Trump pulls the US out of the Iran deal because it wasn't tough enough. But he'll give NK anything it wants, just watch.
The only thing Trump really wants is the optics of a victory lap.
5
Ah, the Art of A Deal - threats, delusion, thrashing around, then backing off, and beg for a meeting. Sad!
2
Flexible? Naah. Trump encounters someone he can't bully he becomes a limp dishrag. Xi and Kim are likely to wring him out and throw him out with the garbage.
3
Compare and Contrast Outcomes of Denuclearization Plans
It seems that the many objections that Trump raised about the Iran Nuclear Agreement, he's quite readily willing to accept in his own negotiations with North Korea. He makes promises to Kim that he will be rich? Where is that money going to come from Mr. "America First?"
Trump is thinking about Obama's Nobel Peace Prize and thinking how small that accomplishment that would be if he won one with "everyone saying he totally deserved it." After the right's indignation that Obama won a Nobel Peace Prize and didn't deserve it. As I recall, they felt he won because he was the first African American President, without actually doing anything deserving.
With Trump and his small, petty, zero sum game beliefs, his decision to pull out of the Iran deal boils down to erasing one more marked achievement of Obama and his administration. Trump winning one will not only be yet another way he can monetize his presidency ("Commemorative coin anyone?"), but elevate himself over Obama.
World peace, ending a threatening nuclear program, gaining influence in Asia, helping the starving people in North Korea are all remarkable outcomes from an improved North Korean economy. But, I guarantee, the only outcome Trump cares about is getting the Nobel Peace Prize that he would, of course, know he actually deserves!
3
A phased approach might work if the South Korean president would step back from his anti nuclear power rhetoric temporarily. Phase one; peace agreement between North and South Korean governments ending war. Phase two; Build three Kepco AP-1400 nuclear power stations too provide North Korea with electricity. All stations too be built in the DMZ with containment structure (if not reactor vessel itself) on both sides of the demarcation line. The south just canceled two reactors so long lead time items may already have been ordered. They would need to be jointly operated and since both sides insist the peninsula is one country? Let's give new meaning to M.A.D. instead it would be Mutually Assured Chernobyl-Fukushima.
The only logical place for the first plant would be Panmunjom. Sited so that the Reactor Core stands directly over where Kim and Moon crossed over the demarcation line. With the two steam generators also equally on either side of the line.
The used fuel would be sent south to Woelsong NPP for fueling the ROK's CANDU reactors. The PRC via cnnc could commit to AFCR in the north at a future date.
The negotiations have not even started for real and Trump is getting pushed around by North Korea and China. He is the worst negotiator ever to hold major office. He simply seeks "wins" as viewed by Fox. Look forward to China continuing to kick butt on the U.S..
2
I wait with baited breath to see the great deal we get with NK, and I cant' wait to see how much better it is the Iran deal. Something tells me it will accomplish a lot less. I just hope we don't end up starting WWIII. God knows blow it up Bolton will try his best to make sure that happens.
We need Tom Cotton and his Republican cohorts to send Kim a letter warning that the United States can't be trusted - as they did Iran during the Obama presidency.
3
It is easy to talk, but only intelligent people have a plan.
1
From another article: “Mr. Trump’s negotiating playbook is by now pretty obvious: Start with a headline-grabbing demand, beat chest loudly, then accept whatever is actually practical and call it a win.”
2
I'm tired of all this winning.
3
The creation of a commemorative coin by Trump shows how desperate he is to make this deal and weakens his bargaining power with North Korea.
For someone who brags about being a great deal maker, he doesn't seem to know much at all about negotiating.
4
Donald Trump will claim victory even if he has to give them our nuclear weapons, just as long as he gets his photo-op.
4
Pathetic.
What is the point of the talks, then? Is Trump going to let them keep their nukes in exchange for KJU tweeting/saying nice things about him? Is he going to wait for North Korea to deposit a hefty sum of money with Cohen or some new money launderer before talking up how great it is that North Korea, his buddy, his pal, has brand new nukes?
My expectations couldn't possibly be lower for these talks.
1
Our diplomatic maneuvering is so entertaining, albeit scary. The great negotiator gives up his hard position even before negotiations begin. The Art of the Deal. Hahaha. Maybe Kim will concede to some little thing if he thinks we will throw South Korea under the bus. I'm no expert but as in his awful business deals the likely outcome of Trump's negotiations here will be a less stable Korean Peninsula.
Now trumps staff has to convince hlm that the commemerative coin is bigger, shinier and more sparkly than a Nobel Prize.
2
What next? Drop North Korea's denuclearization? I would'nt be surprised. Increased tariffs on China, withdrawal from the Iran Deal, the very recent US-South military drill on the border with North Korea -just before the meeting? Who will trust us? Definitely not Kim. How idiotic and non-strategic are the moves? He does'nt even realize that North Korea is no Iran, Kim is no Rouhani, NK is nuclear while Iran is not. He claims to be the master of leverage as in his business dealings and his reality shows. But as the President of U.S.A he loses every leverage we have, undercutting his own Secretary of State, White House chief of staff, his UN Secretary, his National Security advisors, humiliating our own intelligence institutions our own diplomats and advisors. The sole criterion is loyalty to him not the country, irrespective of job description, experience, knowledge, intelligence. Input from the likes of Bolton and Pompeo, just Trump lackeys are war hawks and dangerously with the only plan - war! It does'nt matter why,where, how, or who. We are losing all our allies and gaining more dangerous foes. I hope Mueller and Rosenstein complete their investigation and go public a.s.a.p. before they are fired, because November is too far off. Just like the Presidential election where the F.B.I waited too long, a repeat would be catastrophic. God save Americans! God save America!
2
As we like to say in America, when it comes to Donald Trump his word is his blonde.
1
Of course Trump backed away.
That's his MO.
All he wants to do is something, anything, that he can claim no other president has done: meet with the NK leader.
He reminds me of a little boy who visited our pig farm and bragged that he was the first one brave enough to walk through a fenced area of deep, piled pig feces.
For some reason, he thought that made him brave.
For the rest of us, it made it him look ridiculous.
He still pounded his chest.
Now that I think of it, his name was Donnie.
2
New best seller! "The REAL Art of the Deal" by Kim Jong-un.
2
While I have never read "The Art of the Deal," I'm starting to wonder whether there might be an entire chapter dedicated to negotiating against oneself.
4
The title of the book is wrong. It should be 'The Art of the Scam'.
That Trump is world class in that arena, I believe uncontested.
Never works against someone who is doing due diligence, though.
3
The final deal will be weaker than the one with IRan Trump destroyed .. but because Trump was president, it will be heralded as a huge victory . .
Kim dictates the terms and Trump is backing down because someone whispered "Kiss away the Peace Nobel Prize".
oh please he caved so just say so
With all of his backpedaling, I hope Trump doesn't pull a muscle. Oh wait -- he's in fantastic shape! The best in the history of the presidency! ROTFL
2
Oops, their goes the peace prize the president so ardently desires. Might it be that hard facts have finally broken through the hazy mist that is crooked Donald's mind? Has he finally read the intelligence provided by the Justice Department's experts? Or, as is his want, does he treat the information as a 'witch hunt?'
Know what? This doesn't sound like our President, and, it adds a kind of undeserved legitimacy to his thought processes.
But he acknowledged that recent statements by North Korea had cast a pall of uncertainty over the timing of the meeting
Our president has just been thoroughly schooled in the "Art of the Deal" by president Kim. While Mr. Trump was happy-dancing in what he thought was the end zone of political victory, Mr. Kim - as has been repeatedly demonstrated by prior NK leaders - moved the goal line. Did anyone - especially our political leaders - seriously believe that Mr. Kim would readily give up his one and only bargaining tool to appease Mr. Trump? And, in exchange for what? Promises from an American government that have increasingly been been shown to be of little real value? Mr. Trump's latest acceptance of long term discussions of NK's nuclear capabilities is not only a rebuke to Sect. Bolton's views, but an acknowledgment that the U.S. cannot dictate terms with NK. If anything good is to come out of these discussions, it will take much time, patience and compromise. Whether the parties to any such agreement will actually abide by its terms remains unknown.
2
Like Pompeo on Iran. The US will negotiate a great deal and Iran will have all their problems solved if they just do what the US tells them to. China will not allow an American allied unified Korea. China wants to get the US to withdraw. If a media extravaganza Korean peace treaty with US withdrawing were to occur China would be very happy. But N. Korea is a charter member of the regime change hit list. Trump was saying Kim would be safe and N. Korea's economy would bloom if they play ball. But N. Korea is very limited in its negotiating position. It wants out of its isolation and will give some concessions to achieve that. Nuclear disarmament is not one of them.
1
One should enter into any negotiations with a set of goals, not unalterable preconditions. If enough of the goals are met for a reasonable set of concessions, then the deal is made; if not, no deal.
It has been the unalterable preconditions on both sides which has been the reason why no talks, let alone deals, have occurred yet. I do not know if anything will come out of these talks, of course, but at least there is some room for negotiation this time.
Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping are playing the long game in East Asia...the former is a young man with regional (particularly on the Korean Peninsula) ambitions, while the latter is not only president for life, but is leading his nation to overtake the US in terms of GDP in 10 years and worldwide influence (soft power)...they know that Trump and his "policies" will soon be be gone, so are out-maneuvering him and his inept/naive administration at every step.
They'll give this administration some shiny objects so he can crow a "victory" or two to his base...and that'll be the end of it.
Pathetic...really.
11
I believe it's more simple.
In his heart of hearts, Trump knows he's a con man and not much of a negotiator.
I would doubt that he would ever follow through on any proposed negotiation with any major world player for fear that he would come away publicly embarassed.
4
Here we go again. "Healthcare isn't easy." As soon as Trump learns a few things about what he has been tweeting about and proclaiming about he has to back off. No, Mr Trump negotiating with the North Koreans will not be easy. They are far more experienced in this than you.
6
Our own government is afraid to stand up to this power hungry egomaniac. If he keeps talking about interfering with FBI, DOJ, and the Intelligence Community, he will start questioning if the Congress is even necessary. Like in the book by Sinclair Lewis in 1935, "It Can't Happen Here", the businessman president had Congress (who were not agreeing with him) arrested & put under protective custody. Look out America here comes Dictator Trump.
6
The so-called negotiator surrender to Kim J. Un. KJU is the true winner and Trump look like a fool.
2
Should I still be expecting peace in the middle east, a renegotiated NAFTA, and a healthcare plan that covers all americans, and is paid for completely by the US government???
6
"..paid for completely by the US government?"
--
The government doesn't pay for anything tax payers do. That's something we've learned here in Canada. I do believe that America has a opportunity on health care if their politicians can set partisanship aside..
A lot of western nations have "ok" health care plans but their riddled with problems that are not easily addressed. America has the opportunity to look at all of them and then design one that would work for the nation because they'd already know most of the pitfalls involved and could address them before enacting a new health care package.
It's really a shame that political factions see each other as enemies rather than peers who have a common goal /w different approaches.
5
It's not real smart holding war games in SK when trying to
have peace talks with NK!
2
I cannot help being cynical about trump's great "so-called deal making abilities"...After at least 6 bankruptcies and hundreds of lawsuits, playing a successful businessman on a reality tv game show does not make you a "success"..
Likewise telling the republican congress to "get rid of Obama care and find something better" with no recommendation how these things are done, then saying "this medical care thing is very complicated" proves my point again. And again with tax cuts, "just get it done" then chastising republicans with no strategy or tactics of his own.
Now, we have seen his bluster and threats against North Korea turn into fawning compliments after Kim Jong reached out, after the Olympics and some successful meetings with South Korea. Of course the real professionals knew this would most likely end the way all North Korea deals end in duplicity, lies, back-peddling, even though trump supporters started yelling "Nobel Prize!"
I believe there is more to "negotiations and deal making" than flattery, bullying, threats, and repeating over and over how wonderful you are at making a deal. Trump's house of cards is collapsing once again. With his temperament I have no reason to be hopeful of any great accomplishments!
4
I wonder if Trump's realized that Kim isn't going to speak to him in English?
But if I were Kim, I probably wouldn't bother meeting with Trump at all. A few harsh words, and Trump handed him the immense concession of direct talks. A few more, and he gave up demanding immediate denuclearization.
What's next? The way this is going, six months from now we'll have withdrawn every soldier and pulled the Pacific Fleet back to San Diego without getting a darn thing.
So why meet? Just stand there and watch this fool punch himself in the face over and over.
6
That wasn't really a concession though was it? Trump stated (before he was president..) that he'd be willing to meet face to face with the North Korean Leader.
Typical Trump.
