korea certainly isn't to be trusted, but Mr. Trump hasn't demonstrated that nations can trust him either. At this point, who know what the way forward will be. I just hope Bolton doesn't convince Trump that regime change is an option - we know how that worked out in Iraq.
3
This man is grossly under-qualified in every way to reside in the Oval Office. He is sham, mobster, and swindler who has no right to put our country in the dangerous position he has in every way possible (diplomacy, education, environment, etc.). This country is not a casino or shady real estate deal. Every Republican standing around him and keeping their mouths shut is complicit in undermining the core values of this country and our standing in the world. One day is worse than the next. Shame on the Republican Party for this fiasco.
9
Trump did not pull out because of comments about Pence. Trump has made similar comments and he would not give up his Nobel Peace award because of this.
Kin Jung Un is highly educated, he's a physicist, educated in Europe, and could out talk, out wit him, making Trump look like an ignorant man which he actually is. Trump deep down knows this.
There is, no doubt, other reasons, but Trump does not want to appear stupid before the entire world.
4
What happens to the commemorative coins, eh? Egomaniac with a superiority complex!
You tore up Iran Deal and expected to get an NK Deal...just like that, hum?
2
Seems the Chairman’s characterization of Pence as “ignorant and stupid “ is right on the money.
6
in my opinion, Drmp withdrew because he is incapable of responsibility, negotiation, or compromise. Having bellicose Cabinet members and his own lust for violence and self-aggrandizement, 45 was certain to doom the whole thing anyway.
4
And once again, Bolton, Trump, and Pence show their insensitivity, incompetence, and any deep, analytical thinking in response to North Korea. I'll wait for the Democrats and women to enter the arena after this nightmarish administration. The twenty eighteen elections and 2020 can't come soon enough.
3
That both Bolton and Pence decided to point to Libya as a warning and blueprint for dealing with North Korea is incredible! Libya gave up its nuclear efforts, and then Gaddafi was bombed and by NATO/the US until, weakened and isolated, Libyan rebels finished him off. Why, why, why would Pence and Bolton publicly bring up that example of the "benefits" of making a nuclear deal with the US?
It might be a great blueprint for a long range plan for North Korea, but it can't possibly be a talking piece. I think the North Korean guy summed them up perfectly, and Trump should just fire those two "Political Dummies".
1
Interesting - Bolton suggests that North Korea could go the way of Libya, which resulted in the death of its leader, and we're surprised when Kim is put off by that? Kim refers to Pence as a diplomatic idiot, and Trump (the man who coined "Little Rocket Man") is offended enough to cancel? Saber rattling by the North is suddenly a surprised? What have they been thinking in this administration?
Moreover, read Trump's letter - it's a masterpiece of passive aggression. Mentions that KOREA requested the summit but that's not relevant here; accuses them of being hostile and angry immediately after publicly destroying the one known (by us) nuclear test location and releasing three internees; describes this meeting as "long planned", when in fact the specifics have only recently been agreed; refers to their nuclear capability and effectively threatens with the US's larger capability (but doesn't want to be forced into using). Trying to cast North Korea as the ones at fault (even though Trump made the decision to cancel), and gently offering to listen if the North would like to mend its ways (evoking a scene in "The Lord of the Rings" between Saruman and Gandalf, but I digress).
It's laughable.
2
Never fear, the Deal maker is here! by now, he's forgotten what he said yesterday and if Kim strokes him just right, the meet will be on again. We've seen this all too often so don't get yer knickers all in a twist! And if June 12th stays off the schedule, it doesn't mean that June 13th is also off. Or any other date that comes to mind in a late night cheeseburger craving or an early morning Fox & Friends schmooze-fest.
2
Two 3rd or 4th grade bullies just spent a few weeks teasing each other and now they are calling each other names. This is just another instance of amateur hour. At some point we will be rid of Trump and then some skilled diplomats—some grownups— can take over.
This would be so silly if it weren’t so frightening. They were never going to meet, anyway. They both used this as an excuse to name call and then claim victory for cancelling the meeting.
3
Diplomacy conducted by the master of art of the deal equals an embarrassing no deal.
