Woodward: Trump almost provoked the North Korean war with a tweet


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Donald Trump
Donald Trump.
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President Donald Trump has almost provoked the war in North Korea with a single tweet, said renowned journalist Bob Woodward in an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning" broadcast Sunday.

In the interview, Woodward discussed his new book "Fear: Trump at the White House", and stated that Trump was obsessed with the fact that the US spends $ 3.5 billion a year to install troops in South Korea. .

"I do not know why they are there," Trump reportedly told senior officials at a meeting, according to Woodward's explosive book. "Let's get them."

Defense Secretary James Mattis told Trump at another meeting that troops are there to "prevent World War III," the book says.

In October, Trump tweeted that former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "was wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man" and reportedly told former Secretary of Staff Rob Porter that his tweet " could be my best already."

According to Woodward, Porter asked the president if the tweet could provoke Kim, to which he replied "it's the leader against the leader, man against man, me against Kim".

Woodward told CBS that the most "dangerous" moment of Trump's stall with Kim Jong Un came when the president went on to produce another provocative tweet.

He writes a tweet saying, "We will remove our dependents from South Korea – family members from the 28,000 people present," Woodward told CBS.

According to Woodward, the tweet was never sent after retrospective communications with North Korea showed that the nation would consider this decision a sign that the United States was preparing to wage war in the North.

"At that time, Pentagon leaders were deeply alarmed by the fact that my God tweeted and we have reliable information that North Koreans will read this as" an attack is imminent ".

Woodward told CBS that Trump staff feared the president could make an impulsive decision that could have major global consequences.

"The people who work for him are afraid to sign acts or give orders that threaten national security or the financial security of the country or the world."

Relations with North Korea are ahead

Kevin Lim / STRAITS TIMES / Handout / Getty Images

Trump's relationship with Kim has become obsolete since their June summit, when both sides committed to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Last month, Trump reportedly canceled Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's trip to North Korea after the country sent a mysterious letter, citing potential hostilities between the two leaders.

In recent months, North Korea has stepped up its rhetoric against the US and the North Korean state newspaper has accused Washington of plotting to "start a war" on Pyongyang while continuing to negotiate "with a smile".

Kim told the Chinese national television channel on Sunday that North Korea was not respecting the agreement reached in June and hoped that the United States would remain faithful to the agreement.

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