Trump dangles 'big as you get' carrot in bid to tempt Kim and jump-start new North Korea talks
As President Donald Trump floats the idea of meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the question in Washington and Seoul is whether there could be any real substance...
By Fox News · Fox News
As President Donald Trump floats the idea of meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the question in Washington and Seoul is whether there could be any real substance left in a summit that once dominated global headlines. For Trump, the answer may lie less in new breakthroughs and more in reviving an old diplomatic gamble: the belief that personal diplomacy can succeed where conventional statecraft has failed. "I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him, he liked me," Trump told reporters on Monday — a reminder of his trademark tactic of flattering America’s adversaries, a style that infuriates critics. "I’d love to meet him." Trump’s approach to North Korea has always been defined by spectacle — the 2018 Singapore summit, the DMZ handshake and the failed Hanoi talks in 2019. While direct engagement briefly lowered tensions and paused North Korea’s nuclear tests, Pyongyang has since dramatically expanded its nuclear arsenal, tested more advanced solid-fuel missiles and aligned more closely with China and Russia. TRUMP SAYS HE'S 'OPEN' TO MEETING WITH KIM JONG UN DURING ASIA TRIP, NORTH KOREA IS 'SORT OF A NUCLEAR POWER' It has also claimed to test new underwater nuclear-capable drones and satellite systems — and has declared that talks focused on nuclear disarmament are a nonstarter. Trump has floated sanctions relief in exchange for denuclearization. "Well, we have sanctions," Trump said of possible discussion points. "That’s pretty big to start off with. I would say that’s about as big as you get." NORTH KOREA BREAKS SILENCE ON TRUMP'S RETURN, SENDS MESSAGE FROM 'ROCKET MAN' During a speech last month, Kim said he has a "good memory of Trump" but would meet him only "if the U.S. drops its hollow obsession with denuclearization." Secretary of State Marco Rubio said U.S. policy toward North Korea remains focused on urging Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons. "Our North Korea policy remains the same. It’s the denuclearization of North Korea. It’s an…