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Itchy Twitter Finger

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Tweets versus North Korea

I recently found myself wondering if there is any correlation between President Trump's tweets, specifically those directed at N. Korea, and the increase in N. Korean missile launches and nuclear bomb tests. A lot of people have praised President Trump for standing up to the North Korean tyrant. Other people, probably a number equal to those who praise him, have condemned the president's incessant insults directed at Kim Jung Un via twitter.

I find it rather ironic how our president, a man who criticized the public announcement of military plans by past and present administrations during his campaign, insists on forewarning N. Korea through televised and social media comments, such as mentioning the possibility of a coordinated assassination [1] or saying N. Korea "won't be around much longer" [2]. That second one, which President Trump tweeted on the weekend of September 23, 2017, was considered a declaration of war by N. Korea [3]. I would like to say how reckless our president's twitter use is, but, before I can make that claim, I need to consider some data.

Obama versus Trump

I wanted to compare the missile and nuclear bomb tests during former President Obama's first nine months to President Trump's, but I believe that would not be a good comparison, since Kim Jung Un did not assume power until March 9, 2014 [4]. Instead I will compare missile and nuclear bomb tests during Kim's first nine months to those conducted during the current White House administration. During Kim's first nine months of power, which occurred during former President Obama's second term, N. Korea conducted 12 missile launches and no nuclear bomb tests. From President Trump's inauguration up to October 13, 2017, N. Korea has conducted 19 missile launches and one nuclear bomb test [5][6].

Dotard versus RocketMan

It is worth noting that the first nuclear bomb test carried out under Kim Jung Un took place on February 12, 2013. The next test occurred on January 6, 2016 [7], approximately six months after President Trump announced his campaign bid [8]. Since then, three things have been increasing: President Trump's tweets insulting N. Korea, N. Korean missile tests, and N. Korean nuclear bomb tests. You can see the correlation for yourself in the graph below [9][10][11][12].

Diple...Dipola...Diplomacy?

Typically, when rough relationships need some mending, it is up to the Secretary of State to reach out and speak with his/her foreign counterpart. The Secretary acts on behalf of the president, giving full representation of the administrations good intentions. I do not think President Trump knows how the role of Secretary of State works, or diplomacy, for that matter. The day after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he was reaching out to Pyongyang in hopes of starting a new dialogue, President Trump tweeted, "I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man. Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done" [13]. Seriously? Even if you voted for the man, you have to start asking yourself if he is the best person to do the job. You have to admit that he is getting out of line with his provocations and undermining  of other positions in his administration.

Counting Down

President Trump has a little over three years left in his first term (or only term), unless of course he is impeached, and you can be sure there are people checking the legality of every little move and decision he makes. I sincerely hope that during that time he figures out how to be a good president and makes America great. If you hope he does terribly, remember that this is your country and everything he does affects you in some way or another. We should all hope that our president does great, even if we did not vote for him or her. In the meantime, I sure hope someone dedicated and experienced steps up to the plate. Hell, maybe I'll run for president. AbreosOllos2020! 

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