"Based on my very good relationship with [Kim], I was not happy with the fact that the United States had, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea," Trump wrote, in a post on his own social media platform Truth Social that was nearly identical to one he wrote last Sunday.
He said these exercises are "costly" and send an "inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea, which he described as "unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency.
Trump's renewed comments, which came along with a series of photos from his previous meetings with Kim, followed his order earlier this month for the Pentagon to "substantially" scale back the annual joint military exercise, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS). The two allies subsequently shortened this year's exercise to just a week by reducing or canceling some field training drills.
These developments have fueled speculation that Trump could seek another meeting with Kim during his next trip to Asia, potentially around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China in November, with Trump having already hinted at such a meeting.
However, Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the U.S. think tank Heritage Foundation and a former CIA analyst, said the chances of another summit between the two leaders this year are extremely low.
Speaking at a seminar hosted by the Korea Economic Institute of America in Washington the same day, Klingner said the likelihood was "slim to none" and had become even lower.
Explaining his assessment, Klingner said North Korea now has more leverage than in previous talks with Washington, largely because it has secured substantial economic and military support from Russia while restoring much of trade with its traditional ally, China.
He then estimated that North Korea, which has obtained substantial support from Russia along with large amounts of hard currency through cryptocurrency-related cyberattacks, would now have little interest in seeking sanctions relief from the U.S.
Klingner also questioned whether scaling back the military exercises would be enough to bring Kim back to the negotiating table, speculating that North Korea would likely see the reduction as insufficient and demand further concessions before considering another meeting.
Nevertheless, he did not completely rule out a summit between Trump and Kim, saying it would depend on how far the U.S. was willing to lower its demands and what concessions Trump was prepared to offer.
Klingner, meanwhile, criticized Trump's broader approach to U.S. allies, pointing to tariff pressure, threats involving the U.S. troop presence in South Korea and tough rhetoric toward allied countries. Calling him "Donald Corleone," he compared his approach to that of Vito Corleone, the fictional mafia boss from director Francis Ford Coppola's epic crime film series "The Godfather."
AJP Takeaways
• U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his desire to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Aug. 26, 2026, while criticizing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States.
• South Korea and the United States shortened the 2026 Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise to one week after Trump ordered the Pentagon earlier in August to substantially scale back the annual drills.
• Bruce Klingner of the Heritage Foundation said on Aug. 26, 2026, that the chances of another Trump-Kim summit this year were "slim to none," citing North Korea's stronger ties with Russia and China and its reduced need for U.S. sanctions relief.
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