Center for American Progress

Trump’s Outreach to North Korea is a Positive Step, If He Doesn’t Screw It Up
In the News

Trump’s Outreach to North Korea is a Positive Step, If He Doesn’t Screw It Up

Author Michael Fuchs reacts to the possibility of President Donald Trump meeting face-to-face with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The idea that President Donald Trump would meet face-to-face with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is terrifying. But it’s a far better place to be than we were when Trump was talking about starting a war.

For more than a year, the world has been left guessing about the president’s North Korea strategy or whether he had one at all. Trump leveled insults at Kim — “Little Rocket Man” — and boasted of the possibility of war — “fire and fury” — while also stating that he might be willing to meet with him. Trump administration officials and surrogates made the case that a preventive war with North Korea may be necessary while Secretary of Defense James Mattis said that a war with North Korea would be “catastrophic” and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson repeatedly voiced support for diplomacy.

The above excerpt was originally published in NBC News. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Michael Fuchs

Senior Fellow