"President Trump Also Faced Impeachment and Lawsuits During His First Term,
So I Believe He Will Empathize With President Yoon"
"Korean Tariffs Will Likely Change Through Negotiations"
Fred Fleitz, Deputy Director of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) and known as an associate of U.S. President Donald Trump, stated, "President Trump said he would like to talk if President Yoon is not impeached." Fleitz X
Fred Fleitz, Deputy Director of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) and known as an associate of U.S. President Donald Trump, stated that "'President Trump once said he would like to talk if President Yoon Seok-yeol resolves the impeachment issue." He also mentioned that President Trump would empathize with President Yoon, especially since Trump himself faced impeachment and lawsuits during his first term.
On the 3rd, Deputy Director Fleitz, at a forum titled "Trump's Second Administration and East Asian Security" hosted by the Sejong Institute at the Seoul Press Center, responded to former Future United Party lawmaker Min Kyung-wook's question asking to "predict the outcome of President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial" by saying, "I do not want to interfere in Korea's internal affairs," but added, "President Trump once said he would like to talk with President Yoon if the impeachment is resolved well."
Regarding the U.S. decision on the same day to impose a 25% tariff on Korea, he expressed optimism, saying, "I think it will change through negotiations," and "Korea will do well in such negotiations."
Deputy Director Fleitz described the U.S. tariff announcement as "the first signal of negotiation," and said that the Trump administration's policy is not an anti-alliance stance but rather "a desire for a fair alliance relationship." He suggested that Korea will have several opportunities to negotiate with the U.S. not only on tariffs but also in areas such as the Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project and shipbuilding.
Deputy Director Fleitz predicted that the Trump administration will continue to support mechanisms such as the Washington Declaration, trilateral cooperation among Korea, the U.S., and Japan, the Quad (a security dialogue among the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India), and AUKUS (a security alliance among the U.S., the U.K., and Australia). He also analyzed that "if certain conditions are met, they will try to resume talks with North Korea," and "before a North Korea-U.S. summit, there will be in-depth consultations with Korea and Japan."
AFPI is a pro-Trump think tank, and Deputy Director Fleitz served as Chief of Staff at the White House National Security Council (NSC) during Trump's first administration and recently worked on the Trump second-term transition team. He also reaffirmed in a domestic media interview last year that his view that there would be no reduction of U.S. Forces Korea remains valid.
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