National security adviser John Bolton was a key figure in persuading President Trump to withdraw from the summit in Singapore next month with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — a move that blindsided Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, an instrumental player in setting up the erstwhile planned meeting.
Since the summit was first conceived in March, Pompeo and Bolton have disagreed about how to proceed, and Trump’s decision pitted the men against one another, NBC News reports.
Pompeo, who led negotiations with North Korean officials and made several trips to Pyongyang over the past couple of months, accused Bolton of erasing any progress that was made, multiple officials told the news outlet.
Despite multiple accounts of a strained relationship between the two, another senior official denied that the dynamic between Pompeo and Bolton was in shambles and claimed that the Trump team was a “pretty tight-knit group” on the matter of North Korea.
Trump announced Thursday that he was withdrawing from the June 12 summit due to North Korea’s “tremendous anger and open hostility” toward the U.S., but also encouraged Kim to call or write him in the event he had a change of heart.
The decision came after North Korea signaled that the summit could be in jeopardy and cut communications with South Korea in protest of a joint U.S.-South Korea military exercise. The threats continued on Wednesday, when North Korea announced the summit between Trump and Kim was contingent upon the U.S.’ actions, suggesting a “nuclear-to-nuclear showdown” was possible if plans went awry.
Hours before Trump’s shock announcement, North Korea demolished its nuclear site as a sign of good faith in the run-up to the summit. North Korea responded to Trump’s letter by saying that it is still open to talking to the U.S. at any time.
