Donald Trump says South Korea's "no, thanks" to Iran-related request led to military training cuts
“When I called recently, the president of South Korea — who I like, I think he’s very nice actually — but I called him and said, ‘Would you like to give us a little hand?’ He said ‘no, thanks,'”
Reported August 17, 2026 by washingtonexaminer.com. Checked word for word against that report.
President Donald Trump said Monday that he decided to reduce combined military training with South Korea because Seoul turned down a request to help with a U.S. operation tied to Iran. In Oval Office remarks, Trump recounted calling South Korea’s president and being told no after seeking assistance. He also claimed that, during his first term, South Korea agreed to pay billions annually for U.S. protection, and that the Biden administration later waived those fees. Trump announced the training cuts Sunday on Truth Social, presenting them as a friendly signal to North Korea and describing the drills as expensive and confrontational. He said Kim Jong Un has treated him respectfully, though no public North Korean reaction has appeared. The shift affects the U.S.-South Korea alliance as North Korea supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- washingtonexaminer.com ↗︎17 AUG 2026