Trump, John Bolton can't get on the same page regarding Kim Jong Un

Once again, President Trump and National Security Adviser John Bolton have two very different opinions on whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is reneging on his promise to suspend nuclear and missile testing.

While speaking to The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday morning, Bolton said North Korea is not following through with its commitment, which was made during Trump's first summit with Kim last year in Singapore. "What they've said was that they're not going to test ballistic missiles, intercontinental range ballistic missiles, or have nuclear tests," he said. "That's continued. They're doing a lot of other things that still indicate that they have not made a strategic decision to give up the pursuit of deliverable weapons, which is why we continue the maximum pressure campaign."

In May, North Korea tested a short-range ballistic missile, which both Bolton and Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said violated United Nations resolutions; Trump didn't agree, saying he viewed it "differently." On Tuesday afternoon, he once again contradicted Bolton, raving to reporters about the "warm letter" he recently received from Kim. "He kept his word," Trump said. "There's no nuclear testing. There's no large, there's no long-range missiles going up. The only things he's set up were very short term, short range. This was just a test of short range. It's a whole different deal, but he's kept his word to me. That's very important."

The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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