Just the most incompetent and non strategic handling of complex issues by the most unprofessional executive ever. So much for using the knowledge and expertise of the State Department.
I suppose they are also part of Trump's deep state conspiracy. Just blame Hillary and of course his base will support this tragic comedy of errors!
2
Most experts both in the US and the rest of the world had counselled patience and guarded optimism in regards to this summit. They had also pointed out that any meeting between the American President and the leader of North Korea should be the end point to robust and detailed negotiations, not the start.
But since "knowing things" and "experts" are things not high on the list of priorities for this administration, the end result should not come as a surprise. Even at the best of times North Korea had proved a very mercurial, impatient and unpredictable negotiating partner. Previous US administrations found that out as well.
What has changed is the completely inept response from the US government, especially the President himself, with the wrongly worded and underwhelming letter he sent to Kim Jong Un. Reading trough it, it seems that Trump is under the impression that this is a real deal gone awry. Once again boasting about the size of the US nuclear arsenal is also decidedly not helpful.
This is the "art of the deal" gone wrong on display...
196
"But since "knowing things" and "experts" are things not high on the list of priorities for this administration, the end result should not come as a surprise."
Sure. Look how successful the experts have been up to now with all things North Korea -- including the unrestrained development of nuclear weapons in the first place. Boy, I'm sure glad we all had the experts to rely on up until Trump entered the White House. Lot's of wisdom that could have been followed there.
1
Most experts in the US and the rest of the world have not come nowhere close to President Trump's achievements in the Korean Peninsula.. His words and actions, although unconventional, achieved the release of three hostages and the destruction of a nuclear facility in North Korea.
North and South Korea will continue negotiations and the US will continue to be a part one way or another. We have military personnel in the DMZ after all.
Experts do "talk pretty" and achieved very little. Seems to me the "experts" should be seeking counsel from the President how to achieve results.
3
F1Driver-
You do know that 11 prisoners were released under Obama, right? Were you singing his praises when that happened, or were you unaware because Fox news didn't report it.
Hopefully you also know that when trump tweeted that 'the past administration failed to secure the release' of the 3 men released in 2018, he was lying (shocking, I know). 2 of the three were arrested when trump was already "president".
Second - not sure how on earth you can give trump credit for North Korea's nuclear test site exploding. Seriously?
It amazes me how many people will fall for a draft dodging con man who admittedly didn't even pay his share of taxes, admitted cheated on his wives, admitted to harassing women, and is caught in at least one lie a day. Incredible.
Does this mean Trump will not get the Nobel Prize? Maybe we could salvage a nomination? What about all those coins that were minted?
No one ever believed this meeting would take place--sadly, by this time into his presidency (16 months) we haven't even appreciated who in the White House? 'Those who don't remember the past are condemned to repeat it' (George Santayana) Shame on us!
5
All that has happened over the past many months gives me the sense that our government and its leaders are making things up on the fly, with no real planning or objectives. Individuals speak and are quickly contradicted or slammed for what they have to say. The president lies repeatedly and strings others along before pulling the rug out from under them. It is no wonder that the leaders of the rest of the world are at a loss to understand the position of the United States on any issue. There is no voice, only a megaphone.
3
If he thought Kim would give up his entire nuclear program for nothing in return, he obviously did not understand the situation. Once he discovered that would not happen, rather than look like a failure, he cancelled the meeting to save face.This is of a piece with Trump's "disinviting" notable artists and athletes to the White House without first inviting them so that they had no chance to make him look bad by declining his invitation. Having insulted Kim through Bolton and Pence, he cancelled the meeting before Kim could do so.
If he really wants NK to denuclearize, I suggest a trade-off: NK gives up all its nuclear weapons in exchange for the US doing likewise. Why should Kim do what Trump will not?
4
Although Trump bungled his way through this, he did the right thing by canceling the meeting. Kim hasn't earned the right to meet with a U.S. president yet. I do hope that the 2 Koreas continue their dialog, and that Trump will support that. Let President Moon speak for unifying his country. He's in the best position to know what Koreans want. When Kim feels enough pain from international sanctions and is ready to actually denuclearize, then a president can meet him.
