President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday via Truth Social that he has ordered a significant downsizing of joint U.S.–South Korea military exercises. Trump directly linked the strategic rollback to his personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, arguing that persistent large-scale war games project an unnecessarily hostile posture toward Pyongyang while imposing an excessive financial burden on Washington.
Trump explained that because scheduled drills were already underway and could not be canceled entirely, he directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to immediately reduce their operational scope and footprint. The President asserted that under his administration, North Korea has refrained from hostile provocations and acted with respect, framing the de-escalation as a calculated diplomatic outreach toward Pyongyang. Turning his focus to Seoul, Trump disclosed that he recently asked South Korea’s president whether his country would join the United States in its campaign to denuclearize Iran. According to Trump, Seoul declined the request, prompting him to deliver a sharp public jab on his platform: “No, thank you!”
The remarks highlight Trump’s continued emphasis on his personal chemistry with Kim Jong Un, set against renewed friction with historic ally South Korea over defense cost-sharing and the financial scope of bilateral military cooperation.