Trump and Kim Jong Un Hanoi Summit Collapses: ‘No Agreement Reached at This Time’

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the two leaders “had very good and constructive meetings” and “discussed various ways to advance denuclearization and economic driven concepts,” but that “no agreement was reached at this time.”The two leaders had been scheduled to hold a signing ceremony Thursday afternoon in Hanoi for an expected deal to further the goal of denuclearizing North Korea. But the event was called off less than two hours before it was supposed to take place, with Trump later moving up his departure time from Vietnam. The two sides had been discussing measures such as declaring an end to the Korean War, destroying a major nuclear facility in North Korea, opening liaison offices in both countries and lifting economic sanctions on North Korea.

In the days leading up to the summit, the American press and its anti-Trump pundits had been wringing their hands that Trump would give away too much to make a deal. I wonder if they will now walk their statements back?

Trump said the final snag that caused the sudden breakdown was over sanctions – and Kim’s push to have all of them lifted in exchange for a concession Trump and his secretary of state could not live with.’Sometimes you have to walk away,’ Trump told reporters at a press conference in Hanoi that was abruptly moved up after a breakdown in talks.The president expressed his hope that the two leaders would meet again, but acknowledged: ‘It might be soon, it might not be for a long time. I can’t tell you.’

On a positive note, the relationship between the American and North Korean teams still seems solid, based a reading of the full post-summit press conference transcript.

This wasn’t a walk away like you get up and walk out. No, this was very friendly. We shook hands.We ― you know, there’s a warmth that we have and I hope that stays. I think it will. But we’re positioned to do something very special. This has been going on for many decades. This isn’t me. This should have been solved during many presidential runs, and, you know, people talked about it.They never did anything. I get a kick out of so many people from past administrations telling me how to negotiate when they were there in some cases for eight years, they did but I think the relationship was very warm, and when we walked away it was a very friendly walk.

How are the Vietnamese handling all of this wheeling, dealing, and drama? Trump and Kim hair styles are now the rage.

Trump has been engaging in a charm offensive with the Vietnamese.

This seems to have been much more successful than the Hanoi Summit, as Boeing secured $15.7 billion in Vietnam orders during Trump’s Hanoi visit.

The real loser in this summit may be both the press and the Democratic Party.

And if the American media and the Democrats thought tag-teaming to focus on Cohen and distract from the summit was smart, they are going to be shocked to learn than many are very angry at the tactic.