Walking away from his summit in Hanoi today with 35-year-old North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, 72-year-old President Donald Trump showed he’s still master of the “Art of the Deal,” his 1987 best-selling book on deal-making. Trump offered Kim sanctions relief, but, more importantly, economic development, if the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea [DPRK] dismantled its arsenal of nukes and ballistic missiles. Despite signing a pledge June 12, 2018 at the end of the first summit in Singapore, Malaysia to “denuclearize” the Korean Peninsula, Kim balked when push-came-to-shove, insisting that the U.S. must remove all sanctions before the DPRK allowed United Nations Weapons inspectors to dismantle the nuke and ballistic missile stockpile. Trump was very clear to Kim that if the DPRK disarms, the U.S. would do its utmost to promote economic development in North Korea.
Democrats and press outlets in the U.S. were too fixated on Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen’s riveting testimony in the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee to pay attention to Trump’s summit. Coaxing Cohen’s testimony, Democrats hoped to build their impeachment case against Trump, while he was 10,000 miles from Washington negotiating nuclear disarmament with Kim. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) conjectured that Trump was rushing into an ill-advised deal with Kim to win a big foreign policy success before the 2020 election. Once Trump walked out because the deal was not in U.S. interests, he was criticized by Pelosi for giving Kim a political victory. No matter how you cut it, Democrats find everything wrong with Trump. Trump ended the summit because Kim demanded sanctions relief before he started nuclear disarmament.
After departing North Korea, Trump flew to Joint Base Elmedorf-Richardson in Alaska where he addressed Air Force and Army troops. ”We didn’t get all the way. We asked him [Kim] to do more but he was unprepared to do that,” Trump told the troops, why he aborted the Hanoi summit. Trump’s message to Kim was simple: Don’t waste my time. Take as long as you want to resolve remaining issues but don’t promise breakthroughs unless you’re prepared to make the sacrifice necessary for peace. While Trump met with Kim for lunch and preliminary discussions, he was riveted on Cohen’s testimony, largely a Democrat show trial, using Cohen, a convicted felon, as their star witness to denounce the president. Cohen, as advertised, didn’t pull any punches, calling Trump a “racist,” “conman” and a “cheat.” No matter what Trump did at the summit, the U.S. media was fixated on Cohen’s testimony.
Based on the way the summit ended, it’s unlikely Trump will meet again with Kim before the 2020 election, unless continued diplomatic talks achieves a breakthrough. Kim overplayed his hand, thinking that Trump was desperate for a deal and would take anything. When Trump walked away, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said that Kim did not insist on ending all sanctions. Whatever the reasons, it was clear to Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Kim was not prepared to make the concessions on his nuclear arsenal needed sign a peace deal. “Respective teams look forward to meeting in the future,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Sanders said that President Trump had a “very strong partnership” with Kim Jong-un. Trump said the Kim’s “testing will not start” or “anything to do with nuclear,” despite ending the summit.
Taken off the world stage, Kim returns back to Pyongyang facing some tough choices dealing with Trump. Either make the necessary concessions on his nuke and ballistic missile inventory or maintain the status quo of a pariah nation. Trump offered Kim a way out of the DPRK’s dilemma of languishing in widespread poverty and international isolation. Let go of his nukes in exchange for a peace treaty and commitment to North Korea’s economic development. Worth an estimated $5 billion while his nation rots in poverty, Kim fears with economic development comes the end to his dictatorship. Choosing between economic development or keeping his grip on power, Kim balked at surrendering his nukes and ballistic missiles. Kim knows that his nukes and ballistic missiles only bring the DPRK more mass misery. He’s sitting on the fence and can’t get off.
Watching Cohen’s Washington show trial eclipsed Trump’s summit with Kim Jong-un in Hanoi. Whether Cohen’s public testimony had any bearing on the summit is anyone’s guess. One thing’s for sure: Few TV watchers cared what happened in Hanoi. Watching Trump’s former personal attorney stab him in the back made riveting primetime TV. Speaking for the first time to a Western journalist, Kim said he was ready to strike a deal with Trump. “It’s too early to say,” Kim said. “I would not say I’m pessimistic,” about the prospects of a potential deal. “Chairman Kim and myself want to do the right deal,” Trump said. “Speed is not important,” giving Kim the rest of the long winter to contemplate what might have been. Walking away from summit was the best possible negotiation, letting Kim know that he needs the deal more than the U..S. Time will tell if it was the right decision.
