Trump leaves door open to North Korea summit in public remarks

President Trump on Thursday left open the possibility his nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will still take place, just hours after canceling it. 

“It’s possible that the existing summit could take place, or a summit at some later date,” Trump said during a bill signing ceremony at the White House. 

Trump added that if Kim takes “constructive actions” before the scheduled June 12 meeting in Singapore, “I am waiting,” but also that “we have to get it right.”

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Trump’s comments added even more confusion to his whirlwind attempt to end a nuclear standoff with North Korea with diplomacy. 

Even as he kept the door open to talks, Trump threatened a military response if Kim resumes his nuclear activities, saying the U.S. armed forces are “ready if necessary.”

Trump also said his administration’s “maximum pressure campaign” of sanctions against North Korea “will continue as it has been continuing.”

The president on Thursday morning sent a letter to Kim officially informing him of his decision to pull out of the summit, citing North Korea’s “open hostility” toward the U.S. 

“I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,” Trump wrote in the letter, which was released by the White House.