The much-hyped nuclear summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been called off by the White House, following weeks of hedging on whether or not the two leaders would actually meet as planned in Singapore next month. Yes, that’s right: Trump might not be getting that Nobel Peace Prize after all. Stunning, I know.
In a letter to Kim, Trump explained that despite “very much looking forward to being there with you,” the “tremendous anger and open hostility” displayed by North Korea had convinced him to cancel. “The Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place,” Trump wrote.
Trump went on to thank Kim for the “beautiful gesture” of releasing a trio of American hostages, and urged him to “call me” if he changes his mind about meeting even though it was Trump who canceled in the first place.
By canceling the summit with Kim, Trump now has the opportunity to portray himself as being the tougher of the two leaders, despite his plans to simply wing it had they actually met. Kim, for his part, is now able to boast that he has been able to do what no other North Korean leader before him could accomplish: scare an American president away from dealing with him as an equal.
It remains to be seen whether a new summit will be scheduled, or what will become of the congratulatory coins the White House, in its abiding wisdom, already had pressed.