Trump Eager for Korea Deal But Media, Pols Hostile to Diplomacy

President Trump is heading into a two-day summit with Kim Jong Un with high hopes on making a big deal, getting denuclearization restarting, and potentially also negotiating an end to the Korean War of 1950.

But the eve of peace also means the eve of an end to the status quo, and that’s predictably gotten a number of media outlets up in arms. Already deeply critical of Trump’s interest in diplomacy, the reports now are also trying to portray everyone else as distrustful of the idea, and already trying to spin any deals Trump made as a “significant retreat” from his previous demands.

The narrative here is that Trump had promised to “solve” North Korea without giving up anything in return until after denuclearization is completed. This clearly suits them fine, as not giving North Korea anything has stalled the process, and threatened to keep decades of hostility intact.

The only way to get back on a track toward peace would be to offer North Korea something, and in doing so, the administration can expect to be attacked for backing down off their false idea that they could get everything they wanted without giving anything up.