JUST LIKE A BULLY, first he issues a point-blank, frontal assault to see how much resistance he'll get initially, then when the push back is strong, he backs down.
Then JUST LIKE A BULLY, he puts the blame on his back down on somebody else.
The world is a giant playground, and Trump is the bully in the sandbox.
Republicans..... this is the bully you elected.
5
Shrewd move Mr. President! Now you got Kim just where you want him. They give up nothing ... and you claim an award.
NOBEL - NOBEL - NOBEL
5
If that petulant toddler ever gets a Nobel, that prize will forever be tainted and devaluated. It will never recover from that. Einstein would turn around in his grave (OK, he was cremated, so maybe he will come back as a hurricane).
I hope the committee there will see that. They can't possibly be so blind!
5
"IF" the Korean Peninsula achieves a lasting peace accord and the President is one of the key figures in helping to achieve that then.. he most definitely would deserve a Nobel Peace Prize..
Obama received one for the potential of what he might do, not for what he did.. as optimism for his presidency was quite high. Many of you have very low expectations from your current administration so.. achieving this would be huge. As it's something no President has been able to do in 75 years.
Ofcourse, you could look at it another way.. If Donald Trump was able to do this.. then America should have been able to do it long ago. Perhaps like China.. it fit with their key strategies to keep the area destabilized. THAT would be a discussion for another day, for now.. lets just see how this goes.
Kim, if he were ever to trust Trump, would show that he's at least as stupid as Trump's supporters and that would be really scary.
5
I don't understand how his supporters can't see past his con yet. This is "Mr." Deal-maker!?! He not only pushes off the dealing to everyone else (i.e., see his comments on HealthCare & DACA/ Immigration issues - "I'll sign what these guys put together..."), he can't through on anything himself. He's fumbled this North Korea thing, no doubt - mostly due to his inability to articulate concise ideas. Which is what's required in international discussions.
4
In The Art of the Deal, Trump writes (or rather his ghost writer writes) something to this effect: Begin your bargaining position by taking an extreme or outlandish position, settle somewhere in the middle and declare victory.
Isn't that what we are beginning to see here? The man-child president saw a chance for a Nobel Peace Prize - how simple it would be! - and he talks tough, but it's all smoke and mirrors.
He gives away more than he should (because in reality Trump is a very, very poor negotiator if he can't use a weaponized legal system to bully his opponents into submission), then dances his position back, as he is doing now.
Since he has the attention span of a gnat, I can only laugh when I read he is preparing for the summit by studying policy. Yeah, right. In between the 9th and 10th holes on his golf course.
7
I would love to play poker with our president, I guarantee that he would be owing me money before he left the table. The art of the deal, what a joke, more like the art of being a dope. I sincerely hope this meeting does not happen , I do not want this administration negotiating a traffic ticket. They folded to China on trade. They tore up the Iran deal, not because it was a bad deal but because it was an Obama deal much like the Paris accords. They can't even agree on the tactic, one wants the Libya model, the other doesn't. They clearly have a problem with facts and reality. Do we really want any of these individuals negotiating on our behalf? This is what happens when the crazies run the asylum. Please America, at the mid terms , we need to put the responsible, sane adults back in charge. Let's make America, America again.
5
Iran is 100 times more dangerous to the United States, and a million times more dangerous to Israel, than North Korea. Yet Trump pulled out of what is probably a better deal with Iran than anything he will get from North Korea. This ignorant white collar criminal has no business making decisions about international diplomacy.
7
Preposterous. All because uninformed, resentment filled voters love Trump no matter how horrible he is to any wise person, even many incumbent Republicans, no one in Trump's party will show spine and character for the good of the US and totally denounce him. They want that misguided base to vote for them. Republicans are simple, they're out to get their's and rig the system with tax law, deregulation, privatization, hate the poor, anti-union anti-worker laws that benefit the 168 donors that finance 90% of their campaigns.
Let Trump buffoon his way with N. Korea, bragging about winning constantly but never ever revealing any details about anything. We get, "People are saying, I heard that". "I'm the best of all time, attacks against me are the worst scandals in all of history." This man is a joke.
We get his ignoring all advice from sources that use logic, that are experts in subjects. He feels he is the best at EVERYTHING in the world, when it's obvious he has no curiosity about anything except real estate licensing of his name after he failed as a builder, and adulation through media, and sex.
One flicker of criticism, he goes nuts. A tantrum throwing, insecure on a monumental level, ignoramus infant in an old man's body. This is who is negotiating with N. Korea. He just made a mockery of himself again. All those threats, now he backs off. How pathetic can you get?
2
The world is realizing quickly that, although punishing, sanctions from the US are just not as terrible as they were in the past. China and Europe are ignoring the US's stance in Iran and, likely, North Korea.
3
Donald, Donald, Donald, are you trying to be reasonable? Have you forgot that you want to leave everyone who doesn't worship you unreservedly to be terrified that you will bring about the end of the world? At this rate I'll stop worrying if I'll be alive by the end of the year! You have to go back to threatening North Korea! With Bolton on board, it should be easy to talk about bombing. Why wait? Why not bomb now? He's getting too comfy in the white house, that's what it is ... <shakes head and walks away sadly>
2
Is it too early to fire Bolton? Talk about throwing a monkey wrench into the machinery. Trump can't be happy that the talks have been threatened.
Still you can't help but wonder how this will work out. Most likely the North Koreans will just have to find a way to let the Americans save face as we withdraw from the Korean peninsula and leave South Korea and Japan to face North Korea and China alone.
The art of the deal. How to lose and keep on pretending you're winning.
3
If Kim plays Donald the right way, he could convince Trump to supply North Korea will more nukes than it already has. Just charm them out of Trump by stroking his narcissistic ego.
3
It's like riding in the back seat of a car driven by a distracted maniac who keeps telling me he's the best driver in the world as we careen around the sharp turns on a steep mountain road.
I think I'm going to get car sick.
2
North Korea got what they wanted when Mr. Trump foolishly agreed to a meeting. Mr. Kim is watering on whether he will go to the meeting or not....this has made the US look week and needy.
Mr. Trump needs to appoint an ambassador to South Korea who can guide him on the intricacies of negotiating with the North. Our foreign policy has been in shambles, our trade partners looking for other countries' grain. I wish we had Hillary.
2
Trump needs to let NK and SK do the peace talks on their own, He and his GOP only will derail it and cause a nuclear war. After Trump and friends destroy their land they will forever be boat people with no where to go. At least during Vietnam when it fell the South Vietnamese came to the US and were welcomed. Not with this GOP these days. They don't want immigrants of any race in America.
1
USA constantly flouts its obligations under International agreements and then accuses other countries of flouting International treaties. They never keep their end of the bargain. Read the article in the link below. This is an example of how USA blatantly flouts International agreement it had with North Korea, and rest of the world keeps mum and then keeps repeating the lie that North Korean cannot be trusted.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/north-korea-missile-test-us-1994-ag...
https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/north-korea-and-americas-long-history-of-...
1
Wow. Big news here. The President has finally realized that this is not a golf date or a casual meeting to talk about a simple topic like denuclearization with one of the most secretive and unreliable nations on the planet. Even a casual observer, not steeped in the complexities of negotiating difficult processes, could see that our great leader was overly anxious and grossly simplifying the issues and conversations with North Korea. Too bad for Trump (and for the world) that Kim Jung Un can out-Trump Trump. This 'meeting', if it happens, will likely result in the same result, promises that will be broken down the road and North Korea retaining, if not continuing to develop, its nuclear arsenal. A more skilled President who is an astute observer of history might have been able to play a stronger hand in holding out incentives for North Korea to lessen its super-paranoid stance vs. the rest of the world. Sadly we are reduced to who can be the bigger bully.
1
The art of the deal is now the art of being played! You should have paid attention during your intellegence briefs. PATHETIC
1
The Magic Eight Ball on my desk told me this was going to happen. Playing out diplomacy in the press and in tweets isn’t going to get Kim to negotiate. So far it’s just given Mr Kim a platform to present his argument for what he wants. Kim has managed to argue for keeping nuclear weapons in a way that almost seems logical.
6
There are two issues at play here. One, of course, is the cavalier attitude towards the Iran deal which was not worth the paper it was written on. Kim Jong Un has to be brain dead not to acknowledge that. Second, any trend towards a peaceful settlement will lead to unification which China will staunchly oppose. If we were to learn from the dismantling of the Soviet empire where NATO is now at Russia's borders, China will face the prospect of American forces a few miles from Beijing.
Oh, I get it. Trump wants a WORSE deal than the Obama administration Iran deal so he can get any deal at all before the Midterm elections then crank up the propaganda bullhorns and claim it is the best deal ever.
Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
5
I support total denuclearization. In all countries.
2
My god, they are playing Trump like a fiddle! Once he made clear he’s desperate for the summit to occur, all they had to do was threaten to cancel, and he immediately dropped the central demand for “complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization.”
Donald Trump constitutes irrefutable proof that having an incompetent president is a real national security threat.
9
I knew this was going to happen. Tump pulls out of the Iran treaty stating it was so bad what he'll get with North Korea will be pitiful.LOL.
3
It is not unreasonable to allow Kim to denuclearize gradually. Allow North and South Korea to formally end the Korean war and improve their relations, allow the North to improve its economic circumstances, expect the North to cease development of its nuclear program and to gradually reduce its nuclear capability, and to dismantle its weaponry trained on the South. If their progress is insufficient, apply sanctions. This will work.
Clearly the overwhelming desire of many of the commenters is to see Trump fail, to see him come away with no agreement, to see him fall flat on his face. This desire far exceeds the desire for progress in Korea. For these people, to see Trump succeed and win the Nobel Peace prize would be the worst possible outcome. They now try to thwart him by jeering him for backing off the hardest of his hardline positions. I think he will have the strength to do that.
Trump has pushed this situation into a much better place than any other president. If he has to back off to make the most of it, so be it. It is in the best interest of the world that he do that, and if he does and the course is set for improving relations, he may well deserve the Nobel peace prize. Obama got it before he did anything, and the fact that he did may have hampered his subsequent decision-making. Given the way Trump has handled this, he will not be hampered by it.
Be sucessful, yes. But any policy looking like a revolving door does not resemble success.
Since this President calls the news media "fake news", then they, the news media should call him for what he is, a LIAR. Stop trying to play nice with this garbage man, he has no respect for the news media, no respect for the rule of law, no respect for our institutions, and certainly no respect for our nation. Call him out for what he says in blunt terms and say, "Mr. President, you are a liar". Time to take the gloves off.
7
Apparently Trump has one forward speed and five reverse speeds.
Thank goodness he has a well though out, peer reviewed, detailed plan. At least that is what people from the California Home for the Mentally Bewildered think.
1
This is quite probably the smartest thing Trump has done -- that is, the most responsible. Maybe, just maybe, he's growing up. On the other hand, he may just be desperate. Hard to tell, in this case.
1
Since everything Trump does must have, in his faulty view, a big "win" for Trump, I can only conclude that he sees backing off the denuclearization as a way to the Nobel Peace Prize which "everybody says" he deserves. This man continues, on a daily basis, to be a very dangerous buffoon. We would be marginally safer if he went golfing every day.
2
So we elected a snake oil salesman who does know what he doesn't know and surrounds himself with people who says he's the greatest thing that has ever happened to the country and 40% believe it. However, one thing is for sure, our allies and foes know who he really is and are playing us all for fools.
2
"Mr. Trump’s statement seemed less a policy shift than an effort to preserve his date with Mr. Kim."
Of course.
Making Must See TV is our Drama Queen in Chief's only consistent guiding principle.
2
All he wants or cares about is getting a noble prize which he thinks will make him equal to Obama since he has one too. Talk about a demented individual. Every time he opens his mouth he says something different from hour before.
2
Trump should postpone the summit or call it off, before he made a fool of himself. Instead of doing some prep work, as proposed by his aides, he watches Fox News and freaks out when things don't go his way.
Moon and his aides said that Kim Jong-un seemed highly conversant with world affairs. Even Mike Pompeo made similar comments about Kim, based on his two meetings in Pyongyang.
Trump believes he knows best and that he's the most clever deal maker history has seen. He just attends the summit and expects everything would unfold according to his wishes.
5
There is a ray of hope that a meeting between President Donald Trump and dictator Kim Jong-un may take place – if not on June 12, on some future date. The hope is predicated on Mr. Trump’s latest pronouncements suggesting the he no longer insists on North Korea’s total denuclearization as a condition precedent to the meeting.
But he is also putting a damper on it when he says, “There are certain conditions we want to happen. I think we’ll get those conditions. And if we don’t, we won’t have the meeting.”
