As for foreign policy, Mr. Trump has taken great pride in his recent meeting with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, asserting that
“I have solved that problem” after a decades-long nuclear standoff and even musing that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.
But there is no deal, at least not yet. There is a vague 391-word statement essentially agreeing to agree, an expression of a goal with no details.
In effect, the agreement with Mr. Kim is like a deal to sell parts of Trump Tower without settling on a price, date, inspection or financing. It is not nearly as advanced as agreements that President Bill Clinton and Mr. Bush made with North Korea, both of which ultimately collapsed.
Mr. Trump did secure the
release of three Americans held prisoner by North Korea, much as President Barack Obama did with prisoners during his tenure. And he did win a promise by Mr. Kim to help repatriate the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War.