Trump finds himself increasingly isolated as he contradicts his own advisers on North Korea: report

On Monday, President Donald Trump found himself in a corner after he sided with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un over his aides. Trump contradicted himself at a press conference in Japan, where he claimed he was "fine" with North Korea testing short-range ballistic missiles.

Trump has ignored his top aides, thus leaving him alone on the issue with North Korea.

"It was a striking break that revealed Trump's desire to retain a talking point he has long used at rallies — that he's responsible for pulling America back from the brink of nuclear war with North Korea," a report from Politico said. "It's a stance that has been increasingly difficult to maintain as talks between Washington and Pyongyang appear to have broken down after two summits between the two countries' leaders."

The reported added that “Trump sees the issue almost singularly through the lens of his relationship with Kim.”

Trump also ripped his national security adviser, John Bolton, in a tweet.

"North Korea fired off some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me. I have confidence that Chairman Kim will keep his promise to me," the tweet read.

The report went on to explain Trump's multiple attempts to distance himself from Bolton.

"In recent weeks, Trump has privately joked about Bolton's hawkish impulses — as a private citizen, Bolton advocated for a preemptive strike on North Korea and advocated for regime change in Iran. Publicly, Trump has even acknowledged that he 'tempers' Bolton's more aggressive instincts," the report said.

"Trump also drew attention during his news conference with Abe for trumpeting a derisive comment Kim made about Joe Biden, Trump's potential Democratic rival in 2020," the report said.