National security adviser John Bolton said Sunday that the Trump administration is not “starry-eyed” about the possibility of North Korea denuclearization after just one meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump.
“There’s nobody in this administration starry-eyed about the prospects of North Korea actually denuclearizing,” Bolton told “Fox News Sunday.” “The president is giving Kim Jong Un a master class in how to hold a door open for somebody, and if the North Koreans can’t figure out how to walk through it, even the president’s fiercest critics will not be able to say it’s because he didn’t open it wide enough.”
Bolton also said that there might be a time when Trump has to call out Kim for not being serious about denuclearizing and the administration will have to admit that North Korea is “playing” the U.S.
“We are going to have to see a performance from the North Koreans. There’s no question about it,” Bolton said.
Bolton made the remarks after Chris Wallace, host of “Fox News Sunday,” mentioned there is evidence that despite Trump and Kim signing a joint declaration that recognized an intent to work toward denuclearization of North Korea, there is evidence that Pyonyang is moving ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. For instance, satellite images emerged in late June showing North Korea still working on its nuclear research center, just weeks after Trump and Kim met in Singapore.