The affront to the English language aside, we are anxious to know what those “conditions” are. The North Korean dictator’s position, to the extent we could glean from press reports, is that the meeting be held with no pre-condition attached to it. But if he is willing to make some concessions and accepts the conditions Mr. Trump is talking about, the whole world will be grateful to him. It will also be a face-saving measure for both him and Mr. Trump. Both will be able to boast that they agreed to meet half-way to make the summit possible. That’s how diplomacy works and how major conflicts between two sovereign nations are resolved, not by setting a ‘my way or the highway’ condition by either party.
While it will be laudable if the Trump White House agrees to a face-saving measure to make the summit possible, it did not have to go to the extent of issuing a commemorative coin depicting Kim and Trump and referring to Kim as the “Supreme Leader.” It’s a cheap shot.
2
What is the difference between the Iran deal that Trump just trashed and what Trump now signals he would be willing to accept from North Korea? The only answers I see are tragic and dangerous: he destroyed the Iran deal because it was a legacy of President Obama whom he hates; with North Korea, he cares nothing about substance, but will give away anything and everything just so he can say he “won.”
Tony Schwartz, who ghostwrote The Art of the Deal and later regretted it, was prophetic when he said that Trump is an “existential threat.” Vote and get out the vote in November so that we have a Congress that values country over party, and that will rein him in before disaster occurs and before our democratic norms are severely damaged.
13
Trump is correct about a "Criminal Deep State" because it's his administration. He is known for projecting onto others what he is guilty of. So, let the investigations proceed and make public Trump's tax returns and all other financial records. There's criminality in those documents.
12
Trump and team underestimated their adversary in the first place.
That is always a recipe for failure.
Trump.Bolton and Pompeo were the wrong choices for this job before it ever started,
10
Hmmm. The only successful outcome for Trump is for NK to relinquish all nukes, systems for delivery, and the capability to develop them in the future. (This probably includes a demand that NK expatriate all weapons scientists and engineers to the US where Trump can keep an eye on them.) Anything less is, simply put, a spectacular failure for Mr. Negotiator.
5
Yes but it won't matter. Trump will just lie about what is accomplished and blame MSN for lying about it. Trump supporters will declare more winning. Only Mueller can save us.
1
Mr. Kim only needs to know two words to be assured that giving up North Korea's nuclear arsenal would be foolish, "Muammar Gaddafi".
3
This is what you get for "negotiating" out in the open, with all your cards on the table, bluffing where everyone can see what you're holding. Trump is a lousy poker player and a lousy negotiator. I pray that his supporters are starting to see what's right in front of them: he doesn't know what he's doing!
8
Sadly, they won’t.
1
Rather than a "great negotiator" president Trump is a "great marketer", but with no true understanding of the situation. It was obvious right from the start than NK would never give away its nuclear power. Recent destiny of leaders that gave away its leverage are enough proof. The US put them there and when they became a threat.....well you know.
So why Kim would have any reason whatsoever to revisit this path?
4
DJT seems to be saying "Please, please, please, let's have a play date in Singapore and I'll be really nice to you".
Such a joke, I'm embarrassed.
Sigh....the late, once great, United States of America. Thanks, it was awesome.
5
Trump is getting so played, by Kim with help from Xi. Negotiotion 101 -Don’t count on your Nobel before a summit even happens.
5
Obama got his Nobel for doing absolutely nothing.
Sure, Albert, I agree with you. But keep in mind that Nobel winners don't have a choice if they're chosen or not and Obama didn't lobby for the prize the way Trump has.
I, for one, am getting tired of winning this way. Fortunately trade wars are easy to win, I have better health care for less. Drug companies aren't fleecing me, etc, etc. Oh, and there is no Russian collusion.
He is desperate for a deal. He is uninformed and so far ahead of himself and the deal that I have very little faith in progress on de-nuclearization. Remember a Nobel is at stake and that is what matters here. After all, many people are saying he deserves it. Imbecile!
7
We’ll soon reach a point where the president’s only demand of North Korea be that they keep the music down after dinner.
7
The great negotiator at work; he is toying his counterparts with ease and grace; he is allowing his opponents to say silly things and placing themselves into intractable positions.
Kim Jong-un, we salute you.
2
Maybe the guy who ghost-wrote "The Art of the Deal" should be doing the negotiations. Trump is obviously horrible at both writing and deal-making.
6
Mr. Art of the Deal negotiates against himself again. This summit was a publicity stunt from the start, and a disaster in the making.
4
If this can stop North Korea from building a nuclear arsenal that can hit our cities in the USA then I am all for it. Like everyone else I am skeptical. Most people think the way to deal with Dictators is to never give an inch and History bears this out. Lets wait and see.
"it shows that Mr. Trump is willing to give up what for months has been his bedrock position in dealing with the North. And it demonstrates that three weeks before the June 12 meeting, the White House is still groping for a strategy"
We have all known and repeatedly written here that "bedrock position" was insane, a guarantee of failure, a Bolton-esque lunacy.
So now Trump listens, and he is attacked for being willing, and for groping. All he's done is what we said here had to be done.
Do we want a nuclear deal with North Korea, or not?
3
Given the US corporate-media's pessimism on the prospect of diplomacy resolving the issues involved, predictably, the comments are parroting that pessimism.
There is an awful lot of money on the line for US military contractors eager to "protect" South Korea from the "madman" to the north. The fear among Washington power brokers is that peace will break out and profits will suffer.
2
Taiwan was burned by Trump:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump%E2%80%93Tsai_call
Now it's South Korea's turn. When will they learn?
2
Too many firsts to let it go. Trump needs internal validation, so being the first sitting president to meet with a North Korean leader and his picture of the peace prize weigh strongly on his emotional being. This is most likely not about the substance of the situation, but about Trumps need to be acknowledged as great. It's not "Make America Great Again", it's make Trump greater in his own mind.
5
Trump should structure the agreement much like Obama's famous Iran deal - no papers to be signed, NK gets up to 72 days to prep a site once the request for inspection has been made, 10 years of reduced sanctions. What a deal!!
1
Worse than him retaining his nuclear weapons is the concept that the US government will guarantee he remains the dictator of North Korea while abandoning the Peninsula and putting the security of both Japan and South Korea at risk.
1
What gave you the idea that the US government cares whether the leader of a country is a dictator or not?
http://allthatsinteresting.com/us-dictator-alliances
https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki...
1
What makes you think I think the US government cares? I care and I'm a taxpaying US citizen.
Not surprising but very disappointing to hear the rush to judgment here. There's a lot in play--NK, China & trade, Iran, etc. Let's judge the sausage after it's made, not while we watch it being made.
It seems that Xi, Moon and, Kim knows Trump very well.
I wouldn't be surprised to know that all three of these leaders have studied Trump and knows how to pump him up by making it seem like he is in charge.
And although Trump won't say it, he wants this conference more than Kim or Moon does.
And no Mr. Trump, Moon is not playing poker.
He's playing the game of chess while you are playing beginner's checker.
One more thing, you need to keep Bolton quiet.
Here you have these old white men thinking they are running the show trying to talk big when all they are doing is showing their hand.
I'm sure Kim is shaking in his boots.
4
Why does Landler only quote the usual right-of-center Korean experts--Cha, Jung Park and Green--in DC, all of whom have national security backgrounds, and ignore more progressive Korean commentators such as Katherine Moon, who was formerly at Brookings?
4
Trump just blinked.
He is going to make many more poorly thought out concessions, because he never prepares, and he wants that prize for whirled peas so badly he can taste the peas.
In the end, he may end up with nothing, just pounded sand.
4
Experienced negotiators don't even bother talking to jerks like Trump. They are a nothing but time wasters and money burners.
3
Compared to the robust rogue nuclear weapons programs of Israel,
India and Pakistan the North Korean nuclear weapons program is a tiny pimple. Unless and until Israel, India and Pakistan engage in denuclearization, why should North Korea?
1
This idiotic pathetic man couldn't find North Korea on a map. A commemorative coin. Not tacky or anything. How much did that cost? And, what if Obama had made one? He'd be locked up.
4
Trump is so desperate for a Nobel Peace Prize that will be willing to give away Barron and US security to get it. He will need to be watched very carefully to keep catastrophe at bay.
2
" a lot of people are saying " that Trump doesn't know what he is doing "
" we'll just have to wait and see what happens "
2
Continues to say things without preparation or understanding. His words mean nothing.
2
China is not a US friend, nor a friend to anyone that doesn't fill their pockets (at least the communist party member pockets). NK is in the same, and has been for decades. Presidents in the past have negotiated 'deals' to thwart the development of nuclear weapons in NK by giving 'aid' (i.e. cash to the dictator). NK promises, takes the money, and develops what they like, aided by Russia, Iran, China.
This has much more to do with the fact that you cannot negotiate with dishonest dictators that despise you to the core, than it has to do with Trump, Obama, Bush, Clinton, etc.
Trump, who sees himself as 'Mr. Big Stuff', obviously doesn't have the stuff needed to deal effectively with North Korea.
The President has been conceeding the ground to Kim Jung-un ever since he announced a meeting with North Korea along with his anticipated Nobel Peace Prize.
Like anyone with a brain thought this summit would ever take place. Kim and Xi are playing Trump like an out of tune fiddle and he's too stupid to know it.
2
There is never mention of diplomacy; it's always the negotiation, the deal and of course THE MEETING which has become a goal in and of itself. The sheer incompetence is stunning.
Kim has already got what he wanted: a global audience , perceived equivalence with the US President and the enhanced protection from China. At this point the meeting is just a victory lap and photo op for domestic consumption.
5
Trump id desperate for a "win" in N.K. The N.K.s know it. The Chinese know it, and anyone with working brain cells knows it. Worse, his base will know it,too, but it will look the other way, as it has since his "election."
He will give the store away and come home crowing like the Cock o' the Walk about what an achievement he accomplished. And his one man spin machine will then tout him as a Nobel Peace Prize candidate.
Bottom line: the North Koreans keep their missiles and bombs while getting any sanctions removed. Trump is an unmitigated disaster for this country, domestic or foreign policy-wise.
1
The common refrain seems to be that other world leaders are playing 3-D chess while the US and President Trump are relegated to playing checkers, or perhaps, flinging Play-Doh when they don't get their way. I see the problem with US foreign policy much more as the US trying to run a marathon by sprinting in 200 meter increments.
This is not how peace will be achieved in the Korean peninsula, in the Middle East, or elsewhere in the world. The problems plaguing these regions span many generations and involve complex, intertwining histories that we tend to not appreciate nor even try to understand. We've become married to simply winning the next election cycle or turning in the best quarterly reports, but not on how to achieve and sustain peace and growth over decades or longer. Our competitors--especially China--are running the long game, steadily making progress across 5, 10, 25 year horizons, while we're breathlessly running at full speed into who knows what every 2 years. After which, we double over to catch our breaths, abruptly change course, then sprint to another random location to repeat the process.
This is how the Great American Century will come to a close.
5
Remember when every GOP political commercial called out Democrats for being "flip floppers?" Now we have a President who defines that term in everything he does...
7
Well given the aggressive U.S. stance on Iran and past consequences of leaders/countries suffering when they have unilaterally given up their nukes (Ukraine) or chemical weapons/research facilities to develop nukes (Iraq, Libya) is it surprising that the North Koreans do not want to disarm their nukes unilaterally and as a pre-condition to future negotiations.
Fake analysis, I read what the president said and it in no way indicated what this story said. It just was an acknowledgment that total change would take some time, not that he was changing the requirements. More fake news.
1
“He will be safe. He will be happy. His country will be rich,”
A US President to one of the worst dictators in world history. Fake President.
4
Why are the contents of the negotiations already being tweeted about and discussed in the media, isn't that the purpose of a meeting? Nobody can be sure that a meeting between these two despots will bring the desired results, but now we are back at the point where even the possibility of a meeting is being "negotiated" via tweets. If this is our new foreign policy, we are in deep trouble.
5
"President Trump backed away from a demand that the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, abandon his nuclear arsenal without any American concessions." The Art of the Deal? Trump ain't Richie Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross — more like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction... Trump is a loser, negotiating only to save himself but from an ever weakening position. What's next — he's gonna offer China South Korea in a soybean swap? Let's never forget the party responsible for this presidential charade. The GOP must pay the political price; vote them out in November.
5
Why bother negotiating with North Korea when you can negotiate with yourself? At this rate we will withdraw our troops from ROK for a Trump hotel in Pyongyang. Good luck Donald.
