Trump Lands in Hanoi for Second Kim Summit as Ambitions Run Low

White House media center forced to move before Kim’s arrival
Likely to yield symbolic gestures with no nuclear breakthrough

Max Baucus, former U.S. Senator and ambassador, discusses President Trump’s planned summit with North Korea’s Kim.(Source: Bloomberg)

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By Justin Sink and Margaret Talev

February 26, 2019 at 12:00 AM UTC

Updated on

February 27, 2019 at 12:18 AM UTC

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President Donald Trump arrived in Hanoi late Tuesday for a second summit with Kim Jong Un that has already shown flashes of disorder, as American journalists were abruptly evicted from a hotel housing the North Korean leader and key details of the meeting remained a mystery.

The White House has set low ambitions for Thursday’s talks, organized in a matter of weeks after Trump announced the summit Feb. 8. The two sides haven’t even agreed on the meaning of denuclearization or the ultimate purpose of the negotiations -- and that’s unlikely to be resolved this week.