Trump’s press conference is a doomsday bell for a North Korea crisis

The North Korea watcher community may have forgotten fire and fury, but another crisis will bring those memories rushing back.

The recent press conference following the tragic midair collision near Washington, D.C., provides a glimpse into a crisis management style we’ve all forgotten. The response—marked by impulsive blame-shifting, a lack of verifiable evidence, and a sidelining of expertise—raises serious concerns about how Trump will react to a geopolitical crisis involving North Korea. For the North Korea watcher community, this press conference is a doomsday bell that reminds all of what’s to come.

On January 29, 2025, a civilian passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter over the Washington, D.C. area, tragically killing 67 people. In the immediate aftermath, Trump addressed the nation in a press conference that quickly veered into familiar territory—assigning blame before all the facts were known and dismissing the role of experts who could provide a more measured analysis of the incident.

Rather than allowing investigators to determine the cause, Trump speculated wildly, hinting at foreign invo…