When Trump brought Bolton onboard in March 2018, hiring him to replace the departing H.R. McMaster, I wrote that it was “time to push the panic button.” As one of the original neocons, and more recently as a Fox News commentator, Bolton had advocated forcible regime change in Iran and North Korea; Trump, a regular Fox viewer, was clearly aware of his views; and so it seemed we’d soon be off to war.

Since then, Trump has changed his tune. He has reportedly griped to friends that Bolton is pushing him onto a path toward war (conveniently ignoring the fact that Trump himself paved the path). He has sent messages to the Iranians that he wants to reopen negotiations, though neither he nor any of his advisers has the slightest idea how to do that. And he believes his deep friendship with Kim will, ipso facto, cement a peace deal on the Korean Peninsula.

This is the context of his Sunday handshake with Kim at the Demilitarized Zone, followed by a stroll across the border—the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in North Korea—and a brief meeting inside the truce room on the south side of the line. Trump seems to think that crossing the border was itself a big deal (“an honor,” he exclaimed), and many commentators agreed (“historic,” the headlines blared).