Trump says 'no reason' for military exercises with South Korea despite stalled nuke talks with North
-Trump said "there is no reason ... to be spending large amounts of money on joint U.S.-South Korea war games," amid stalled denuclearization talks with North Korea.
-Trump canceled the joint military exercise in June due to "tremendously expensive" costs and what he called their "provocative" nature.
-Trump's move falls out of step with the Pentagon, which has maintained that the joint exercises are routine, purely defensive and vital to maintaining readiness on the Korean Peninsula.
Amanda Macias | @amanda_m_macias
Published 3 Hours Ago Updated 2 Hours Ago
CNBC.com
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and President Donald Trump are seen following a meeting at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., July 20, 2017.
DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro
President Donald Trump on Wednesday indicated that the U.S. will not participate in joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his "warm" relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, even as U.S. efforts to denuclearize the reclusive dictatorship have stalled.
"There is no reason at this time to be spending large amounts of money on joint U.S.-South Korea war games," Trump said in a string of tweets Wednesday.
Trump's announcement came a day after Secretary of Defense James Mattis said that there were no plans to cancel future exercises with South Korea.
Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/29/trump-says-no-reason-for-military-exercises-with-south-korea-despite-stalled-nuke-talks-with-north.html
Kind of like they are saying 2 different things.
