The brilliant mind of Donald Trump

President Donald Trump was unhappy that Washington gave South Korea a missile defense system to protect the country against an attack by North Korea [...] according to journalist Bob Woodward’s new book Fear.

[...]

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) is an anti-ballistic missile defense system that can shoot down short and medium-range ballistic missiles similar to the ones North Korea might direct toward Seoul if a conflict were to break out. The U.S. decided to station the THAAD system in South Korea to protect both the country’s urban areas from an attack and also the thousands of U.S. military personnel who would deploy to South Korea if the North wages war.

[...]

But Trump allegedly couldn’t understand the benefit of stationing the THAAD system in South Korea, calling it a “terrible deal.” During a spring meeting in the Oval Office, Trump asked national security adviser H.R. McMaster if South Korea had already paid for the system. McMaster informed the president that it was actually the U.S. that had paid for the missile defense system, and Trump demanded an explanation.

[...]

"’It's actually a very good deal for us,’ McMaster said when he returned in the afternoon. ‘They gave us the land in a 99-year lease for free. But we pay for the system, the installation and the operations.’ Trump went wild. ‘I want to see where it is going,’ he said. Finally, some maps came in that showed the location. Some of the land included a former golf course,” Woodward’s book, which was obtained by Newsweek, details.

“‘This is a piece of s*** land,’ said the former golf course and real estate developer. ‘This is a terrible deal. Who negotiated this deal? What genius? Take it out. I don't want the land.’ The major missile defense system might cost $10 billion over 10 years, and it wasn't even physically in the United States, Trump said. ‘F*** it, pull it back and put it in Portland!’

  Newsweek

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

North Korean Nukes

North Korea claims to have conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, a development that, if confirmed, could move the regime closer to being able to strike the US mainland and dramatically strengthen its hand in negotiations with Washington.

[...]

In a joint statement released after the missile test, Russia and China condemned the launch and proposed that North Korea declare a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests, while at the same time calling on Washington to immediately halt deployment of its THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea.

[...]

The statement said Washington was using North Korea as a pretext to expand its military infrastructure in Asia and risked upsetting the strategic balance of power in the area.

[...]

Tokyo strongly protested against what it called a clear violation of UN resolutions banning Pyongyang from developing ballistic missile technology.

  Guardian

Right. And this was the response of the President of the United States:

So, not to worry. We're in good hands.

South Korean and Japanese officials said they were studying the data to confirm whether or not it was an ICBM, but analysts said it appeared the missile had the range to strike Alaska but not other parts of the continental US.

So we lose Sarah Palin?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Further Idiot Interview

On the end of Islamist terrorism

“We can’t let them come over here. I have to say, there is an end. And it has to be humiliation. There is an end. Otherwise it’s really tough. But there is an end. We are really eradicating some very bad people. When you take a look at what’s going on with the cutting off of the heads. We haven’t seen that since medieval times. Right?”

  Guardian

Seriously? Wrong.

That's been the Saudi way of execution for all of  Trump's lifetime and beyond.

On South Korea and Thaad

“On the Thaad system, it’s about a billion dollars. I said, ‘Why are we paying? Why are we paying a billion dollars? We’re protecting. Why are we paying a billion dollars?’ So I informed South Korea it would be appropriate if they paid. Nobody’s going to do that. Why are we paying a billion dollars? It’s a billion-dollar system. It’s phenomenal. It’s the most incredible equipment you’ve ever seen – shoots missiles right out of the sky. And it protects them and I want to protect them. We’re going to protect them. But they should pay for that, and they understand that.”

Sorry. I can barely decipher that. Except to say he's obsessed with dollar figures and how he can get someone else to pay for things he wants. That has always been his approach to life and is actually now the Trump Doctrine.

 ...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE:

“There is no change in South Korea and the United States' position that our government provides the land and supporting facilities and the US bears the cost of the THAAD system's deployment, operation and maintenance,” the South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a top foreign policy adviser to South Korean presidential frontrunner Moon Jae-in has already said that paying for THAAD would be an “impossible option.”

“Even if we purchase THAAD, its main operation would be in the hands of the United States,” said Kim Ki-jung, a foreign policy adviser to Moon and professor at Seoul's Yonsei University.

“So purchasing it would be an impossible option. That was our topic when we were considering the options,” Kim said.

  RT

THAAD in South Korea

The United States military started installing a controversial anti-missile defense system [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD] in South Korea overnight Tuesday, triggering protests and sparking criticism that it was rushing to get the battery in place before the likely election of a president who opposes it.

[...]

U.S. Forces Korea did not make any statement about the deployment and did not immediately respond to a request for comment about why the installation was started in the dead of night.

[...]

Moon Jae-in, a liberal candidate who has a strong lead in the polls ahead of the May 9 presidential election, has promised to review South Korea’s decision to host the anti-missile battery.

“There’s a sense in Seoul that THAAD deployment has been rushed based on the timetable of South Korea’s presidential election, rather than North Korea’s threats,” said John Delury, a professor of international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul.

  WaPo

Knowing the USG and its "defense" industry, I'd say that's a very strong likelihood.

“But there’s the danger of a backlash among the South Korean public feeling like a pawn in the game of ‘America First,’ ” [Delury said].

EVERYone is a pawn in that game.

 ...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

An Interesting Twist

China announced that Washington and Seoul will face “consequences” over a land swap deal which will allow the US to host its THAAD missile defense system on South Korean soil – a move which Beijing claims will undermine its own ballistic capabilities.

The agreement, which involves a land swap between Seoul and retail giant Lotte, was approved on Monday.

[...]

THAAD is an advanced system designed to intercept short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their terminal flight phase. Equipped with long-range radar, it is believed to be capable of intercepting North Korea’s intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Both Seoul and Washington claim the system is a defensive measure against Pyongyang, while Moscow has urged those involved to consider the escalated tensions it will inevitably cause.

The agreement, announced by the South Korean Defense Ministry on Monday, will allow for THAAD to be deployed to land which is currently part of a golf course owned by Lotte in the Seongju region, south-east of Seoul. In exchange, the retail giant will receive a parcel of military-owned land near the capital.

  RT

Why is the US putting military infrastructure on private corporate land?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE 3/7/2017:

According to US Pacific Command, the first elements of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system arrived at Osan airbase in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Tuesday.

  RT