President Donald Trump said Sunday he had instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that he was unhappy the United States had agreed long ago to join the drills. He called them costly, said the United States pays much of the expense and wrote that it was too late to cancel them.
Trump called the exercises a “totally inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea. He described the country as “unthreatening and respectful” during his presidency.
The post did not identify the exercises, give a timeline for the reductions or indicate whether Trump’s instruction had been carried out.
In the same post, Trump said he recently asked South Korea’s president to join the United States in what he called the denuclearization of Iran. According to Trump, the response was, “No thanks!”
Virginia Times has not independently verified Trump’s claims about the exercise costs, North Korea’s conduct or the reported exchange with South Korea’s president.
This is a developing story. Virginia Times will update as information becomes available.
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