PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) President Donald Trump tweeted Friday that he has reversed his administrations decision to slap new sanctions on North Korea, with his press secretary explaining that he likes leader Kim Jong Un and doesnt think theyre necessary.
Its unclear, however, which sanctions the president was referencing in his tweet, which took Treasury officials by surprise.
It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea, Trump wrote from his private club in Palm Beach.
I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about which sanctions Trump was referring to. No new action against North Korea was announced by the Treasury Department on Friday, though Trump this week did threaten that new ones could be added.
On Thursday, his administration did sanction two Chinese shipping companies suspected of helping North Korea evade sanctions the first targeted actions taken against Pyongyang since Trump and Kim met in Hanoi, Vietnam, last month for negotiations about North Koreas nuclear weapons program.
The summit ended without a deal.
Trumps national security adviser John Bolton had described that step as Important action, tweeting, The maritime industry must do more to stop North Koreas illicit shipping practices.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Friday that Trump likes Chairman Kim and he doesnt think these sanctions will be necessary.