2
Amateurs in the White House and at the top, they had no idea how to talk with North Korea, nor any idea of what had been done before. Then threatening tariffs on Chinese goods did not do much to endear China with US goals. Great foresight and strategic planning in this administration which cannot see all the connections developed across the globe.
2
If only he'd cancel encounters with everyone getting openly hostile; things would be a lot quieter.
1
Trump was playing the game to get a Nobel Peace Prize. However. it takes two to achieve peace and Kim Jong-Un is the one who holds the cards, not Trump. Kim trumped Trump.
3
The only good thing about all this is that all the people of East Asia will start thinking about their own regional security structure and finally end the unnatural centuries old meddling by the West in their affairs. The governments of he region have shown they are capable of organizing their own affairs.
3
The only winner here was Kim who showed the world that an American president was so desperate to placate Kim that the president would agree to meet with Kim face-to-face. Once Kim had that concession, Kim could not lose.
5
Does Trump not have anyone in his administration who is capable of writing a letter worthy of the White House seal?
"You talk about your nuclear capabilities but ours are so massive and powerful..." Oh please, stop him. How utterly embarrassing.
7
Well what about those minted coins??.. talk about counting your eggs before they've hatched!!!...
2
Kim probably laments that he’s no longer facing an administration who’s crack foreign policy team included John Kerry, a failed novelist in Ben Rhodes, and a campaign van driver in Tommy Vietor. He probably could’ve got a better deal with that crew but, as Mrs Clinton will attest, there’s always the unexpected...
Oh well. There goes Trump's Nobel Peace prize.
OK, Trump always wins, now he earned the Nobel prize for being Tough!!!!!!!!!!
It would not be a surprise to discover that Bolton's fingeprints are all over this latest development
1
This letter is embarrassingly poorly written. Does the White House truly have no remaining qualified people? It just makes the United States look stupid. No formality, incorrect spelling of Kim's name (! : "Kim Jong Un"). That's a great way to start your letter, by misspelling the addressee's name. It reads more like a series of poorly worded talking points for showing that the U.S. is "better" than N. Korea. The first para starts with an expression of appreciation and ends with a threat relating to our "massive" nuclear "capabilities," whatever that means. Do you mean nuclear weapons, or nuclear power? Do you even know there are fission bombs and fusion bombs, both nuclear but much different from each other? The first para refers to a "long-planned" meeting. So one month qualifies as "long"? So much passive voice in this letter-was, was, was-"was appreciate"? Who appreciated it? "Look very much forward"? Awkward, stilted-better is "very much look forward." There is no "very much forward"-it just doesn't make sense. It is just very embarrassing. The U.S. State Dept. should have at least one person who can write a proper diplomatic letter.
8
Everyone is saying Trump deserves a Peace Prize dontcha know!
1
Mr. Trump really showed Obama how to make a deal.
7
Another "Mission Accomplished" - Republican Style!
7
Did you really think this Summit meeting was going to happen??? Did you really think that North Korea was going to destroy it's nuclear capability??? If you did, you probably voted for Trump, and wait, I can sell you the Brooklyn Bridge cheaply if you want.
7
I do believe that Bolton's comment on threat to North Korea alluding to Libya demonstrate lack of knowledge and acumen. I do not know who translates official government declarations from Korean to English in North korea. Do words like "ignorant" and "stupid" have the same emotional charge to a Korean as to a native English speaker?
3
I am looking forward to see the movie
1
Awww, they’re breaking up? #weep
No peace prize? #doubleweep
3
Gee, does this mean no more Nobel prize?
16
This summit did not get canceled because of "tremendous anger."
That's was a pretext. It was canceled because no agreement could be reached.
Summit meetings are for show. It's where a leader takes public credit for a behind-the-scenes done deal previously agreed upon that makes both parties look good to their people.
Apparently both sides have more work to do. This is why Trump's national security team was caught off guard by his unthinking acceptance of Kim's offer.
8
Trump’s actions and words lay bare
An amateur stumbling through the Weight of his ignorance and awkward disconnect from his own VP and reckless NSA, John Bolton. “Tremendous incompetence, and open hostility...” accurately describe the White House in a state of disarray and open confrontation with North Korea.
