From the New York Times, I'm Michael Bavaro. This is The Daily.

Today, President Trump made history over the weekend when he became the first sitting U.S. President to step into North Korea.

David Sanger, on why the biggest impact of that gesture, may have actually been on Iran.

It's Tuesday, July 2.

David, I want to start with North Korea. Remind me what led to this historic meeting over the weekend.

Michael, it really goes back to President Trump's transition meeting with President Obama, who said to him, you know, North Korea is going to be your single most dangerous problem.

And it turned out that was right because by the summer of 2017,

Now the latest show of defiance from North Korea's tyrant Kim Jong-un and his murderous regime.

When Mr. Trump was just months into office, the North Koreans were conducting ever more powerful missile tests.

The Pentagon now confirms North Korea just a few hours ago launched yet another intercontinental ballistic missile, the second this month.

They were within a hair's breadth of being able to reach the United States.

They were primarily designed to deliver nuclear weapons.

Many feared that they were near to being able to mount a nuclear weapon on top of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States.

And the President was threatening fire and fury if the North Koreans didn't surrender their entire program.

Yet despite every crime you have committed against God and man, you are ready to offer.

And we will do that. We will offer a path to a much better future.

It begins with an end to the aggression of your regime.

And that's when the President was saying that his only goal here was complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization.

That all shifted come the winter between 2017 and 2018.

And the North Koreans made a first overture toward having a summit.

And the President leapt at the idea. And in Singapore in June of 2018.

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