Trump’s self-centered politics unravels

President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea met for a social dinner on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 in Hanoi, for their second summit meeting. It proved to be a very unfortunate rencontre. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)

Trump’s idea of governance unravels as the American President crossed the half term of his tenure. What happened last week in Hanoi, Vietnam was a characteristic catastrophe and the exposure of badly conceived and executed Trumpist politics. His much advertised initiative to win a triumph over North Korea’s Kim Jong Un ended up in total failure. For one thing, the breakup of the meeting between the two leaders exposed Trump’s superficial, egotistic and rough way of doing state business.

The whole thing also proved that after having dismissed a number of first rate secretaries and top White House advisers, Trump is now left with yes-men who don’t dare to restrain him from whatever scheme he thinks it may improve his image to conservative voters. In the case of North Korea, the occupant of the White House thought he could outwit all his predecessors, who had failed to curb Pyongyang’s totally irresponsible, perilous and aggressive behavior.

It’s the ‘NUCs’ stupid

Nuclear arms and long range missiles are the main asset of Kim Jong Un’s totalitarian regime, while the vast majority of the North Koreans are even undernourished. Given that, Trump thought he could lure Kim Jong Un, by promising nothing more than ‘words’ about a new era with America, and in exchange he asked for Pyongyang’s total nuclear disarmament.

Of course, the North Korean rulers not only rejected the offer, but did so the hard way. Kim Yong Un’s account of what happened in the talks was much more severe for Trump, than what the President told about the meeting. Obviously, Trump had not understood that the Pyongyang regime has no other support in securing its power within and without the country than its nuclear arsenal.

Trumpism unravels

The entire Trump policy towards North Korea has also targeted the largest possible exposure in American and global media. But the moment of truth came when Trump was obliged to say something concrete. He just asked Kim Jong Un to apply a full denuclearization program.

At that very moment, the North Korean dictator understood he could no longer play games with the American harlequin, and started becoming aggressive and furious. Obviously, both of them were well aware of the impossibility of reaching an agreement. But, still, they both explored and enjoyed the whole affair.

More problems

There goes Trump’s myth about managing to convince the North Koreans to succumb to the ‘American might’. More or less the same is true for his trade war with China. Bit by bit, the White House discovers that America has transferred a large part of its industrial production there and this cannot be undone. The EU will also be a hard nut to crack trade wise.

As for Trump’s Russian connection, nothing goes well for him, and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen painted a nasty portrait of his ex boss. Nothing seems to be going well for the MAGA President at the moment.