PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump tweeted Friday that he has reversed his administration’s decision to slap new sanctions on North Korea, with his press secretary explaining that he “likes” leader Kim Jong Un and doesn’t think they’re necessary.
It’s unclear, however, which sanctions the president was referencing in his tweet, which took Treasury officials by surprise.
“It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea,” Trump wrote from his private club in Palm Beach.
“I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!”
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about which sanctions Trump was referring to. No new action against North Korea was announced by the Treasury Department on Friday, though Trump this week did threaten that new ones could be added.
On Thursday, his administration did sanction two Chinese shipping companies suspected of helping North Korea evade sanctions — the first targeted actions taken against Pyongyang since Trump and Kim met in Hanoi, Vietnam, last month for negotiations about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
The summit ended without a deal.
Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton had described that step as “Important” action, tweeting, “The maritime industry must do more to stop North Korea’s illicit shipping practices.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Friday that Trump “likes Chairman Kim and he doesn’t think these sanctions will be necessary.”
The White House had said Thursday’s sanctions were evidence the U.S. was maintaining pressure on North Korea in an effort to coax its leader to give up his nuclear weapons program.
The Treasury Department sanctioned Dalian Haibo International Freight Co. Ltd. and Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co. Ltd. for using deceptive methods to circumvent international and U.S. sanctions and the U.S. commitment to implementing existing U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Calls to the two companies rang without response Friday or were answered by people who immediately hung up the phone.
The Treasury Department, in coordination with the State Department and the U.S. Coast Guard, also updated a North Korea shipping advisory, adding dozens of vessels thought to be doing ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean tankers or exported North Korean coal in violation of sanctions.
Two senior administration officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. policy on North Korea, said that illegal ship-to-ship transfers that violate U.S. and international sanctions have increased and that not all countries, including China, are implementing the restrictions. They said the deceptive practices include disabling or manipulating ship identification systems, repainting the names on vessels and falsifying cargo documents.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement that fully implementing the U.N. resolutions is key to getting Kim to give up his nuclear weapons program. “Treasury will continue to enforce our sanctions, and we are making it explicitly clear that shipping companies employing deceptive tactics to mask illicit trade with North Korea expose themselves to great risk,” Mnuchin said.
†Я☭mp ‘s massive need for “a win” to validate his view of himself, combined with his malignant narcissism has become a greater and greater danger as he just wings it.
What happened is clear for all to see: Trump did not listen (because his narcissism does not let him) to experts about how to deal with North Korea, and thought he alone could fix it (again his narcissism talking) and when it all blew up in his face, he is desperately trying to avoid being seen as the looser he is.
Yet, as Trump endangers our national security with his idiocy, the party which claims to want to “keep American strong” is willing to stand by as Trump sells out the United State’s national interest in a crazy (and unsuccessful) effort to self-validate how great he is. History will not be kind to the Lindsey Grahams of the GOP, who willingly stood by as Trump undermined America.
Were I Japan (and South Korea, if they get a conservative government) I would be building the bomb PDQ….Ditto Taiwan. That is where this is all going.
And P.s. no world leader, let alone the Chinese will take Trump seriously after this. Trump is weak, weak, weak, and can be rolled.
Mitch McConnell is the most dangerous man in the United States. He can get his caucus to convict this man. Nancy would impeach, Pence would be acting President. The trial would commence, The Senate votes.
Done
ETA FOX is going to have to change it’s roll. Maybe the new management can help.
Will he also announce the disollution of Space Force, now that its mission is complete? Also , the military parade is back on.
I have said it before and I will say it again - I knew Trump was going to be a terrible president, but I guess I lacked the imagination to grasp how really awful he could be. I thought he would be George W with extra buffoonery and ego, but instead he turns out to be a combination tinpot dictator and a used car salesman with a zeal for spite and revenge that makes real assholes green with envy.
A shrewd negotiating tactic by the greatest deal-maker in history.
Kneel in awe, you mortals. And avert your eyes. But, admire the art … of the deal. ETA: Make that Deal or No Deal (Howie Mandel suggested I do that)
And, by the way, No Collusion.