Trump says he’s bucking Treasury, reversing N Korea sanctions

Palm Beach, March 23

President Donald Trump tweeted on Friday that he had reversed his administration’s decision to slap new sanctions on North Korea, with his press secretary explaining that he “likes” leader Kim Jong Un and didn’t think they’re necessary.

It’s unclear, however, which sanctions the President was referencing in his tweet, which took Treasury officials by surprise.

“It was announced today by the US Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea,” Trump wrote from his private club in Palm Beach.

“I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!”

The White House did not immediately respond to questions about which sanctions Trump was referring to. No new action against North Korea was announced by the Treasury Department on Friday, though Trump this week did threaten that new ones could be added.

On Thursday, his administration did sanction two Chinese shipping companies suspected of helping North Korea evade sanctions—the first targeted actions taken against Pyongyang since Trump and Kim met in Hanoi last month for negotiations about North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.

The summit ended without a deal.

It was the latest example of Trump’s unusual governance-by-tweet. Trump’s proclamations have often caught agency officials by surprise, leaving them scrambling to figure out what he’s directing and to implement his directives.

Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton had described that step as “important” action, tweeting, “The maritime industry must do more to stop North Korea’s illicit shipping practices.”

House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement on Friday that Trump “likes Chairman Kim and he doesn’t think these sanctions will be necessary”.

The White House had said Thursday’s sanctions were evidence the US was maintaining pressure on North Korea in an effort to coax its leader to give up his nuclear weapons programme. AP