2
Kim Jong Un 2
A U.S. President elevates status of Kim Jong Un
Trump backs off demand for denuclearization
Trump 0
Let's hope Kim Jong Un gets tired of winning
3
I'm sure the commemorative coin will be for sale along with other Trump swag. Kim and Trump are cut from the same cloth... paranoid despots who will do anything to maintain their power. The fact that Trump and this minions would be thinking about coins instead of truly understanding the truth of the situation, is laughable and terrifying. Trump is as untrustworthy as Kim.
3
Why is this a good deal while Iran was a bad deal ?
Oh yes, Obama negotiated the Iran deal
12
Greatest negotiating tactic ever. Trump caves in publicly before the talks begin. The talks that probably won't happen anyway. Brilliant. Trump's already making space on his desk for his Nobel prize. Considering he never reads anything that should be easy.
2
Two vile individuals deciding the fates of their nations - and the world. One a cult-of-personality buffoon and liar, the other..... just the same, actually
4
Trump is a wannabe gangster and 3rd rate con man from Queens who duped a third of this nation that he would make deals and put them in good jobs. Since then, he has gotten zero done except appointing a conservative judge care of Mitch McConnell's underhanded steal from Obama, and has offered sympathy for Chinese workers instead of his base. Now he is out of his league, ready to bend over backwards for a cubby 4th world dictator so he can gloat in front of a the Nobel committee. My Trump loving neighbor has since taken down his big flag and is no longer smirking at me. Guess he's not winning anymore
6
Just as we all have, the North Koreans have watched in astonishment as President Trump has demonstrated his inability to negotiate. They have picked up on this weakness and are now playing him like a fiddle. They saw him fail to abolish the ACA, fail to negotiate Mexico into paying for a wall, sign a spending bill against his will......all in the name of getting to the deal signing, then leave the world hanging on a mindless withdrawal from the Iran deal and the Paris Peace Accord without any plan or strategy going forward. As the Koreans say in the rice paddies, he's ripe for the picking.
1
"Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi...killed by his own people less than a decade later in the upheavals that swept the Arab world."
Did the author of this article somehow miss the US and NATO role in the removal and death of Qaddafi-to say nothing of the chaos which has gripped Libya since then?
3
It appears that North Korea is going to be able to easily play Trump. Trump set the bar too high at the very beginning.
Any other expert negotiator would not have set an unobtainable demand going in the door. They would have worked their way up.
With setting this high unobtainable limit, Trump's only negotiating direction is backwards - that is, backing off from his demands.
North Korea is going to get what they want, while Trump is going to be left holding the bag.
Trump, for all of his so-called "deal-making" expertise, is going to get played. Except, he doesn't bear the consequences. South Korea, Japan and the United States are going to be the losers in this.
3
Seems to me that, as leader of an impoverished, isolated, rogue nuclear state, Kim Jong Un should be the one making concessions for a US summit meeting - not the other way around.
1
Forbes Magazine has reported on the accidental destruction of the NK testing site. Apparently the last test blew the site inoperable. If true, (I have not seen other reporting on this, to be candid), Mr. Kim is unable to test, so he loses nothing until the site is restored. Any truth to this story?
1
So, Mr. Trump, playground retorts and threats of wiping North Korea of the face of the earth, did not work for you, eh? You were so bold a few months ago, you were ready to march right into Kim Il-Song Square. You even wanted to have a military parade so it rivaled those in North Korea, China and Russia.
Look at you now. I guess, like health care, negotiating treaties is very complicated.
And, guess what? With the Chinese now backing North Korea, you may end up giving up US troops, and joint exercises, in South Korea. Opening the door for China, and the North, to finish the job, that ended in a stalemate in 1953. And, considering, you have alienated, and isolated, our allies, you think any of them will come die for the United States?
Yes, Mr. Trump, your bravado, is just that. That is the sure sign of a bully. Let's hope Mr. Mueller comes up with "game, set, match", to get you out of office, before you make this word far more dangerous than it already is.
When you have an idiot doing diplomacy, you get idiocy diplomacy. How this man has not blew his father's fortune, over blatant stupidity, is a major miracle.
3
I agree with your analysis but would add that Trump could become more irrational and dangerous when he realizes he has humiliated himself ; he may embrace Bolton and order up "the Libya Model".
Donald should make chickenhawk John Bolton go to North Korea to personally de-nuclearize the country if belligerent neoconservatives are now upset. Bolton with his 19th century cavalryman mustache appears determined to treat North Korea like some recalcitrant Native American tribe deserving of extermination. Sorry, but the year is 2018 and not 1868.
4
Clearly, the ill-advised and callous remarks by Director Bolton had a chilling effect on prosepective negotiations, as they were certainly the last thing that Kim would want to hear. Fortunately the President repudiated them and restored the possiblity of an agreement. The target day is still a ways off, but should it take place, it could be a model for cooperation between the great powers as a formula for avoiding war elsewhere. If it can work in Korea, it can war anywhere.
1
What cooperation between "great powers"? I am not sure you can classify North Korea as a great power. You have taken a quote from that great literary book,
The Little Train Who Could, " I think I can, I think I can".
Almost 2 years into his term and this buffoon still can't act like he knows what he is doing
The art of the schlemiel.
Or, as Bugs used to say, ‘What a maroon”.
5
Folks, this is nothing but another con job by this con man from NY. NK is not getting rid of anything, nothing. Yet, this con man is going to tell folks that the NK and USA deal is the best deal ever in the world. He will give NK billions, he will be allowed to promote his business, and he will make millions out of this. Who will pay for all this? Taxpayers via the US Treasury as he has already done in his enrichment schemes. Of course, he will then demand the Nobel Peace Prize for it when in fact, we will have given up the whole store for it. Like I said, he's a con man from NY and we folks from NY know a con man when we see it. Too bad you folks can't recognized one when you see one and continue to believe the snake oil he sells is a miracle cure for everything. NY is full of con men, that's why they all get prosecuted in NY, not the Deep South. They wouldn't know a con man if he confessed to it.
6
Art of the Cave
3
In all my training and experience in teacher union negotiaitons there was one cardinal rule: don't negotiate in the press. But then the goal was a fair contract for our members and not glory for any one person.
3
Trump wants a meeting so he can spin the meeting itself as a victory. This is similar to his so-called tough stance on China trade. The tariff is the victory, then he backs off.
3
If trump can't get North Korea to totally give up there nukes, and we have to now give them a long time frame, then how is this looking like a better deal than what we did have with Iran. Sorry trump you have already promised your base on North Korea giving it all up, period. Have you moved to fast, no doubt. Past administrations have gone a much safer route regarding negotiations by having the knowledgeable staff be part of the talks early on, until it works or not.
4
North and South Korea are clearly playing to Trump's ego. They understand that he wants that Nobel Peace prize, even
if they deserve it more than he. And with those self-congratulating commemorative coins already minted, Trump can't afford to back out of the "historic" meeting. Wouldn't it
be ironic if it is Trump's insatiable ego, in the end, and not his warmongering bluster, that brings the North and South together to negotiate a genuine and lasting peace on the peninsula, but at what serious cost to American credibility and leadership.
1
I am tired of Trump saying "we will see" about almost everything he is dealing with.
He is supposed to be our leader and this statement make him appear powerless and not having a clue about what happening.
This makes the US weak in the eyes of the world.
2
Who is kidding anyone. Kim will never denuclearize. It is the one thing that protects him from a US invasion or instigated internal revolt. He knows you can't trust Trump or other future presidents to comply with any agreement after what just happened with Iran. The best to hope for is a nuclear control and non aggression agreement that would freeze the quantity of weapons North Korea can possesses while the US dropping sanctions and promising not to attack North Korea. That would still leave Kim in possession of weapons to strike our allies and the US. Really a net win for Kim.
It's going to be fun watching Kim out maneuver Trump and eventually make him back down in be in a corner.
3
If Trump actually possessed any goals at all in the run-up to this entente, it is difficult to see whether any of them survived all the bungling and amateurishness of the White House.
It seems inevitable that North Korea will retain its nuclear capacity, and that Trump will declare that failure a success in keeping with his usual practice.
It's interesting that Mr. Trump says the non-negotiable demands of the U.S. don't necessarily include complete denuclearization of North Korea, and no U.S. concessions to North Korea's demands. Nowhere are the non-negotiable demands specified, and nowhere is it indicated what kind(s) of concessions Mr. Trump might agree to. Good negotiators keep their hole cards very close to their vests, but I sure hope he's getting the "advice" of the Senate, if he expects to get the "consent" that any agreement wil require.
This is all so very predictable. We have a president with zero foreign policy experience who doesn't understand the intricacies of any given problem let alone the basic dynamics. If anything materializes from this effort it will only end up benefitting NK, China and Russia.
All the while Trump boasts he is a "great negotiator" but with no empirical evidence to back up the claim. The Fox News crowd continue their mindless, slavish devotion and therefore we continue down the path of dismantling America's preeminence and goodwill gained over the last 80 years. Most Republicans in Congress don't dare voice their private beliefs that we have a dangerously incompetent and ethically compromised president because this demographic is also mindlessly angry and is living vicariously through "one of their own."
We have no evidence that he will assert and accomplish America's best interest in any situation. The exact opposite is occurring.
I'm incredibly saddened but if this situation is not reversed and soon, Americans will deserve the coming loss of prestige, economic stagnation, good governance, trust in institutions and worsening inequality that is bound to follow.
235
Thank-you, Michael, for your thoughtful comment.
"Most Republicans in Congress don't dare voice their private beliefs that we have a dangerously incompetent and ethically compromised president because this demographic is also mindlessly angry and is living vicariously through "one of their own.""
I believe that there is another more sinister reason for Republican silence: Some Wealthy Americans. Trump and the Republican party, backed by tremendous wealth, are a perfect means by which our Democracy becomes more and more of an Oligarchy. The Murdoch family, the Smith family (Sinclair/Fox), the NRA, for example, command perfect venues to control non-critical thinkers, all the while demanding policies to bought Republican politicians that benefit personal and corporate wealth. And Trump is the perfect president to sell misinformation and outright lies to gullible Americans. From the super-wealthy point of view, the fancy footwork certainly keeps a lot of the worker bees in their place, doesn't it?
And to @vulcanalex: I have noticed that those commenters who start out with an insult are usually uninformed.
39
Our economy is overheating because of the tax giveaway to corporations that will increase the debt by 1 trillion dollars. Meanwhile, there was a headline that 4 in 10 Americans don't have $400 for an emergency.
"Prestige means nothing to me."
I think you'll miss it when it's gone. It's not decorative. It's not superficial.
This all could be a new monster movie - "Battle of the Mega Monstrous Egos"
I wonder how Mr. Trump would protect himself from a nonviolent domestic uprising much less the leader of North Korea.
Strange promise from the President of a country claiming to be the world’s democratic leader.
This promise in many ways devalues the blood shed by Americans in our intervening ways around the world.
That is a real punch in the gut to our military men and woman and their families to hear this from President Trump.
I
Everyday Trump concedes more and more. Kim has taught him The Art of the Deal.
2
"But while the gesture may avoid a swift rejection by Mr. Kim, it shows that Mr. Trump is willing to give up what for months has been his bedrock position in dealing with the North."
Mr. Trump would give up his own mother to chase that elusive Nobel that Obama received. Kim's surrendering nuclear arsenals is not at the top of Trump's wish list.
Mr. Kim is playing chess, while in return, Trump is not playing checkers, but instead playing shuffleboard.
1
Of course there’s “a 99.9 percent chance the North Korea-U.S. summit will be held as scheduled,” because both Kim and Trump want to capitalise its historic significance for political gains and ego satisfaction.
Trump needs to make it happen after spending weeks applauding their strategy of “maximum pressure” on North Korea, which they believe forced Kim Jong Un to agree to Trump’s last year proposal to meet. Their self-congratulatory mood was disrupted by Kim’s response to Bolton’s sinister insinuation of the Libyan model. Trump jumped immediately to the rescue, hoping to salvage the situation.
2
It’s beginning to look a lot like a President Obama negotiation. With everything Trump says. With detente glistening one again. With baubles flowing north before Kim’s eyes ablaze. It’s beginning to look a lot like a President Obama negotiation.
Sounds like someone is making excuses for Baby Trump
2
Thanks to Bolton's appointment, and to his unfortunate remarks about Libya, which could have been predicted, and thanks to the unfortunate developments regarding the Iran deal, Trump's credibility is understandably squandered. There is no one to blame for this changed response from NK than the antics of Mr. Trump, our accidental President.
If anyone would be deserving of a peace prize, it's President Moon Jae-in, who is the coolest head, and the only real adult involved in these proceedings. If not, then some credit is certainly due him for his patience, enthusiasm, and good intentions. Unfortunately, with two other hot-heads involved, and especially given the foolishness of DT, good intentions may not be enough.