This is a “huge” mistake.
17
Of course Trump cancelled the meeting. He was never going to go in the first place, it was all another one of his vaudeville acts. And Pence is dumber than we thought.
23
Side note: The writing in the letter is embarrassing. Who writes like that? It's one thing to write poorly in a tweet, but in an official letter from the office of the president? My God.
44
Heinlein's statement is appropriate here on multiple levels:
Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.
18
The man who threatened "Fire and Fury" calls Kim hostile. It's a case of the pumpkin calling the cheese puff "orange".
Instead of a Nobel, these two are competing for a shared Darwin Award. God help us all.
16
Two con men play acting on the world.stage.
10
Oh well, so much for those commemorative coins and the Nobel...lol. As if Kim had any intentions of meeting with Trump in the first place. The Dear Leader trumped Trump, the so-called "Art of the Deal" man. Sad and scary but funny and ironic, too.
12
Trump knows "open hostility", it's his "go to" state of being.
12
Was this poorly written letter written by the aides who write his tweets to mimic his “style”?
11
Trump's letter, translated: Buck buck buck Bwaaaawk!" (My apologies to all of the actual chickens out there, smarter than Trump, which would be, literally, ALL of the actual chickens out there.) (How much of our money did this nightmare spend on those tacky "commemorative" coins, by the way.)
13
It would be so wonderful for at least one day, to not see Donald Trump’s picture nor hear any of his comments, or any related story. A Trump free day!! I’m sure there are other things happening in this world more important.
8
Wondering who wrote the letter for him. Stephen Miller?
9
I'm shocked, shocked to hear that Trump changed his mind . . .
7
Lots to unpack here, but consider this: reports that, being the lazy sod he is, Mr. Trump balked at the "preparations" he'd be required to make for the summit may have as much to do with his cancellation as anything else. Or maybe it's just his old "you didn't quit I fired you first" Big Man stuff. But since he reportedly planned to predictably, carelessly "go with his gut" -- and frankly, how could he ever leave it behind? -- perhaps at least a few bullets have been dodged...
7
"....he has canceled their much-anticipated meeting to discuss steps toward denuclearization and peace because of recent 'tremendous anger and open hostility' by Pyongyang toward members of his administration...."
Pot calling Kettle 'black'....
Does he not REMEMBER "fire and fury" and "Rocket Man"???
Zero self-awareness. Zero effectiveness. Ignoramus. Embarrassment. And danger to the country and the world.
He actually comes off as small and unhinged as Kim Jong-un. Maybe more so.
And we ALL saw this coming miles away. It was literally inevitable.
Unreal.
14
Brave, brave Sir Donald!
When danger reared it's ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled...
Brave, brave Sir Donald!I
(with apologies to Monty Python)
9
Trump’s ethnocentrism makes him uniquely unqualified to be able to accurately assess any diplomatic efforts on his own.
5
May I propose that, going forward articles on this topic will be published in the 'Sports' or 'Theater' section of the NYT.
All this is not serious politics, really.
9
Another step backward for world peace from No Show Don. Good one Trump.
4
Guess"Little Rocket Man" pushed "Stable Genius'"buttons. Played like a cheap violin.
9
Is anyone surprised? Trump rarely follow through on positive plans. He just makes announcements to attract attention and take off the focus some foolish thing he has done or said. Another foolish move completed.
5
I'm sure Trump, the Republicans, and the likes of Fox News, will keep spinning this latest Trump failure in dealing with Kim Jong-un like mad, trying once again to spin straw into gold. Trump need not worry, the roughly 40 percent of Americans who form his base wouldn’t care if he totally sold America out to not just Russia, but also to North Korea, and China, as long as he keeps vilifying the true threat to America and the world, Mexicans. Instead of making America great, Trump has weakened America's world standing so enormously that no one will trust us. He's also made the prospect of a nuclear conflict more likely than any time in recent history. What will our former allies, soon to be former allies, and current enemies make of this? That Trump cannot be trusted to even consider the consequences of his actions. This means allies cannot trust American promises, while enemies see Trump’s statements as confirmation of his enormous weakness. In the end Trump is the ultimate loser. Trump’s a monumentally foolish and narcissistic man who actually thinks that everything is just another reality show with scripts specifically written to make it impossible for him to lose, and in which there are never any real consequences for his inane statements and actions. Trump daily places America and the world in the greatest of danger, but he's just topped himself.
