Donald Trump attends a news conference after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam February 28, 2019.
President Donald Trump's latest betrayal of a close foreign ally has drawn withering criticism from all corners, with a new piece from MS NOW likening his statement to the words of the infamous dictator he claims to be close with.
Over the weekend, Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth via a Truth Social post to "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea, shortly before new ones were set to commence. He argued that participating in them would be seen as "totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, the dictatorship that he claimed has been "unthreatening and respectful."
"Based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises," the post read.
Despite the U.S. lacking any formal relations with North Korea, Trump has long insisted on trying to maintain a close relationship with its leader, Kim Jong-un, one of the many global dictators he has expressed a fondness for. He also implied in his post that the decision was a direct response to South Korea declining to aid in his war with Iran.
Writing for MS NOW on Tuesday morning, national security analyst Kevin Baron chastised Trump's statement, arguing that his "description of North Korea sounds like Kim Jong Un wrote it," and questioning why he is choosing to "be blindly trusting that North Korea’s murderous, prison-state regime has turned a page toward global peace."
"Did North Korea write that message?" Baron questioned. "With no intelligence, data or proof provided to back up his assertion, Trump appears to be blindly trusting that North Korea’s murderous, prison-state regime has turned a page toward global peace. With that choice, Trump is unilaterally rejecting American intelligence threat assessments, military preparedness and history. He’s also getting nothing in return for it. That’s his prerogative as commander in chief."
Baron further questioned the wording of Trump's justification for the move, saying that it sounded as if he had only just learned that joint exercises with South Korea were about to take place. He also warned that this abrupt decision will carry a "substantial cost," in "dollars, diplomacy, readiness and morale."
"At best, Trump is playing with fire. At worst, he is willfully endangering American lives, interests and influence for the chance at saving money, based on nothing but a gut feeling," Baron continued.
He concluded later: "Trump is always hunting for a bargain, but U.S. security is nothing to bargain with. America’s forward-deployed military presence and preparedness with allies including South Korea and Japan are what allow people to live in peace and prosperity there, so that we can do so here. It’s not charity. It’s not a gift. It’s a security umbrella. It’s a multibillion-dollar investment and insurance policy on American prosperity. And it’s the best leverage the world has to deter North Korea from doing something catastrophic. On Sunday, Kim got another unearned gift courtesy of the U.S. president: A free pass to never change."
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