The president bets on peace by ordering a reduction in military exercises to defuse tensions with North Korea and to hold Seoul accountable for its hesitation in the war against Iran
President Donald Trump announced this Sunday that he instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" the joint military exercises with South Korea that are scheduled to begin this Monday and extend for 11 days.
Although these exercises are defensive in nature, they represent unnecessary spending for the U.S. military, which bears most of the costs of these maneuvers. Additionally, the show of force can strain peace on the Asian continent, especially Washington's relations with the North Korean regime.
"Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un of North Korea, I am not happy that the United States agreed a long time ago to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea," Trump wrote on social media.
"Therefore, and since it is already too late to cancel them, I have ordered Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce the joint military exercises!", he added.
The joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington are conducted annually, although their intensity has decreased over the years
North Korea has historically condemned these joint exercises between the U.S. and South Korea and considers them rehearsals for an invasion. The communist regime warned again on Friday that this year's exercises —which have been taking place since 1953— could provoke a strong response.
When Trump was in his first term, the president also suspended the main maneuvers while promoting diplomacy with Kim Jong Un. Since then, military displays of force have been reduced or periodically suspended in the past as a diplomatic gesture from Washington towards Pyongyang.
But Trump's respectful relationship with Kim has not been the only reason to halt military maneuvers. With this decision, the Republican leader is holding Seoul and its leftist president, Lee Jae Myung, accountable for not supporting the U.S. in the war against the Iranian terrorist regime.
In fact, Trump refers in his post that he recently asked Lee Jae Myung if his country wanted to join Washington in the "Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran" and that his South Korean counterpart refused.
Trump does not forget South Korea's indecision regarding the war in Iran
