Trump Kneecaps Another US Ally With Gift to North Korea

On the eve of a joint military exercise with South Korea and just days after North Korea conducted a couple of ballistic missile tests, Donald Trump announced that he has directed former Fox News morning show host and current Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” the drills.

In justifying his decision, which was of course announced on social media, the president cited his “very good relationship” with North Korea’s communist dictator Kim Jong Un.

“These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful,” Trump wrote, referring to himself in the third person.

He also made it very clear that the decision is based at least in part on South Korea’s refusal to join his war against Iran, which has turned into an expensive boondoggle on many fronts. The US has depleted its stockpile of crucial missiles, Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has resulted in a spike in inflation at home and a global economic crisis that could still spiral out of control, and Trump’s approval ratings have tanked further ahead of the midterms.

“While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, ‘No thanks’!” Trump wrote.

More than anything, the US president is once again siding with an authoritarian leader over a trusted friend.

Since taking office for a second time last year, he has routinely picked fights with America’s most steadfast partners in an effort to bully them into helping him achieve whatever his goals are at that moment, whether that means taking over Canada and annexing Greenland, undermining NATO at every turn, or engaging in trade wars with US allies across the globe.

While the impact of this antagonistic approach is already being felt, its true consequences won’t be known for some time, especially if Trump keeps going like this for another two years.

Already, America’s most important partners are looking to forge trade alliances elsewhere, which will end up costing the US economy dearly in the long run. Perhaps most importantly, Trump is destroying the kind of trust that is necessary for nations to work together.

But it won’t just be the heads of state in allied countries who will take note of how the president undercut one of their own once again.

Sunday’s announcement also sends a signal to America’s enemies, especially in Beijing, Moscow, and, of course, Pyongyang. The shortcomings of the US military that have been laid bare in the Iran conflict and Trump’s willingness to abandon allies could create openings for them to act on their territorial ambitions.

While congressional Republicans know this, most of them will stay quiet out of fear of becoming a target of the president’s ire.

Democrats, on the other hand, slammed his decision.

“Our alliance with the Republic of Korea is critical for US security and prosperity — and I am concerned that President Trump’s post today suggests a disregard for this relationship,” said Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ). “South Korea is an essential partner in peace and security in a part of the world filled with risk; we should treat them that way instead of venting frustration on social media.”