One of the giveaways that narcissistic demagogue and despot-cuddler Donald "Not Exonerated" Trump had for North Korean despot Kim Jong Un was cessation of last year's joint military exercises with South Korea. In return, Trump got the photo op that he wanted, plus flattery from Kim and some purposefully vague talk about pursuing denuclearization on the Korean peninsula. It was a victory for Kim who got the prize of being placed on an equal footing internationally with the U.S. leader.
South Korea's announcement that the joint military exercises would resume next month drew criticism from the North, which claimed that it violated last year's "agreement" between Trump and Kim. Given Trump's habit of meeting with thugs like Kim and Russia's Vladimir Putin one-on-one with only translators present, it's hard to know what else they agreed to that only Kim will disclose.
It would surprise no one if Trump, unstable and erratic as he is, would abruptly cancel the exercises again, to curry favor with Kim, with whom he said he "fell in love" after exchanging flattering letters last year. Another letter from one Dear Leader to the other Dear Leader might do the trick.
(photo: U.S. and South Korean forces during 2017 joint exercise. Jung Yeon-Je, AFP/Getty Images)
