The Donald Trump diplomatic reality show is becoming a global menace

Trump’s historic meeting with Kim at the DMZ is yet another empty victory, achieving as little as his recent dealings with China and Iran. More worryingly, his haphazard politicking seems to be rubbing off on other global leaders

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What could have been a breakthrough meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un instead devolved into yet another photo op for the Donald Trump reality show. Photo: AFP

Brian P. Klein

Brian P. Klein (@brianpklein) is a geopolitical and economic strategist and former US diplomat.

Published: 10:05pm, 5 Jul 2019Updated: 1:42am, 6 Jul 2019

Last Sunday, US President Donald Trump crossed the guarded border in Panmunjom, a village in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea. He smiled and shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as photographers rushed to capture the history-making moment. This was, after all, the first time a sitting US president had set foot in reclusive North Korea.

What could have been a breakthrough meeting between the last cold war rivals instead devolved into yet another photo-op for the White House family album.

A one-hour-plus Trump-Kim meeting followed without any discernible outcome, other than that the negotiators will get back to negotiating. So we end up where we started, sold on an empty victory as the Donald Trump diplomatic reality show goes into its summer rerun phase.

Under an administration that is obsessed with camera-ready events rather than serious strategy, the country's credibility around the world continues to decline.

Imagine if this effort had gone into concluding a comprehensive treaty with the North, eliminating the missile and nuclear threat and establishing a durable peace on the Korean peninsula. Then this meeting might have been worth something.

Instead, Trump love-bombed Kim. This flattery may be Trump’s attempt to get the reclusive leader out into the world and impress him with the riches that could be his if he would give up his nukes – except that Kim is not that naive. To believe that Kim would succumb to Trump’s charms and miraculously give up weapons he thinks ensures his country’s survival shows a remarkable lack of sophistication on Trump’s part.