Donald Trump quickly caves to Kim Jong Un

Attention Palmer Report readers: sign up for our free mailing list here
-----
Note from Bill Palmer: if each of you reading this can kick in $10 or $25, it'll help keep Palmer Report firing on all cylinders at this crucial time in our nation's history: Donate now


This week North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un decided to throw his weight around when it came to his ongoing face-off with Donald Trump. After the U.S. conducted a routine military exercise with South Korea, Kim seized the opportunity to cancel his scheduled talks with South Korea, while publicly threatening to cancel his scheduled meeting with Trump. Now Trump is quickly caving to Kim, thus demonstrating just how weak Trump’s hand is.

After Kim threatened to cancel his meeting with Trump, the response from Trump is more or less what Palmer Report predicted it would be: he began caving as quickly as he could. Trump now has the United States military, the most powerful fighting force in the world, changing its flight plans in an attempt at luring Kim back to the table. Trump is demonstrating that he’ll do anything, even if it means humiliating himself and the U.S., in order to convince Kim to come back to the table.

All negotiations involve some degree of give and take. But on too many factors to list, the President of the United States should have the decidedly upper hand when it comes to dealing with an isolated two-bit dictator. The trouble is that Donald Trump is not the President of the United States. He’s illegally occupying the office after having conspired with Russia to rig the election in his favor. The investigations into his scandals are steadily destroying the lives of everyone around him, and he has one foot out the door whether he realizes it or not. Now we’re seeing that Kim Jong Un certainly realizes it.

The worst for Donald Trump is this: now that he’s quickly caved to Kim Jong Un’s tantrum, Kim will take this as a sign that he can continue pushing Trump’s buttons. How much further can Kim push things before Trump decides he’s had enough and calls the whole thing off in a Twitter tirade? We’ll see. But Trump desperately needs this meeting, and he’s willing to give away the store to make it happen. Kim’s position in the world isn’t exactly secure, but everyone knows Trump won’t be in power a year from now.

Attention Palmer Report readers: sign up for our free mailing list here
-----
Note from Bill Palmer: if each of you reading this can kick in $10 or $25, it'll help keep Palmer Report firing on all cylinders at this crucial time in our nation's history: Donate now