Every week, the Trump administration seems to shift from issue to issue or scandal to scandal. There was DACA, then leaks, then tariffs, then leaks, then North Korea, then leaks. Vacillating like this is unhealthy for the nation and it is not to President Trump’s advantage.
The April summit meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was historic, impressive, and inspiring. The pageantry and pledges contained in the Panmunjom Declaration were an uplifting show of Korean reconciliation. Coming amidst the rapid-fire pace of Kim Jong-un’s 2018 charm offensive, hopes are rising for the upcoming U.S.–North Korea summit. Kim seems willing to propose a grand bargain that President Trump may perceive as providing the historic opportunity to resolve decades-long disputes on the Korean Peninsula.