President Trump may have just sealed the deal on his reelection through his measured and skillful diplomacy, despite what you hear from the bombastic opposition media. “There is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea,” he wrote on Twitter following the June 12 summit with North Korea. Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore at the first-ever summit between a U.S. sitting president and North Korean leader. The prep for this summit and all the back and forth has been going on for nearly 500 days. As a result, North Korea has agreed to get rid of nuclear weapons on the entire Korean peninsula in exchange for security guarantees from the United States. However, the exact terms of the deal remain unclear. The vague agreement gives no timeline for denuclearization or steps to verify the disarmament.
Trump also agreed to pause U.S. and South Korea joint military practices as part of the deal, a win on a longtime policy goal for North Korea. This decision seems to be significant, though officials are confused on whether there is a difference between the large-scale war games Trump wants to end and the small-scale day-to-day training.
Though Trump has said he disliked the harsh rhetoric he used to condemn North Korea and Kim Jong Un, such as referring to Kim as “little rocket man,” he credits that harshness with facilitating direct talks between the two countries.
Despite bipartisan criticism, Trump remains optimistic about the deal with North Korea, believing it to be the first step to writing a new chapter between the two countries. The President has also stated he’s developed a close relationship with the North Korean leader, referring to him as a very talented man and a worthy negotiator.
The agreement also included provisions for future negotiations between the two leaders, leaving open the possibility for a white house visit from Kim. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will step in from here and meet with North Korean officials to further hash out details of the agreement.
One thing that can be said about this agreement is that Trump is doing what needs to be done, and other leaders have been unable to do, to ensure the U.S. stays out of nuclear warfare with North Korea. I couldn’t believe it when I just heard an MSNBC host talking about how it was so strange seeing the juxtaposition of the North Korean flag next to America’s, like this was some kind of cataclysmic and accidental occurrence. Kim Jong Un is at the table because he wants international acceptance. Who knows if he will actually destroy his nuclear weapons, but he’s ONLY at the table because President Donald Trump unleashed his fire and fury rhetoric and ensuing diplomatic countermeasures.
