Kim Jong Un has President Trump all figured out

The way to Trump's heart is through his ego, and the North Korean leader knows it

Trump and Kim
(Image credit: KCNA via REUTERS)

Even when President Trump does the right thing, it still feels wrong.

The "right thing" in this instance is his decision to meet suddenly over the weekend with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea. It's the kind of move that runs afoul of all the conventional wisdom about America's foreign policy, but who cares? The president did not get Kim to give up his country's nuclear weapons — although there is now talk of a deal about freezing North Korea's arsenal at current levels — but every moment spent pursuing peace, even elusive peace, is a moment not spent waging a disastrous war.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.