So much for President Trump denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.

On Friday, Trump announced that he was calling off a trip from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to North Korea. Pompeo was scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang next week to discuss North Korea’s nuclear program.

I have asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to go to North Korea, at this time, because I feel we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2018

…Additionally, because of our much tougher Trading stance with China, I do not believe they are helping with the process of denuclearization as they once were (despite the UN Sanctions which are in place)… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2018

…Secretary Pompeo looks forward to going to North Korea in the near future, most likely after our Trading relationship with China is resolved. In the meantime I would like to send my warmest regards and respect to Chairman Kim. I look forward to seeing him soon! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2018

According to Trump, the North Koreans were not “making sufficient progress” as it pertains to denuclearizing — a reality the president just now seems to have realized, despite the fact that North Korea’s lack of progress in this area has been clear for months. Trump also blamed China for not doing enough to pressure Pyongyang to get rid of the country’s nuclear weapons, saying he does “not believe [China is] helping with the process of denuclearization as they once were.”


After a high-profile meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in Singapore earlier this summer, Kim and Trump signed a denuclearization agreement and Trump declared victory — claiming North Korea no longer posed a nuclear threat thanks to his skilled deal-making.

However, the agreement was far more flash than substance. As ThinkProgress’ D. Parvaz wrote at the time, “There was no mention of sanctions, long-range missiles, a peace treaty, or a time frame in what the president called a ‘pretty comprehensive’ agreement that is less than one and a half pages long.” Given the lack of actual commitments in the Singapore signing, it was little surprise when North Korea failed to eliminate its nuclear weapons.

Trump, as he’s done with other dictators, has gone out of his way to praise Kim, describing him as a “talented” and “very smart” leader — despite the fact that Kim oversees perhaps the most despotic regime extant. (And one that tortured American college student Otto Warmbier, who eventually died shortly after being released by North Korean authorities.) And even with North Korea’s lack of progress toward denuclearization, Trump kept the warmth toward Kim, saying that he “would like to send [his] warmest regards and respect to Chairman Kim. I look forward to seeing him soon!”

The third tweet is the silver-lining—at least from the DPRK view. They've been big on emphasizing that progress will come from the leaders keeping the Singapore spirit alive; that door remains open here. — Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) August 24, 2018

It’s unclear what the next steps for Pompeo, or America’s broader policy toward encouraging North Korea to denuclearize, will be. After announcing the cancellation of Pompeo’s trip, Trump also said Pompeo would be returning to North Korea “in the near future, most likely after our Trading relationship with China is resolved.” When that will be remains anyone’s guess.