President Donald Trump is not looking for a "deal for the sake of making a deal," and if North Korea won't bargain in good faith, he will not go through the "theatrics" of holding a summit, Rep. Pete King said Thursday.
"I think the president made it clear he does want to negotiate, if there is a purpose in negotiating," the New York Republican told Fox News' "America's Newsroom," after Trump's letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announcing that the United States is pulling out of next month's long-awaited meeting.
"If North Korea is serious, the president is willing to meet them," King added. "He is not going to go for the theatrics of a summit. He won't make a deal like President [Barack] Obama did with Iran. He wants it to be a productive series of talks and negotiations."
However, recent statements made by North Korean leaders, including from one who called Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy," indicated "they were more interested in making a show and a point, rather than actually being serious about the talks."
King said he understands why Trump made his decision, and pointed out that the United States has a "great diplomatic team. They won't rush into any summit if there isn't a reasonable expectation of success."
King said he was with Trump for much of the day Wednesday at a roundtable meeting at Long Island, and at that time, the president was still hopeful the summit would proceed.
"He wasn't 100 percent, but thought it was going in the right direction," said King. "The statement from North Korea made it clear to the president that at this time, it served no purpose."
King does believe the dialogue will continue between the United States and North Korea.
"There is still a ways to go, and the president has a number of years left in his administration, hopefully into the next administration," said King. "North Korea does show they are concerned and why they wanted the summit in the first place."
North Korea, though, has also learned that they can't "play games with President Trump. He showed today it won't work."
The decision also puts more pressure on China, said King, as it "sends a message that Donald Trump is not just interested in making a deal for the sake of a deal."
China, he added, "has a lot to say here about North Korea's conducts," and now it can pressure North Korea to come to the table "in a realistic way."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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