NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A senior State Department official on Thursday [3-7-19] expressed optimism that the denuclearization of North Korea could be achieved during President Donald Trump’s first term, despite the lack of progress during the recent Hanoi summit and expert assertions to the contrary…The official’s statements come in the wake of a failed summit last month between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The meeting failed to make any progress toward the US’ goal, resulting instead in what Trump has come to call ‘the walk.’ The official maintained Thursday that both sides left ‘on very good terms’ but conceded that “we’re not as far along as we’d like to be.’ Experts, however, have said it could take up to 10 or 15 years for North Korea to completely denuclearize, given how technical the process is. They see the Trump administration as having expressed lofty goals.”
–Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler, “Trump administration still hopeful for North Korea denuclearization in first term,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, March 7, 2019 8:15 pm