[Encounter] 453 Days in the Trump Administration... The Inside Story of the White House Events

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] James Comey, Michael Wolff, Bob Woodward, Omarosa Manigault Newman, Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford), Michael Cohen, Mary Trump. All of them have exposed U.S. President Donald Trump through their books. They include close aides who assisted Trump, lawyers, journalists, even a former porn actress, and Trump's niece.

Their revelations might have been just a preview. The Korean edition of the memoir "The Room Where It Happened" by John Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor in the Trump administration, has finally been published. Bolton details his 453 days working in the Trump administration in a voluminous book of over 700 pages.

From the very first chapter, Bolton's hostility toward Trump is palpable. It begins with a quote from the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium in June 1815: "They are really hammering hard. But gentlemen, let's see who can hammer the hardest till the end." Bolton channels the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon, expressing his determination to confront and ultimately overcome Trump.

The book consists of 15 chapters including an epilogue. Among them, Chapter 11 draws the most attention. Titled "Hanoi and Panmunjom," Bolton covers the two-day summit held on February 27-28 last year at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, between North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and President Trump.

On the first day of the summit at 6:30 p.m., Kim and Trump met one-on-one for 30 minutes. This was followed by a dinner with their aides present. Bolton wrote that he was dissatisfied with the one-on-one meeting between the two leaders. He was also displeased that he was excluded from the dinner by North Korea.

Among the neoconservatives, Bolton was one of the most hardline figures and the most troublesome for North Korea. Bolton only learned what Kim said after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who attended the 9 p.m. dinner.

According to Bolton, the U.S. held three preparatory meetings on February 12, 15, and 21 before the summit. He expressed satisfaction after the final third meeting. "A successful conclusion was reached that made the effort worthwhile. If things proceeded according to this conclusion, there would be no terrible concessions to Kim Jong-un, but it remained to be seen."

Bolton wrote that "it remained to be seen" because Trump was an unpredictable figure. Bolton criticized Trump for being unable to distinguish between public and private matters and for not hesitating to take any action if it benefited him personally.

Before the summit, Trump anticipated three scenarios: a big deal, a small deal, or a breakdown of negotiations, repeatedly emphasizing the possibility of a breakdown. Bolton felt relieved, thinking Trump's mind was leaning toward breaking off negotiations. Bolton's goal was simply to get through the Hanoi summit without terrible concessions or compromises. At the same time, Bolton remained tense, worried Trump might suddenly change his mind.

On the 28th, when the summit agreement was to be drafted, Trump was more concerned about the hearing of his personal lawyer Michael Cohen. Trump canceled the summit preparation meeting on the morning of the 28th because he had stayed up late the previous night watching Cohen's testimony on TV.

Bolton also details the second North Korea-U.S. summit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in's visit to the U.S. on April 11 of the same year, the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan on June 28-29, and the North Korea-U.S.-South Korea summit held on June 30 in the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone.

Bolton begins the first sentence of the epilogue in Chapter 15 with "I 'resigned' as National Security Advisor on September 10, 2018." Bolton and Trump disputed whether it was a resignation or a dismissal, leading to a battle over the truth. The epilogue also covers matters related to Trump's impeachment. Bolton wrote, "Whether Trump's actions warranted impeachment or not, I found his behavior extremely uncomfortable."

Reporter Byunghee Park nut@

(The Room Where It Happened / John Bolton / Translated by Sanho Park, Donggyu Kim, Sunyoung Hwang / Sisa Journal)