7
So, Kim Jung un can get whatever he wants from Trump because he holds the key to Trump's Nobel Prize. How easy it is to manipulate Trump. Why can't the so-called "leadership" of the Democratic party figure that out?
3
Trump winging it ostensibly in the lead, and a stable of minions with disparate views on just what the US objectives and strategy should be for the NK negotiations — a formula for disaster.
What irks me the most is Trump’s obsequious make nice with Kim Jung un, a serial murderer and a despot responsible for the wholesale and extraordinarily brutal oppression NK people.
1
We need to think about this from Trump's perspective. Who could ever vote for Articles of Impeachment against a president who actually spoke to a North Korean leader? Even a photo of the two leaders shaking hands at least puts him in the running for the Nobel Peace Prize. And, if the actual shaking of hands is beamed worldwide, think about what it does for his ratings. It could be the most watched hand-shaking ever.
And don't forget, he could actually compliment Kim's sister on her good looks. With that, we could have peace in our time.
3
At this rate by next week the artist of the deal will be willing to move the U.S. embassy to Pyongyang.
2
With the 'denuclearization" of North Korea, as with the trade talks with China, Donald Trump illustrates his incompetence as a "dealmaker". As his beloved voters in Texas would phrase it, Trump has shown himself to be all hat and no cattle.
4
So the Iran nuclear deal was not good enough for Trump. In fact, he called it the worst deal ever. But, when it comes to North Korea, because of his desperation to get a deal, he is willing to give away far more than was given away to Iran in the deal with them. The difference: North Korea has nuclear weapons, Iran does not.
4
If you want a glimpse at the extent of brainwashing that Trump followers have undergone, just look at how they have all morphed their vocabulary to match his. Suddenly, international agreements, negotiations, and treaties are now all simply "deals." All of a sudden they are now experts at "doing a deal" and "making a deal." It's like we've all been transported to the world's worst used car lot.
9
The "master of the 'Art of the Deal'" negotiating against himself. Not only have we elected someone morally reprehensible but he is proving to be incompetent as well.
5
There's only one solution to the disaster that is this presidency. Vote for Democrats at every opportunity!
5
I have been predicting that Kim will meet with Trump only if Trump makes concessions o Kim prior to the meeting. In addition to canceling he joint exercises between S. Korea and the US, Trump is waffling on "denuclearization" which is essentially the point of the meeting. The next concession may focus on the lifting of certain trade sanctions in order to demonstrate to Kim that Trump has " good intentions " towards him.
Trump's statements about " very substantial chances" and " certain conditions" that it may work out or it may not work out is gibberish.
The " experts" continue to give Trump an aura of seriousness when he is a moron.
5
Trump has repeatedly said that NK must give up its nuclear and ballistic missiles YET your headline speculates about Trump allowing NK to keep its nuclear weapons-this is why Trump, and half the nation charge that you spread false news. You create a false narrative-much ado about NOTHING.
Last month Kim went to China to visit Xi to discuss the best way to play our idiot idiot president. Kim never had intention whatsoever to denuclearize. Dangling this trinket was simply too enticing for our ignorant infantile president to resist. As if Kim was going to fall for the Libya or Iran treatment. I'm laughing as I'm writing this. Pax Americana, what a joke we have become.
3
Good. Now President Trump will have an open schedule to meet with Mr. Mueller.
It sickens me that the White House has issued a coin with the President of the United States and the worst despot on the planet.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44217116
6
Trump just doesn't get it, as if that is something we haven't noticed. He acts as if once he has spoken the world should change in a hour. He thinks sitting down at a table for an hour or so of negotiations will result in a new real estate projected being completed by dinner time. In the Far East, nations think and react differently than American customs. They rather wait until it rains to see if the puddle rises before laying cement to build a dam.
2
Ha...Trump's bully talk did not work. Anybody surprised? I hope not. Trump will try to put lipstick on a pig in an effort to rescue his peace prize nomination.
Kim - 7
Trump-0
2
Read this as good news, ‘Trump rejects Bolton’s mindless approach to negotiations.’
1
"three weeks before the June 12 meeting, the White House is still groping for a strategy to negotiate with a reclusive, suspicious nuclear-weapons state"
In other words our Amateur-Commander-in-Chief doesn't have a clue. Once again, he is being played by our North Korean adversary.
4
Trump is his own worst enemy! His bombastic style may play well in Allentown, but it also sets traps for himself (and the country) as it sets himself to be played by Putin, Netanyahu , the Saudi Crown Prince and now Kim. In Kim's case, he traded threats and insults with the North Korean. In true Kim dynasty style, Kim changed direction, wrong footed a clumsy President and is in a position to embarrass if not humiliate the President. Where wise heads and experience urged caution and prudence, but the President declared victory, very prematurely. The ego took over, again! Between his appointment of Bolton and his bombastic and effusive tweets he was just providing more propaganda ammo to Kim. He was even allowing absurd talk about a Nobel Peace Prize to float around. All just what Kim wants. Trump is now in a weak position, no matter what he does. If a deal is to be done, the US will now have to give up more than it would have of some weeks ago had Trump kept his mouth shut. Not that the North Korean's will honor any deal to the letter (as the Iranians have actually done), much less the spirit. No deal at all after a meeting will make Trump look very foolish indeed. One can even anticipate that if this "summit" occurs, Kim will walk out very publicly in order to demean the President and the US. What should Trump do? At this point, he should quietly postpone it, announce low level teams will pursue dialog and then keep his mouth and attack dogs quiet.
3
How embarrassing for Trump. He made a bad deal for the sake of vanity, and now has to scramble to avoid humiliation. Did he really think that Kim would surrender his nuclear program? Trump was lured into a trap, and he is badly stuck. Shame on him, shame on us for electing him (if we actually did).
1
Obviously the fat guy with the terrible hairdo will easily put one over on, well, the other fat guy with a terrible hairdo.
And both can claim victory in the process.
The Supreme Leader has an agenda, making his two-bit country look important.
The Donald has no clue, his sights are set only on adulation, winning a (Nobel Peace) prize.
And to quote Bob Dylan ( in Hurricane), “ the newspapers, they all went along for the ride.”
1
Why would any nation give up their sovereign stasis and submit to the yoke of the US hegemony? It's a losing proposition to that country. Look at the history of the US since Teddy Roosevelt and the Spanish American War. US policy has been straightforward: Empire building and decimation of any nation that stands in the way of corporate America and the US military industrial complex. The US is the only country that has used Nuclear Weapons against a civilian target. I wouldn't negotiate with the US. Only a fool would fall for Bolton and Trump worthless ideas. It's sucker bet.
3
Yeah, but look how he's winning that handshake. Totally crushing Moon's hand. Really impressive. He's something. Lots of people are saying, he's something.
166 days, 19 hour, 57 minutes, 28 seconds 'til the midterms.
1
Trump is so desperate for that Nobel Prize (I doubt he can spell either word without checking), there's no telling what he might give up. Which should frighten the daylights out of us. He'll make his own poor decisions, based on nothing but his reptilian instinct and his ignorance, without bothering to listen to the counsel of what passes for the wiser heads around him.
1
The Great Dealmaker is giving away all of his leverage. Maybe instead we should get the real author, Tony Schwartz, to step in and show us how it is really done since he made up this aura of dealmaking.
1
Looks like the "great negotiator" is being out negotiated by both NK and China. Nice job Trump. Maybe your followers will finally see you as you really are, all talk no action. Nah.
1
"Trump Backs Away From Demand for Immediate North Korean Denuclearization"
Wait... what? That was the whole, entire, complete reason for having the summit in the first place!
What are they going to meet about, if not that -- Asian cuisine?
2
The greatest deal maker the world has ever seen.
Did anyone really think North Korea would unilaterally disarm? So our loudmouth so-called president caves again. Because he's unrealistic and hasn't read a book in his adult life.
And... he is guaranteeing Kim will be safe and have prosperity? Even if true... doubtful... we're then de facto supporting a murdering dictator?
Pretty nuts all around.
1
Surprise! Surprise!
Seriously, if Trump just let the diplomats do their job and iron out a deal before shooting his mouth off he wouldn’t sound like such a moronic idiot. (Paraphrasing Rex Tillerson and Gen. Kelly)
1
As the saying goes "don't count your chickens before they're hatched." Is Trump still talking about a Nobel Peace Prize?
1
Oh my God!
Did you see that !?!
Swwwwish...Trump...deal!!!
They weren't lying after all, the man is a genius, our savior, the only human who could pull Earth from the brink.
Oh thank you Jesus! Thank you! Thank you!
This is what "winning" looks like.
1
Donald Trump is so desperate to cut a deal with North Korea that there is no telling what he will give away. Perhaps the whole store. We know he has no understanding of even the main issues between North and South Korea. Nor does he care to learn.
This is merely a show to Trump, The Apprentice writ large, and all he is concerned about is appearances. Trump’s willful ignorance makes him very dangerous to America’s national security, a concern that escapes this president, his lapdogs in Congress, and his willfully ignorant supporters.
1
Which will happen first? Pigs will fly or NYT readers will make a fair evaluation of Trump? I am hoping for the second, but perhaps I am naive.
I am optimistic that the meeting will take place. And note that Moon is doing something which the NYT has never bothered to try. "Talk to Trump". Instead you want a war which you hope to win in November.
Maybe you will win, and maybe you will lose. But meanwhile you are making things worse for our public dialogue.
Nah, go to Faux News to get a fair assessment. But, you may be right, this tactic worked to make Obama a two term President while making things worse for our public dialogue.
So he folds, because he has no idea what the word "negotiate" means.
He was congratulating himself that his loudmouth bullying had gotten results. It hadn't. Kim didn't stop testing until he had proved he could hit us with nukes.
So now he's shocked that, gee, Kim actually isn't scared of him. How about that? Who knew?
We're letting an idiot with no negotiating skills, no knowledge, and lots of illusions manage a situation of huge importance.
1
Is Trump still allowed to award himself that Nobel Peace Prize?
1
Dealing with tenants, mobsters, Republican Congress members, and shady investors is different than dealing with intelligent, determined world leaders. When Trump threatens to punch a protester in the face or rain fire and fury he delights his followers and enlightens his opponents. Boasts and unreasonable demands might work when Trump was holding all of the cards, but in the card game of international politics, the other player holds cards, too. Unlike Trump, they aren’t showing theirs.
2
Why would NK believe anything trump or this WH says. Just look at what they did to Iran and look at the statements they make. "This will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal," Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News on Monday." I do not believe threating them to kill their leader unless they do what trump wants is a good idea.
2
OMG, Kim makes the offer for a summit, president agrees and now backs away. Who is in the power position? At least float an offer and act as if Kim backed down. Kim can now go to Moon and say, hey, we tried, you still want to trust this guy? China nods at Taiwan, you still want to deal with this ghost? What does Japan do, are they on their own now in dealing with NK? China pushes the trade threat down the road, still on track for made in China 2025.
All bluster and everything stays the same. And now we gotta go and solidify our influence and support in the region (that means $). What a waste of time this man is, he's played like a penny whistle.
1
And the walls come tumbling down. And the wheels come off. And the lack of preparation shows along with the hubris of an inexperienced and overly gullible administration and president. And the Nobel Prize takes a walk to some other neighborhood.
2
If there's a Trump "demand" left in this boxing match with Kim Jong Un when all is said and done, I'll eat my hat.
Trump's foreign policy doctrine: "We'll see." Good thinking there. Fox News doesn't always give him the answers right away.
Trump is being played like a fiddle.
Trump was made a fool by North Korea and now he is trying to salvage his reputation. He was laughed at for thinking he was going to change N. Korea biggly but if he had looked at history instead of his ego he would have understood the complexities.
1
I do not want DT to be negotiating for us...he really cannot be trusted to do whats right for our country...this is a slippery slope..
1
“There’s a very substantial chance that it won’t work out, and that’s O.K.,” Mr. Trump told reporters, as Mr. Moon listened. “That doesn’t mean it won’t work over a period of time. But it may not work out for June 12.”
“There are certain conditions we want to happen,” he added. “I think we’ll get those conditions. And if we don’t, we won’t have the meeting.”
Okay........sounds like a well thought out plan.
3
Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem without anything in return from Israel, bailing out a Chinese company in a trade war, conceding to N Korea without any concessions towards denuclearization.
Is this the art of being a great deal maker?
The article refers to a “battle of wits”. The one thing we do know, is one of the parties involved is a nitwit.
Trump, despite all his bluster around China, is being outsmarted at every turn. I suspect “Rocket Man” will also run rings around The Great Negotiator.
Big statements, cave in at the first roadblock, and declare victory. And then have his cronies push his name forward for the Nobel Peace Prize.
