The Donald Trump—Kim Jong-un meeting was the Kentucky Derby of political events. Months of build up. Minutes of action. And you may want to grab a mint julep, because there’s nothing that can “Justify” this one.
Simply having the meeting was a victory for Kim. It was “historic” in that it enormously boosted the status of the North Korean dictator. But Trump didn’t let Kim go home with just that participation trophy. Trump agreed to stop joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea. In exchange he got … zip. Also diddly and doo-dah. Not one thing that Kim had not already stated weeks before the meeting.
Trump walked away pouring out compliments for Kim. The same “little rocketman” who Trump had called a “madman” willing to starve his own people, he now says “loves his people.” Trump called Kim “very talented,” noting that the dictator “took it over at 26 years of age, and was able to run it. And run it tough.”
Additionally, Trump declared that he and Kim had developed a “very special bond” and that he trusted the North Korean leader. The agreement signed at the end of the meeting says that both sides are dedicated to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but sets no actions, deadlines, guidelines, or suggestions to make that happen.
Why would Donald Trump surrender one of the biggest chips he has to play, for exactly nothing in exchange? According to the New York Times, Trump is looking to the future.
Trump: They have great beaches. You see that whenever they’re exploding their cannons into the ocean. I said, ‘Boy, look at that view. Wouldn’t that make a great condo? You could have the best hotels in the world right there. Think of it from a real estate perspective. You have South Korea, you have China and they own the land in the middle. How bad is that, right? It’s great.
Warning: This is not a cartoon. It was not lifted from the Onion. This is reality.
The only good news is that there seems to be a decreased chance of nuclear war at the moment, but only because Trump already surrendered to his future hotel site. Coordination with the South Korean military is an essential part of the defense of a critical US ally—a fact that was recognized on both sides of the DMZ. Giving up that action was expected to be one the toughest agreements for North Korea to earn; a reward given after months or years of visible, concrete steps.
Throughout his press conference, Trump adopted North Korean descriptions of the decades-long joint military exercises between the US and South Korea. He referred to the exercises as “war games” and called them “very provocative.” Trump also declared that they were “very expensive.”
The ending of US military preparations with South Korea apparently also came with unspecified, but expansive promises of protection for North Korea.
In a post-meeting visit with George Stephanopoulos, Trump explained the achievement.
Stephanopoulos: But they have to get rid of all their nuclear weapons?
Trump: They have to get rid of, yeah, I think that they will. I really believe that he will. I’ve gotten to know him well in a short period of time.
Stephanopoulos: Did he tell you that?
Trump: Yeah, he’s de-nuking, I mean he’s de-nuking the whole place. It’s going to start very quickly. I think he’s going to start now.
Trump gave up joint military exercises. He gave Kim the recognition that he sought. He got nothing in return—but this time he left his name on the agreement. Because he “thinks” that Kim Jong-un is “de-nuking the whole place.”
Trump isn’t the guy who would trade the cow for magic beans. He would trade the cow for the promise of magic beans. Sometime. Really. That’s the art of the Trump deal.
