Trump and North Korea

MS Now - With no intelligence, data or proof provided to back up his assertion, Trump appears to be blindly trusting that North Korea’s murderous, prison-state regime has turned a page toward global peace. With that choice, Trump is unilaterally rejecting American intelligence threat assessments, military preparedness and history. He’s also getting nothing in return for it….

Indeed, this isn’t the first time. Trump is resurfacing an old issue and gambit from his first term. The president has long wanted South Korea and other allies to pay a greater share for their defense, including the military exercises required to ensure it. In 2018, after meeting Kim, Trump surprised the Pentagon by halting regular military exercises with South Korea. After much global criticism and criticism inside and out of the Pentagon, the exercises resumed, but they were scaled back.

At best, Trump is playing with fire. At worst, he is willfully endangering American lives, interests and influence for the chance at saving money, based on nothing but a gut feeling.