The president said he remains focused on ‘the big deal’ with Kim Jong Un but said more incremental steps ‘could happen.’
By David Nakamura David Nakamura Reporter covering the White House Email Bio Follow April 11 at 1:42 PM President Trump on Thursday signaled he remains open to an incremental deal with North Korea that would help further the negotiations over nuclear disarmament, but he emphasized his administration remains focused on “the big deal.”
Asked if he would accept a “smaller deal” that fell short of that goal to keep talks going, Trump responded: “I’d have to see what the deal is. There are various smaller deals that could happen . . . You could work out step-by-step pieces, but at this moment we’re talking about the big deal. The big deal is we have to get rid of nuclear weapons.”
“I enjoyed the summits. I enjoyed being with the Chairman,” Trump said of Kim. “They’ve been really productive. But this is not going to go fast . . . If it goes fast, then it’s not the proper deal.” Trump administration officials have said privately that they have not heard back from their North Korean counterparts after sending messages that they remain open to resuming working-level meetings. The talks in Hanoi broke down after the North offered to close parts of its main nuclear processing facility in exchange for sanctions relief, but the United States demanded that the North commit to complete and irreversible denuclearization before any sanctions are lifted.
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