You couldn’t make this stuff up!
Once acquired, North Korea was never going to give up it's existing stockpile of nuclear weapons. It simply removes their only bargaining chip. That Trump and Pompeo missed this is a testament to ineptitude. Moreover, having John Bolton, an idiot, hit the cable channels and suggest the Libya Model is being considered was complete simplemindedness.
It is scary that these people are in control of our foreign policy, or the lack thereof. It seems that Trump's only concern is his "winning" something, or anything to demonstrate his qualifications for the Oval Office which don't exist. Even more scary is the Republican willingness to fall in behind Trump's delusional positions in any area of domestic policy including and most importantly his obstruction of the Russia investigation. Congress has an oversight responsibility but it's not limited to Republicans. Excluding Democrats from the impending review of sources and methods utilized by the FBI in their Russia meddling investigation is unconstitutional. Congress is a full body of both parties, not just Republicans. I understand the Republican fear of Trump and his cult but I, like others, thought Republicans had some integrity left. Apparently this is not the case. It seems their fear has allowed frenetic, mercurial and delusional and ignorance to win the day abandoning American principles in every aspect. Whatever happens with North Korea, Trump will claim it was a win for America, no matter how bad the deal is.
1
For Trump, making peace with North Korea, like practically everything else he does, means one thing only - a photo op.
He can’t see beyond an image of himself in the center of a picture, a video or a rally.
That we are stuck with this megalomaniac as president is truly terrifying.
1
Iran agreed to cease its nuclear program, and their reward was Trump pulling out of the agreement only a couple of years after it began. Ukraine surrendered its legacy Soviet nuclear arsenal to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and their reward was an illegal invasion and land grab by Russia several years later. If I were Kim, I wouldn't give up my nukes either. The ugly truth is that they are the ultimate deterrent to invasion.
Imagine how annoyed Mr Trump will be when Mr. Kim is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The American people, and Kim, have learned the "value" of Trump's words/promises.
He is clearly desperate for this meeting, with visions of the NOBEL dancing in his head.
It's only another way to denounce Obama. A vapid sociopath's game.
Our "president" is getting a good lesson in why the Iran deal looked the way it did. A phony smile and a handshake are no substitutes for hard prolonged diplomacy and bargaining. Trump's magical thinking prevented him from seeing how all of this works. And then Bolton had to open his insipid mouth about the Libya model. The White House is run on the Keystone Kops model of international diplomacy. Things are probably even worse than what we can see on the surface delivered to us in the media, crazier and stupider at a very basic level.
2
A commerative coin? Good grief. Maybe he can tack it up in one of his golf clubs, next to the fake Time Magazine covers. It is typical of this administration that they concentrate on the glitz and not the substance.
This is no “battle of wits”. Mr. Kim pulls the strings, and our travesty of a president dances.
Not a surprise. Trump is looking more desperate for a deal everyday. Love all this winning! 11/6/18 can't come soon enough.
" ... the White House is still groping for a strategy to negotiate with a reclusive, suspicious nuclear-weapons state."
Itself?
Let's be honest, who in their right mind would unilaterally give up their Nuclear Weapons on the hope that America would make it worthwhile that they did...on a wing and a prayer?
ESPECIALLY after seeing how Iran has been treated despite it following Every requirement it agreed to do for the 5 Powers Nuclear Agreement it signed.
I wouldn't trust the U.S after that if they were my closest ally!
Also, if you look at everything from Kim's point of view, he has done many things he has NEVER done. He has shown understanding, given promises and made large efforts for him , and given the suspicion and distrust he has had to bury it's surprising what he has done so far.
As for the U.S...Despite his efforts, Kim has seen Nothing, been told nothing and not been given a single positive indication or gesture from America.
Just a continuation of multiple ongoing Military exercises with the South, Stupid words of Bolton which are an Insult and Nothing other from the U.S except that North Korea has to do EVERYTHING and hope the U.S will show some help or gratitude for the efforts already made and to be made.
Iran shows everyone that the U.S can break an agreement and go against all other parties and even punish Iran even though it kept its word and promises agreed...but America is punishing it for other things it doesn't like.
Show some respect.
1
Great chess game. We are just out of the opening and Trump has already blundered into a rather nasty fork. Amateur hour at the White House.
This is what happens when you get an inexperienced egomaniac trying to do diplomatic negotiations. The best course is to be quiet, let the pros go forward and then join in. Just like everything else Trump touches, this is probably going nowhere.
If Trump is involved in this negotiation we are all doomed. The amount of study that Trump has put into this is nil. He is willing to meet with a murderous dictator in order to capture a Nobel prize for himself. He has already given away the store by agreeing to meet without preconditions. What a lousy deal for the USA.
Remember, this is the Trump Reality Show. The June 12th episode featuring a guest appearance by North Korea's Kim at the exotic Demilitarized Zone between North and South is the highlight of the season.
The coins have been minted. The PR buzz about a Nobel Peace Prize is mounting. Little Rocket Man and the Great Negotiator will make this the must-see show of the summer!
Why on earth should silly questions about nuclear disarmament cause the producers to cancel?
2
Why does the Times report on this story as if hey know where it going when it just started.
I think because they can't accept that Trump has been doing something better that Obama.
I don't know how this will end but I am sure we can not know now
and to think you can is proof you are the problem not Trump.
We're having a meeting with North Korea
They have to get rid of their nukes
There may not be a meeting
I changed my mind
Please get a brain change!
3
The Iran nuclear deal was the worst deal ever!
3
Please specify and quantify how.
3
A matter of opinion; a deal is a deal is a deal; a first step to peace. No more monitoring of IRANIAN nuclear facilities by the IAEA. Iran accused of promoting terrorism unwarranted as Jihadist terrorists in SYRIA were financed by Gulf States like Saudi Arabia and QATAR. Sorry Europe refuses to follow Israel on this occasion.
Explain in detail why.
3
Did anyone notice that Pres. Trump is the first president to engage the North Koreans since the war? Are you all gloating that since Clinton and Obama never even tried to do anything constructive, do you want the US to fail at diplomacy?
If any of you knew how to negotiate deals, you might understand. But when in doubt, just bash Trump. It's comforting to reinforce your negative feelings. "You the people of the NYT" are "right" all of the time. Better hope Trump fails so you all can be right again.
3
Did you notice that NK has been asking for a meeting with the U.S. President since Bush 41? Did you notice that all had negotiating meeting with NK outlining what needed to be resolved before the U.S. President committed to recognizing NK on the world stage? Did you notice that each time NK refuses to negotiate?
Stop listening to one source of ‘news’ and read a book.
Assuredly he’ll be as successful @this as he was with a bold new bigger cheaper health care plan
How’s that working out for you?
1
Pail S. - Capitulation is not engagement.
2
This isn't chess or even checkers, this ping pong that's being played by China and the Koreas, with Trump as the ball.
6
You writers at the NYTimes still don't get it, this is all part of the deal, both sides dancing to a tune of their own making as they adjust their positions to achieve a mutually satisfactory position.
A good deal is a deal that can be completed and leaves each side wondering if they were fairly treated and yet satisfied in the knowledge that a deal has been accomplished.
This is all part of that dance.
3
Sorry Tom. The NY Times gets it and majority gets it-there is no strategy, no one voice in the administration and the only focus is to insure Trump looks like a hero.
Kim is playing Trump.
Trump keeps caving and caving and soon Trump will have no more cards to play.
1
Predictable that this would happen.
1
Two sayings come to mind:
(1) "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched."
(2) "if you act like I'm starving, I'll act like I'm full." So Trump should now dial back on that Nobel Prize gawking...
After John Bolton's comment about the Libyan solution, what would you expect?
Lybia stands for the proposition that when you cooperate with the West you are likely to get played. Ghadfi was by no means a saint, but neither was he a threat to his own people.
And he was certainly no more likely to unleash violence on innocent protestors than General Cisi of Egypt or for that matter what Netanyahu has done to the Palestinians.
Trump likes drama and some resolution of the standoff on the Korean peninsula is what Americans want. So Trump turns this into "stay tuned next week for the next edition of...what will Donald do next."
3
"...what will Donald do next.". I don't know whether to cringe, or go hide in a dark place.
One thing that the liberal opposition does not appreciate about Presiden Trump is his pragmatism, which is a characteristic of his long experience as a businessman. This decision of not demanding a complete denuclearization is an example of that pragmatism. For the most part, politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike, are not pragmatists, but rather idealists. While conservative idealism outweighs liberal idealism, idealism is nonetheless a 'Pie in the Sky" approach to politics. Give me pragmatism any day of the week. Give me Trump! I support the President. I support Trump! He has triumphed! Thank you.
3
so when trump promises pie in the sky he is a visionary, and when he walks back his promise he's a pragmatist. can't lose that way. thank you.
8
President Obama was very pragmatic when he made the Iran nuclear agreement...he realized that he could only get an agreement on the nuclear program. Trump is the’ optimist’ who thinks he can get ‘everything’!
Yeah right, and your boy guiliani has the interest of the poor uneducated whites when he was fighting for the pharmaceutical company now mainly responsible for the opium crisis. Have to give it to Americans, you really think you're better than anyone else.
2
Was it sensible that Trump had pre existing conditions? Some think no. So now there are not any pre existing conditions for the meeting.
Does it sound like the meeting will last long?
No.
Does it sound like Trump will cave on his demand that rocketman denuke?
Not to me.Trump will simply make clear what joining the world community could bring to Kim. He could also offer him powerful conventional weapons as an alternative.
“Does it sound like Trump will cave on his demand that rocketman denuke?”
He just did.
1
I see your point. It's far better that South Korea be destroyed by conventional weapons.
There are two main features to this. One is to officially end the war there. The second is to get rid of the nukes. During the Vietnam war, one of the administration was asked, on a talk show, about the response if Korea used that time to launch an attack. He replied that the NK leader had to understand that they were mapped for nuclear destruction. There is no profit for Kin Jong-un to keep things the way they are. At least Trump is sitting at the table with Kim, something other active president were unwilling to do. Kim stays in power at the will of China, Peace offers release from those chains as well as the prospect of total nuclear destruction. The only American to sit down with Kim in recent years is Dennis Rodman and he called Kim a madman. If Kim blows this opportunity, it won't be because of the president but that of a madman. I suspect Kim is surprised as anyone that Trump said he would meet meet with him.
1
Bolton's extremely poor judgement in touting his personal achievement with Libya in 2003 is the obvious reason for Kim's change in tone. However, Xi no doubt counseled moderation to Kim, a young leader who appears to have had enthusiasm for a deal comparable to Trump's. Such a deal would make Kim rich in a far more wealthy country than otherwise would be possible. For Trump, a deal would assure the survival of his presidency.
A deal remains possible but sanctions relief is not what Kim is looking for. Kim wants his country to emerge as a viable partner to South Korea that would enable eventual reunification on terms satisfactory to Kim. A unified Korea could stand up against China and the U.S. and assure the security of the Korean people -- without nuclear weapons -- based on its economic and technological strengths.
1
Guilani said that Trump couldn't focus on interviewing with Mueller until after the summit. This is a tactic to push that summit out to delay a Mueller interview as long as possible.
3
This must be a joke - Trump is now suggesting a phased dismantling. Given the administrations recent actions against Iran, why would any country take the U.S.'s words let alone it's written agreements as valid and binding?
5
generating continued enthusiasm is what Trump does all the time i.e. exaggeration is not lying
But they already minted the coins!
2
The percent of Americans who want Trump negotiating on their behalf and speaking for them is small and shrinking.
4
Trump talks a big game then ALWAYS backs down. He is unprincipled. He has no game.
The idea that he alone can deal with North Korea is about as likely that he can stop the volcano in Hawaii from erupting. His tax plan has backfired - Corporations are spending the tax savings on stock buybacks, dividend payments and huge bonuses for executives vice investing to create jobs. Corporate America is concerned with the profit margin - not jobs.
Trump is more concerned with Robert Mueller and whether or not he is going to go to prison for his crimes against America as he works for Russia and Putin.
Ultimately Trump will throw everyone (including his son and son-in-law) under the bus to save his own neck. Ryan and McConnell are spineless so will continue to do nothing to actually protect America.
The rest of the world is watching America closely to see what you do about this slowly evolving train wreck that you call a government. You have a great country; try to save it from collapse if you can.
2
If there were any doubts, by now it should be clear that it's Trump who is getting played by Kim Yung Un. North Korea will likely emerge from these talks getting exactly what it wants:
1) The lifting of economic sanctions. 2) Keeping its vast superiority of conventional weapons over South Korea. (Nukes are useless in North's military conquest of the South.) 3) The removal of U.S. troops from South Korea.
