Anthony W. Holmes was the Special Advisor for North Korea in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2017 to 2021 and was the Senior Expert for International Relations at the US Special Operations Command from 2021 to 2024. He is the non-resident director of the Project 2049 Institute and a senior consultant for the US Army’s Training and Doctrine Command.
Until US President Joe Biden decided not to seek re-election, North Korea thought the presidential election would be a showdown between him and former President Donald Trump. If Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry and intelligence analysts were following the polls, as they undoubtedly were, then North Korea also expected the former Trump to win in November.
