Donald Trump tweets that ‘war games’ can ‘start up immediately’ if North Korea talks fail

U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter Sunday morning to comment on the criticism of his administration’s decision to cease military exercises in the Korean peninsula while the U.S. and North Korea engage in peace talks.

“Holding back the ‘war games’ during negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith conversation,” the president tweeted. “Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen!”

Trump faced backlash for his decision to cease joint military exercises with the Japanese and South Korean military on the peninsula when the decision was made public earlier this week.

“It’s really breathtaking,” Michael J. Green, senior vice president for Asia and Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies told CNN.

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“When the President of the United States announces unilaterally to the leader of North Korea that we are going to stop our military exercises with our allies, Japan and Korea, and does not first tell those allies … and then goes on to say that someday he’d like to get our troops out of Asia,” Green said, “that’s an astonishing development.”

Trump went on to say that the denuclearization deal was celebrated across Asia. “They are so happy!” he wrote.

Trump also touched on a few other subjects Sunday morning, including the viral photo shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the G7 summit which depicted her staring down the U.S. President.

“Please clear up the fake news!” Trump tweeted, quoting a previous tweet of his which included several amicable-looking photos of his dealings with the Chancellor during the summit.

In addition, Trump retweeted his own tweet on the results of a months-long investigation into former FBI Director James Comey. The investigation revealed Comey violated protocol in reopening the probe into Hillary Clinton’s email scandal just days before the country headed to the polls.