In exchange, Kim will offer some token gestures of control over its nuclear weapons program, giving Trump the "win" he so desperately covets.
As a result of Trump's concessions, the groundwork will be laid for Kim Yung Un's ultimate prize: control of South Korea, either through military force or coercion.
Meantime, the president of the United States, unlike his predecessors, will bargain with a murderous despot in hopes of proving his legitimacy. Nobel Prize? For naivete perhaps.
3
Well, we have the first concession for "The Great Negotiator". Jong wins round one and Trump didn't even stand up from his chair in the corner. No longer will Trump demand Denuclearization as ante in the negotiation. Jong concedes nothing. Chants from his crowd..."Noble Prize"...."Noble Prize"... "Noble Prize". Heading for victory here? I think not.
1
So is this the true face of the tough-talking
"Master of the Deal"--backing down from a "rock solid" negotiating position before he even arrives at the table?
2
Trump is displaying his crafty business skills - the ones that got him into serial bankruptcies.
He has little to no understanding of the issues, refuses to study them, listens to Fox News experts and swings from the heels at every pitch, hoping to hit a home run.
My only hope is that he doesn’t decide to start WWIII in a fit of pique or, in the alternative, insure that N.Korea becomes a wealthy state sponsor of terrorism.
China and the Koreas are playing a long game and Trump is outmatched.
8
Battle of wits between Trump and Kim? Lord help us all.
But realistically? Is Trump really well versed enough to understand the impact of any agreements on our defense agreements with South Korea, Japan and other nations? Does he understand what needs to happen to contain China's military ambitions? Does he understand the needs of North Korea's economy? Does he have any advisors he listens to on these subjects who know even as much about these topics as a box of rocks?
3
There's not much of a "hint" here and not much "flexibility." It still demands that North Korea start the process of "dismantling [their] nuclear weapons" as a precondition to the summit meeting. That most certainly will be unacceptable to Mr. Kim and his Chinese patrons who want a gradual step-by-reciprocal step process where the U.S. and the South make concessions as well. Don't be surprised if the north rejects this as well. The only acceptable path to the summit is to have no preconditions.
2
Trump has been punked. The art of the deal . The incompetence is laughable.
9
The Great Deal Maker? This man has shown he couldn't negotiate himself out of a box. Her has been taken on a ride by North Korea and by China. He counts in the lack of education and sophistication of his base to continue dolphin the wool over their eyes.
2
How do I buy some of those "commemorative coins"? Should be highly valuable in time.
5
In an attempt to make his image look good and that only he was the one to make a deal with North Korea, he will end up giving away the farm and spin it as "being beautiful", a phrase he likes to toss around.
1
South Korea's president Moon is a much wiser leader than Mr. Trump. Reunification of South and North Korea are high on his agenda, I think. And any country that has nuclear capability now would be very foolish to agree to give that up for any agreement with the U.S. based on the U.S.'s history of broken promises. Trump is the worst "deal' maker" ever.
2
When you are trying to strong arm North Korea and China at the same time, is it any wonder they get together and say to each other: Trump wants everything and has offered nothing other than lofty promises like "you will be rich and happy", presumably just like Trump. Sign on the dotted line and good fortune will be on the way. These people aren't stupid. But Trump plays them like they are. Just like telling the American people: you are going to see thousands of extra dollars and I will get nothing with the tax bill. Do you think the world doesn't see that? Just like in poker, Don. When you are called, you have to put your cards on the table. And your opponents don't take kindly to recognizing you have been cheating. Even after you have taken and cashed your chips, they will find a way to make you pay. Because they have been at this a long time.
2
In Japan, there is the concept of 'tatemae', the polite pretense or 'fake smile.' I wonder if there is something similar in Korean culture. This 'Pollyanna' routine from President Moon can't possibly be real, which leaves me wondering, what is Moon really up to? After all, Moon has played the key 'Achmed Chalabi' role in setting Trump up to look ridiculous.
Are Moon and Kim double-teaming Trump, by design of President Xi?
Meanwhile, Japan's Prime Minister Abe blows smoke up Trump's nose, but then signs on to China's hegemonic 'One Belt, One Road' (aka 'One Ring To Rule Them All').
The Concert of Asia? This is starting to look like a diplomatic turkey shoot, and Donald Trump is the turkey.
4
For the sake of peace I hope that a deal is reached. I have little belief in the two principals but maybe just maybe some good can be achieved.
As others have said, Kim will never give up his nukes. So can we live with North K. nukes? Well, we have been living with them for some time now. The real change in the equation is N.K's missal program. Can we live with N.K. ability to deliver their nukes?
1
Unfortunately our President does not represent America as a strong negotiation nation. He has, however, earned a new nickname...Dithering Donald. No long term strategy. His practice of throwing out something outrageous, looking for a reaction, and then deciding something else does not demonstrate a keen mind bent on great decisions. It is the chaos and immaturity of an infant.
3
|It was always about at most getting a freeze on the nuclear programme and missile testing. Trump gave away his main card-- a personal meeting, right away. Now he is back-pedalling fast to blame others. Considering he has to deliver something while not weakening regional allies, he has quite a job.But , hey, its called the 'art of the deal'.
The 'deal' here is to keep the American people distracted from his wretched incompetence and dubious morals.
2
"Dubious"? ...nothing dubious about Trump's morals. He has, on the other hand, done a masterful job of demonstrating his incompetence.
One might agree that a presidential meeting with Kim is a new model for dealing with the Korea stalemate. When the president is Trump, however, his mendacity and inexperience in diplomacy makes me shiver.
1
Is anyone surprised?
At no point was it apparent that Trump knew what he was doing, and North Korea ( and China) knew it.
He was "played" beautifully.
3
He's bluffing of course. He wants the meeting, he already has the coins minted, but want to use his bluff to get a "better deal". We'll see if real estate dirty methods will work in international diplomacy.
We already know.
So Kim knew how Trump operate
1
What a great deal maker. Now Taiwan will see that making their own nukes is the way to go.
8
President Moon Jae-in of South Korea ought to be very careful dealing with Trump.
Trump is like a mud Buddha when crosses the river can’t protect itself.
Trump is surrounded by advisers like Bolton suffering from frontier mentality .
North’s leader,
Kim Jong-un is no fool. He must be fully aware of the American frontier mentality. Frederick Jackson Turner wrote a famous essay about the “closing of the American frontier.” He commented that having been a frontier society since the first settlers arrived from Europe, a frontier mentality became a seminal aspect of the American character. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontier_Thesis.
This frontier mentally was on full display when Trump disastrously reneged the Iran nuclear agreement. Americans are not at all trust worthy more so when the country is seen as weakling with a leader whose myopic vision unable to see beyond his nose.
Moon ought to realize that a whimsical Trump will care nothing about S. Korea,
Unfortunately for S. Korea “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers most”.
8
The problem is U.S. wants North Korea and others in the world to give up nuclear weapons but of course the U.S. dosen't want to give up its nuclear weapons!
6
Not that it would matter if we did. Boys on the playground and all that.
1
Trump gave the DPRK recognition on the world stage. A huge give-away that no super-power has equaled. His error. Between 2 meeting with China and consessions already give Micro-Kim, he has gotten all that he needs. Further, going into a negiotiation on John Bolton's terms --either denuclearlize -and do it unilaterally--or we will kill you. Not a discussion he should want in on.
Trump is lowering expectations. No suprise. He couldnt negotiate his way out of a wet paper bag.
9
Or how about this scenario? Kim gives up his nuclear weapons over two years and agrees to regular inspections but demands payments of hundreds of billions of dollars in cash and commodities to repair NK's broken economy. If this happens sounds like a bribe to me and would make any nuclear agreement with NK very similar on its face with the Iran deal. And I wouldn't be surprised if NK is using the Iran deal as a model of what it wants.
4
Mr. Trump should not count his "summits" or Nobel Prizes before they are earned.
Hubri coupled with incometence will never be foundations of effective foreign policy
2
What?! Bombast isn't a negotiating position? Having no credibility is an obstacle? Watch Trump continue to hop from one foot to the other in his quest for personal glory. Kim is reminded: "What you see is what you get".
2
Our poorly informed, self-absorbed Commander in chief, fantasizing about a Nobel laureate, is being outmaneuvered by ruthless homicidal Kim Jong-un who is seeking to burnish his image and obtain a modicum of acceptance as a player on the world stage. Kim will never give up his nuclear weapons, fully realizing that they are his only bargaining chip and necessary for his personal security.
11
Make unsubstantiated claims. Double down. Attempt to rationalize. Walk back. Repeat. Lesson one in international leadership and world class deal making.
This succeeds only in higher sales of headache medicine and antacids.
5
Conceding that Trump was wholly incompetent to have a grasp of the issues involved with the US-North Korea relations or even for the task of having meaningful diplomatic engagement with North Korea, but what about his aides and policy advisors who failed to reckon with the Chinese factor that was to ultimately determine the direction and the fate of the US-North Korea talks? The late realisation of the Chinese shadow on the proposed US -North Korea summit, and the last minute dithering of Trump only reinforce the impression that not only Trump has completely failed to handle the foreign policy challenge posed by North Korea, but further complicated the issue by trying to unilaterally dictate the terms of engagement with North Korea without duly involving all the stakeholders or considering their concerns in the region. The result is that China calls the final shots.
5
That’s what happens when you mint commemorative coins to celebrate a meeting that hasn’t even happened. Now you just look desperate. What a fool!
14
Commemorative coins...with 'Supreme Leader' stamped on them.?? --Seems a bit idiotic, to say the least.
4
Would make a great advertisement on late night cable. Trump - Jung-un commemorative coins!
Buy one and get a second one for free! And no charge for shipping!
Yes, yes.. The old “We shall see” card aye Donny? I must say, you’ve played that card one too many times blusterer in chief.
4
Well, Trump and the rest of the used car sales team took Kim for a sucker, tried to sell him a pie in the sky for cold hard nukes, and are now finding out that he is anything but. Instead blame Xie for coaching, they better get serious and realistic. The sanctions leverage is all but gone and the bluffing the nonexisting military option is not working any more. They continue to patronizingly push this economic prosperity narrative when what Kim really wants is a security guarantee and relationship normalization, they'll fail harder than they did with the trade talks with the Chinese.
3
Trump's talk is pure baloney. His desperate aides reiterating the twaddle that Trump'brought them to the table' is laughable. Overlaid now with a commemorative coin (where the sick bag?) and tosh about a Nobel prize (more wishful thinking) and it looks like Trump has just forced himself into a corner.
Kim is cute. Blowing up a degraded test site was spectacle since it cannot be used anymore as was jumping over the border to greet Moon in front of the world's media. Kim is doing the photo op. image enhancement game. There will be no N.K. deal with the US. Trump's antics over Iran and his appointment of hawks has put paid to that. What is fascinating is that he cannot see the wider picture or recognise the deep distrust people have over his dealmaking (or more accurate deal breaking). Still it is a good day out for Mr Kim.
1
Trump walked out of Iran deal with the sole justification that he will have a better deal with N.Korea.
He is already walking out of N.Korea deal even without negotiating.
A Couple of points to consider: We all know that Pakistan's and Iran's nuclear program is based on technology from N.Korea, which means N.Korea closing all the reactors may not mean much as they may still have access to Pakistan's and Iran's sites.
As Mr. Trump has walked out of Iran deal, Iran can start working on the Nuclear program again.
Which brings us to the other point. By walking out of the deal with Iran, Trump has proved that any deal with US is not worth the paper it is written on.
And there is the talk of Nobel Prize for N.Korea deal - It may work, it may not work, It may work in long term, but it may not work now, it may....Oh wait, where were we again?
2
There is no set agenda on how the Korean nation could be reunited or dismantled. Doubtful full unification permissible by the US including withdrawal of their military. That would give the Chinese room to move in over time. Partition with 2 Korean federal states with no US military? No. Either way the US military stays even entering North Korea; a prospect that alarms China for good reason. South Korea caught in the middle as they will need to comply with the contradictory demands of the USA and China. South Koreans must fear the worst with another LIBYA model; as arranged by John Bolton.
1
Maybe President Flim-flam kept a cheap prop award from his fourth-rate TV game show. He can display that in lieu of his Nobel Peace Prize.
2
Asia will play Trump's ego like a fiddle.
9
looks like the "mission Accomplished banner" was hung too soon, again.
7
‘North Korea objected particularly to John R. Bolton, Mr. Trump’s new national security adviser’
Bolton’s last few years have been curious for political positioning. He was hired by the NRA recently as the “international representative” and has been involved with the Russian gun lobby headed by Torshin (recently on the sanctions list) and has even given pro gun speeches in Russia.
