A week after North Korea pulled out of talks with South Korea, President Trump canceled his summit with the North Koreans, which was scheduled to be held in Singapore on June 12. The president claimed in an open letter to Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, that he made the decision because of Kim’s “tremendous anger and open hostility.” Once again, it seems the president has fallen short of his and his aides’ claims of him being the best negotiator in the world. The reason for cancellation may not just be North Korea’s harsh words but the looming reality that the U.S. won’t fully disarm North Korea because North Korea fears retaliation.

And for our all-or-nothing president, that just won’t do.