South Korea’s President Says He Understands Donald Trump Better After Reading This Book

Last Updated:August 27, 2025, 16:02 IST

South Korean President said his first White House meeting with Donald Trump went better than expected because of reading this book.

US President Donald Trump

South Korean president Lee Jae Myung admitted his aides feared a potential “Zelensky moment" before his first White House meeting with US president Donald Trump but said the encounter turned out “beyond my expectations".

The phrase refers to Donald Trump’s earlier confrontation with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he had publicly cornered in Washington. Lee Jae Myung said he avoided a similar ordeal partly because he had studied The Art of the Deal- Donald Trump’s 1987 book.

Lee Jae Myung said, “I was confident going into the meeting that I would not face that kind of a situation. That’s because I had read President Trump’s book The Art of the Deal."

Ahead of their meeting, Donald Trump cast doubt on South Korea’s democracy in a post his social media platform Truth Social. He wrote, “WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA?", suggesting there was a “Purge or Revolution".

“We can’t have that and do business there. I am seeing the new President today at the White House. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!" Donald Trump added. The US president also said that he had “heard bad things" about South Korea’s political situation.

Lee Jae Myung-Trump Meet

Lee Jae Myung , who took office in June, said his Oval Office talks with Donald Trump centred on how to “modernise our bilateral alliance to be more reciprocal and future-oriented in line with the changing security landscape." He praised Trump’s relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and called the Oval Office “bright and beautiful".

“The only person who can make progress is you, Mr President. If you become the peacemaker, then I will assist you by being a pacemaker," Lee Jae Myung said.

He even joked, “I hope you can bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, the only divided nation in the world, so that you can meet with Kim Jong Un, build a Trump Tower in North Korea so that I can play golf there."

During the meeting, Donald Trump said the US and South Korea “need each other" for trade. He said, “We love what they do, we love their product, we love their ships, we love a lot of the things they make. In exchange, we can provide oil and gas."

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

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