After a tumultuous day on Thursday in which President Trump pulled the plug on the North Korea summit scheduled to take place in Singapore on June 12 citing “open hostility,” an exchange of somewhat lukewarm statements came out from both parties.
On Thursday night, it was reported that North Korea remained open to talks via North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, who said, “We express our willingness to sit down face-to-face with the U.S. and resolve issues anytime and in any format.”
On Friday morning, Trump appeared to be receptive and cautiously optimistic to the gesture, writing on Twitter:
Very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from North Korea. We will soon see where it will lead, hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. Only time (and talent) will tell!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2018
Now, Trump doesn’t have to engage North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the North Koreans at all, if he doesn’t want to. The benefit for Trump is minimal compared to what the North Koreans could possibly have to gain.
As our editorial makes clear, no deal is better than a bad deal.
Many of Trump’s critics have made the point that the president already made concessions to the North Korean regime by providing it with a meeting as high profile as the one that would have taken place in Singapore. They argue that it’s a concession to speak to the North Koreans because their path to getting a meeting with the United States comprised of developing nuclear weapons to the point where Trump had to put his foot down and open diplomatic efforts.
However, the real weakness would’ve been continuing down the path of harsh rhetoric and name-calling that leads countries to an open military confrontation.
No, Trump should not have a meeting with Kim Jong Un if the possibility of getting a favorable deal is slim. If he doesn’t think the North Koreans will either denuclearize or at least get rid of their ballistic missile program, then Trump should bail.
But Trump has already gained more from this than Kim Jong Un and the North Koreans through the release of three American prisoners and one testing site being dismantled. Might as well quit while you’re ahead if you believe nothing else good can come from dealing with the North Koreans.