"Any man is liable to err, only a fool persists in error."
Marcus Tullius Cicero.
15
You can't make this stuff up! A guy who insults multiple people hourly, including North Korean officials, takes offense. Of course Mike Pence has shown himself to be particularly tone deaf in international situations--at the Winter Olympics, for example. With off-message people like Pence and Giuliani on the team, it's a-mistake-a-minute for the Current Occupant.
7
Did anyone *not* see this coming? How could Trump not recognize his own M.O.? He was made a fool of, personally, on the international stage and the US was made to appear weak and ridiculous.
The Art of Being Had.
11
China love this.
3
I love the headline "Pulls Out..."
If only Donald Trump pulled out all the time but still had only one child- Tiffany. She seems harmless.
9
What happened to the deal maker Mr. Trump? He should have given the task of negotiating with Kim Jong-un to Mr. Michael Cohen the fixer.
3
I miss the days when a president was able to sting together a complete sentence.
6
" No Appeasement Trump". Unlike the feckless Obama, Bush, and Clinton, our President will not appease the N. Koreans just to get a bad deal.
Knowing when to walk away from a bad deal is a critical negotiation tactic. Calling Kim's bluff and squeezing him further is the right move.
Finally, some actual leadership from the White House after 8 years of the failed following-from-behind debacle.
Of course the names you drop had enough sense not to engage with North Korea in the first place. They squeezed them good. With sanctions.
1
Kim and Trump seem like two petulant kids.
And Trump seems more interested in getting headlines than anything else. Whatever it takes to get more coverage, not let anyone get ahead of him in this. Boring.
1
I thought this was a done deal? I thought the dealmaker in chief was going to make this historic meeting happen. I guess not. Now Donald Trump will go back to his childish tendencies of calling the North Korean leader, “Little Rocket Man”. Trump is a lot of hot air and bluster.
2
Has the same Donald Trump who used clear nuclear war threats on North Korea now become suddenly sensitive to bellicose language? Even Jong-un is smarter than Dumb Donald let alone President Xi who is playing five dimensional chess while Trump tries unsuccessfully to count his toes.
6
This is a betrayal. Cancel the summit after NK destroy nuclear site? ‘Open hostility’ seems to be just an excuse.. I’m a South Korean, not a North Korean but feel so bad for NK
2
Could it be that Kim and his team are far more intelligent and strategic than Trump and his team? Unlike Trump's team, the N. Koreans agree with one another--they have no choice!
1
“We we’re informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant”
What???
Then: “If you change your mind having to do with thi very important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write”
What???
I thought Trump cancelled it, why should then Kim call him if he change his mind?
“Uh, honey, I’ve decided to break up with you but please don’t hesitate to call me if you change your mind”?
Where is diplomacy? Where are the diplomats? This why they exist, to prevent self absorbed leaders to act on hunches and when their pride has been hurt. Because when they do they hurt the people they represent instead.
8
Prediction.. comes true....
Gee, there goes his Nobel Peace Prize. The only kernel of truth we can discern from Trump's statement is that he wants to out-do Kim Jong-un in silly, unprofessional, and petulant behavior. For every American, it's further proof that the chaos continues in the White House.
3
Just another example that Monty Hall died too soon . . .
3
He's threatening to nuke them, again?
Size doesn't matter a whole lot here, first strike does.
It doesn't take a "massive" attack, just a small strategic one will do nicely. Such a small response from our small-handed/headed leader . . .
1
Bye bye Nobel Prize. Better cancel the stamping of those medallions. Can we survive 4 years of Trump? Seriously.
2
Why didn't he do this by twitter?
2
that happens when you call the other, "rocket man", well deserved. ohh wait, it was the opposite, ouch.
We were promised winning from Trump. Instead, all we get is whining. Seriously Trump, what is your next step, war?
