Trump Has Good Reason to Reduce U.S.–South Korea Defense Ties

Foreign Affairs The critics miss the big picture. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images) On the 2024 campaign trail, Donald Trump’s surrogates often highlighted the importance of revamping U.S. foreign policy to focus on the threat of a rising China. After decades of failed nation-building operations in the Middle East, figures like J.D. Vance argued, it was time to shift priorities and secure America’s actual interests. Yet less than a year into Trump’s second term, another war in the Middle East is pulling attention and resources away from the Asia-Pacific region. Trump’s recent decision substantially to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea marks another shift away from the “pivot to Asia” strategy. Trump presented the decision as punishment for Seoul’s refusal