NORTH KOREA/SUMMIT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VIETNAM: “President Trump declared on Monday [2-25-19] morning that he expects a ‘very tremendous summit’ later this week with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, suggesting again that his eventual goal is to convince Mr. Kim to abandon his nuclear weapons. Mr. Trump’s comments, at a breakfast meeting with the nation’s governors, followed a morning tweet in which he predicted that “with complete Denuclearization, North Korea will rapidly become an Economic Powerhouse.” Mr. Trump departed without further comment on Air Force One hours later for the flight to Hanoi, Vietnam, the site of the summit meeting on Wednesday and Thursday. The president’s optimistic assessment came amid indications that the administration may be preparing to deliver something that Mr. Kim desperately wants: a joint political statement declaring an end to the Korean War.”
–Michael D. Shear, “Domestic Distractions Persist as Trump Heads Abroad for North Korea Talks,” The New York Times online, February 25, 2019