5
If “open hostility” is cause to cancel, who will ever talk to _us_? Trump spews hostility at the world, constantly.
6
This is the first intelligent thing Trump has done since being elected. He and his team are totally unprepared to negotiate a deal and had he went, he would have either been humiliated or would have come home with a "deal" that was as poorly written and full of holes as his Muslim bans. Once again, the US would have been the laughingstock of the world. Let's just all hope that the infighting, investigations, incompetency, and laziness of both the White House and Congress continue. And that every person or group with a real or imagined grievance against either Trump or the government lawyers up and sues. Having a bumbling, ineffective fool in office is far better than an efficient despot.
1
I do not trust Trump, too many lies.
2
Only a profoundly insane and dangerous leader would put our nation at risk for his own reputation and ego.
4
The Trump practice of governing has a pattern: identify an unavoidable issue, do or say something undiplomatic to the core, usually highly insulting and offensive, then break off connections and turn to an aggressive solution. We are becoming a nation living on the brink instead of looking to build a bridge. Chaos and abyss theory of diplomacy.
4
Now no one will make a deal with Trump. He promised better health care and instead harmed the system and the people who need treatment. He promised to bring back manufacturing but instead further incentivised the exodus by signing the tax bill that featured lower tax rates on foreign profits than the national tax rate. He promised peace between the Israeli's and Palestinians, instead he moved the Embassy to Jerusalem that inflamed the Palestinians and Arabs in the region, further endangering our nation from terrorist reprisals. He promised to meet with Kim that resulted in real peace overtures that were shunned with this cancellation of the summit. You can't make an enduring pact with Trump without him breaking the deal. Now after Kim's peace overture in releasing the three Americans, we can never win back American hostages as long as Trump, Pence, or nearly all Republicans in this monopoly government are in power running roughshod over the nation and the world. They have demonstrated they cannot be trusted in nearly any matter of national concern.
8
What did Trump have to do with this? In his own word, with each syllable over-emphasized as he did: "EV-ER-Y-THING!"
3
Does this mean we can cancel the Trump presidency? Seeing as he shows "open hostility" to:
1.) People he doesn't agree with exercising their 1st amendment rights.
2.) The press (see above), with the exception of Fox News, Sinclair broadcasting, and that brain addled guy that the Sandy Hook parents are suing.
3.) Muslims. all billion+ of them.
4.) People who are in the U.S. illegally. Except for his own 'chain migrant' in-laws from Slovakia.
5.) Barack Obama.
6.) Hilary Clinton.
7.) Robert Mueller.
9
Good lord. It's like the Keystone Cops squaring off against the Three Stooges.
With nuclear weapons.
5
Wait - is that the actual letter the lonely clown wrote? I guess I thought communication at that level/magnitude would be less like a note between children.
Amateur hour continues. This isn't news - just another moment that the lonely clown falls flat of achieving... his own objective(s). He sets his own objectives and then doesn't achieve them. Weird.
Haven't seen a wall yet either. Where's the wall at?
Now, a war with Iran on the other hand... wars are easy. All you have to do is push some buttons and make some calls and BOOM - insta-democracy. For the survivors in the ruined cities anyway. The rest of the people are dead or displaced.
And everyone who keeps saying people that disagree with the move to cancel the meeting aren't Patriots, that may be true in Alt-America. But Patriots over here in regular America can see through this kind of thing.
3
Hostility was it!
That’s just unacceptable...
This is a passive aggressive maneuver on Trump's part to gin up war with North Korea, in order to slither out of the financial crimes indictments that are coming his way.
He wants to hold onto power at any cost, and he believes that if the country is embroiled in war, Congress will shut down the Mueller investigation, and his name will go down in glory in the history books as a war hero.
If it is a choice between him going to jail or resigning the presidency, he will pull down the pillars around us and destroy us all with him.
That is how deranged this man is that we have for president.
7
Wow now that was a horrible decision. I actually thought Trump was doing a pretty good job with North Korea...I mean no one else has even discussed a summit or set a date.
But I really think canceling that summit was a supremely stupid choice. The only way for this to work out is for Kim to choose to not call Trumps bluff on this. Looking at NK history I'd say that chance is about zero.