Reed Condemns Trump's Appeasement of Kim Jong Un

PROVIDENCE, RI -- Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, rebuked President Donald Trump for his last minute decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea.

Reed criticized Trump for appearing to appease North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un by posting a social media statement directing U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to scale back joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea. President Trump expressed admiration for Kim Jong Un and criticized South Korea for declining to take part in his war of choice with Iran.

Senator Reed stated:

"This is another inane, haphazard decision by President Trump and his chaotic administration. America's alliances are built on trust and strength. When President Trump cuts military exercises to flatter a dictator or punishes South Korea for declining to join a war he started, all of our allies – and adversaries – think that America's commitments are negotiable. Kim Jong Un has won a propaganda victory and South Korea, one of our strongest allies, has been punished for no reason beyond Trump's ego. China and Russia are watching how easily this President abandons America's allies, and they will remember it the next time they test us."

The U.S. and South Korea have been conducting joint military exercises together since the 1950s in an effort to deter future aggression by North Korea, and to send a signal of strength and deterrence to America's adversaries.

Senator Reed also noted that President Trump's social media post contradicted a recent warning from NORTHCOM Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Joseph Jarrard, who last week noted: "North Koreans have successfully flight-tested ICBMs with enough boost to deliver a nuclear payload anywhere in North America."