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/22/595897412/john-boltons-curious-appearance...
He also has a SuperPAC funded by the Mercer’s under the name Renaissance Technologies who have used the funds to hire Cambridge Analytica (also owned by Mercer’s) to develop psychological profiles of voters — and it knew the firm was using Facebook data.”
https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave2.php?cmte=C00542464&cycle=2016
Now Bolton’s SuperPAC along with Bannon, and Trump for President, Inc. is being sued for violating the federal campaign election act (FECA). It involves foreign nationals in campaign contributions.
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/politics/read-the-complaint-a...
7
There is no reason for N Korea to go into any kind of agreement with US. Look at Libya, Iran, NAFTA, Paris agreement, and everything else this POTUS says isn't worth the paper on which it is written. It is a joke.
5
Madam Editor,I have only one question for Mr Trump and most of all his predecessors.Does this world belong to the U.S. and its friends?No doubt the North Korean leader may be a villain and can misuse his nuclear arsenal to harm the World.But why the U.S. decides who should and should not have nuclear capability to defend itself from its rogue neibours?Who started the nuclear race first?When Mao was ruling China from 1949-76, he manufactured a bomb which the CIA could not detect until 1967 and took that as China becoming a nuclear power. But one Chinese author says Mao had manufactured the bomb much before the CIA could discover it.
3
Kim Jung Un saw the Qaddafi movie, and didn't care for the ending.
3
Wasn't this obvious?
"Every foreign policy observer predicted that Kim would not give up his nuclear weapons ... "
Kim, the leader of an impoverished no-count country, has garnered a lot of the world's attention lately, for one and only one reason: he has nukes. Why in the world would he give up the very thing that has garnered him all that attention?
If that weren't enough (which it is), Kim undoubtedly looks at Saddam Hussein and Moammar Qaddafi, and says so himself: "Things were going pretty well for those guys, and then the US asked that they give up their nukes. They agree, and pretty soon they were dead. Now the US wants me to give up my nukes, in exchange for a 'Trust me?' I don't think so."
1
I have no doubt that whatever else may be discussed, one topic these two "men" will discuss is trump's utter and complete obsession with Kim. The overwhelming lust trump has for Kim and the overpowering desire to also be called "Supreme Leader" and to rule just the way Kim does is palpable. You can hear it in his trembling voice each time he talks of Kim. As I said on January 20, 2016, trump put his hand on a Bible and swore to uphold and defend a document he has never read, he'll never understand and he has no interest in at all. he wants to do it all alone - remember his mantra from the campaign: "I alone..." I'm sure they are going to talk about how to set up a Kim-like regime here.
1
That Nobel is slipping away.
3
I am surprised at the number of gloomy comments. Trump has lots of experience and success dealing with thugs like Kim and he is playing him for maximal advantage when it comes down to real negotiation. Stay tuned for success in the near future.
Reminds me of a sign that used to hang over a bar in Hot Springs, AR: "Free Beer Tomorrow."
5
Fear not:
"I do wonder if America will survive this."
I wondered the same thing when George W. Bush took office, especially when 9/11 came along shortly thereafter. We survived George Bush, and that may have been even tougher: Many foreigners believed that he really was our guy, our chosen leader. With Trump, most foreigners believe he was a momentary indiscretion, that soon we'll revert to an Obama/Clinton-type President who knows what fork to use when he attends a state dinner in some foreign capital. They don't "blame us" for Trump, and that gives him a certain freedom that George W. Bush didn't have.
Besides, Hillary Clinton would have been worse. Though she's often portrayed as the alternative "peace candidate," she's voted or pushed for war at every opportunity. I have no doubt her opposition to the Vietnam war was sincere (so was mine), but that was 50 years ago. Since she's risen to a position of power -- as Senator, Secretary of State, and Presidential candidate -- she's seized every opportunity to press for war. In other words, that was then and this is now. She's a war monger, plain and simple. Perhaps Trump was a draft dodger and still thinks the same, but I'd rather have a peacenik draft dodger than a war monger any day. Hillary is a war monger, and we're much better off because she lost.
The US seems to think that it can now control countries by "imposing sanctions". But for sanctions to have any effect, China must cooperate with the sanctions. We can now see that China may be the determining factor in our dealings with NK. It may also be the key player with Iran. If China continues to buy oil from Iran, our sanctions may not have the effect the administration hoped for.
1
Trump is a master of the game of checkers trying to compete with world leaders playing three dimensional chess. His best bet is to lean on South Korean president Moon Jae-in, clearly a man playing chess.
Whatever the final deal looks like I think it's safe to assume it will not include the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. One would think Trump would understand this. His buddies in the NRA certainly won't give up their guns and leave their home unprotected. But Trump doesn't understand this because he doesn't understand or care about the Second Amendment. He cares about what supporters of the Second Amendment think about him. And now he cares about the chants of "Nobel". To a flaming narcissist that must sound like angels singing. If Trump can somehow forge an agreement that looks like a win, you can bet your offshore banking account that Trump will sign it then begin posing for a new coin.
But hey, if all else fails we have Dennis Rodman resting on the bench waiting to get in the game. I actually feel a little more comfortable with Trump doing the nuclear negotiations that Dennis Rodman- but not much.
6
Yes, it may never happen at all too! More showmanship ala Trump, even a good President Jimmy Carter has been persuaded by the "fake news" of the White House...wishing and hoping does not make anything happen. It takes long hours of work, not words to exact a real foreign policy and support what it takes to make a change. And he blew it...he has been manipulated by his own delusions of grandeur. But our country is at stake is the games Mr. Trump has played since his campaign.
1
The president realizes this is a no-win-situation. Let's say he actually gets some sort of agreement. He, nor anyone else, has a way to verify compliance. The chances of Kim actually giving up his nuclear weapons is slim to none. Trump is discovering his bombast has limits beyond the Fox and Friends world and Republicans in Congress. Kim is a pathetic crocodile who has a nuclear stockpile, a very scary situation indeed. But saber rattling is not going to intimidate him. The only way to Kim is through China: convince Beijing to cut off the support. Otherwise, Trump, along with any other US president, is just chasing shadows.
Even Trump would be dazzled by a Nobel Prize. A curse of Obama...
Wouldn't it be simpler if Trump would just come out and Tweet that he had a meeting with Mr. Kim, that it was a huge success, and that the world isn't being very nice to him since he did everyone a big favor by getting rid of 5 of the worlds nuclear weapons?
Really what rational person thought Kim would give up his hole card, his Nuke? Kim watching us double cross our allies by pulling out of the Iran Deal is going to give up his Nukes? Having pulled out of TPP , Climate and now threatening to pull out of NAFTA Kim is suppose to put his trust in a handshake with Trump? Kim knows Trumps dream of a place in history is going to make him do everything not to come home from Singapore with nothing to brag about.
4
Basically, they’re eating Trump’s lunch! Schooled? The North Koreans are running up his front, and the Neo Cons are running down his back. The more Trump talks the more impotent he reveals himself to be. It’s probably better to have a philosophy, morals, and belief system than some juvenile tactics to get through life. Trump’s pseudo tough talk (remember the name calling and saber rattling?) have devolved to wishy washy vagaries about whether he gets an audience with the “little rocket man!” Pompeo is playing “good cop” while Bolton is playing “bad cop.” Problem is the US us in danger of losing the moral “high ground” regarding the “saintly” mission of denuclearization. The threats and bribes and taunts are having no effect on Kim, thus far. Obviously, Trump speaks with forked tongue and the international community is onto him. Withdrawing from the Iran deal revealed the US to be more interested in extortion and war than safety, security, and peace. You can threaten some of the world some of the time, but not all of the world all of the time! The “meeting” may be worthless and irrelevant now, except for the opportunity to sell tee shirts (or commemorative coins). The art of the shlemiel strikes, again! Slowly the real leverage is getting surrendered to China. And, btw, we didn’t win the last Korean war. Maybe Trump doesn’t know that.
12
the poor pathetic man SO wants a Nobel Prize (Obama got one) that he will end up giving NK a pile of bombs and a pile of cash to pretend to approve anything.
4
Sadly, one cause of North Korea calling off an scheduled talk and threatening to a summit is the United States, notably, John Bolton.
he strenuously has demanded 'Libya model', which is very abusive condition for the North Koreans as this only means surrender.
North Korea has reacted the very this point, so I'd like to write off the current US news media coverage that are only pointing out the North's abrupt shift, ruling out US hawks' abusive attitudes.
and I well know that America's liberal media don't want to describe Trump-Kim meeting positively, given that Trump's impulsive and erratic decision-makings, and distrust in the Asian dictator around the American society.
however, it is desperately needed for both of the North and US to respect each other, tone down hawkish statements, alleviate skeptical prospect, wait and see with 'cautious optimism'.
if a negotiation is scuttled, there may be only a disaster. and I'm afraid to say the US do have responsibility to that as well.
You state the liberal media will not describe the Trump-Kim positively.
If, and a big if, there was something that Trump says or does that does not 1 Alienate our allies; 2 Pander to the right extremists; 3 Embarrass this country and its citizens and those of our allies; 4 Not send forth his inane and insane tweets; 5 Everything else that he can manage to make a mess of goes here.
There will be little of any consequence coming out of any meeting with Kim. Trump will demand Kim pay homage to him, Kim will demand the same.
They are both cut from the same cloth-third rate despots with nasty weapons.
I agree with you in hopes that something positive will come forth. However, I do not hold my breath in anticipation.
2
Wow, I'm getting dizzy at all the great deals that President Trump has gotten us. NAFTA and now this deal regarding N Korea. I can hardly wait till Iran comes calling for the great new deal Trump promised once they meet US preconditions and give up all their weapons systems, refrain from getting involved in any regional conflicts (thats best left to the US).
Yep, all this winning is making my head spin.
6
All of the winning just makes me giddy with so much excitement....
1
I feel like we have become stuck in the looking-glass.
Sometimes when I think of this sad mess I long for the bad old days when I would go ask Alice (sorry Grace) for a little relief.
As someone living in the region, I do desire for long-lasting peace between North Korea and its neighbours (and the world) to be a reality. As a citizen of Singapore, I would be honoured if we played a small, tiny part in facilitating this historic meeting between Trump and Kim.
However, I'm today rolling on the floor with laughter that the Summit "may be delayed" because it was never meant to be anything more than a photo opp for Trump and a proof point for his Nobel Peace Prize ambitions.
Trump has zero understanding of the situation, zero strategy and even if he had a viable strategy, zero patience for seeing that strategy through. So no, it's not that I would love to see Trump fail. He was never going to really succeed in the first place.
I'm just absolutely thrilled that Singapore doesn't have to be a part of this disaster of a reality show. Much more importantly, I am so grateful for this reminder that intelligence, competence, leadership, expertise... still count for something in this world, and that without these traits, you will eventually be found out.
14
@gwm My greatest fear is that America will be the last to find out...and be proud of it.
3
And Trump will declare another win and his supporters will cheer loudly.
I'm confident that most of you already recognise Trump and his administration for the con job that they are. Put that knowledge to action in the November! :) After the recent earth-shattering election results in Malaysia (our neighbours), I am even more convinced of the power of each and every single vote. If the Malaysians can put a corrupt government out of power, despite everything that stood in their way, I have high hopes for the US of A.
1
I wish all Trump stories were exclusively reported by The Onion. Let every headline about Trump begin with the words "The Onion reported today...".
No one on the face of the planet believed Trump could negotiate peace. Not even Trump.
6
A month ago he announced (tweeted) the impending denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. His approval rating went up. His friends at Fox speculated about a Nobel. People talked about that as a possibility. His approval rating went up. All he does is manufacture press releases about himself, or his enemies, and while the media chases the lies, he's busy inventing the next one.
11
What an extraordinary coincidence!
The North Korean military dictatorship is convinced that President Trump also is delayed!
2
I believe Trump just got left at the alter by Kim.
6
i guess the nobel will just have to wait....
6
He will make his own medal out of the commemorative medals.
So much for Trump's Nobel Peace Prize. Perhaps we can just give him a participation trophy, and he'll go home to New York and let the adults get back to work.
9
We don’t want him back. We didn’t vote for him, you guys did. Send him to Mar-a-Lago to hang out with Rick Scott.
5
I didn't vote for him. Anyway, you guys hatched him, so he's all yours.
1
I get the feeling you want him to fail.
I wonder how you will react if he succeeds in bring South Korea and North Korea closer than they are now.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Trump probably will not get North Korea to give up their bomb.
It is unrealistic to think that will happen anytime soon.
It would be a big achievement if he could get them to officially end the state of war that is sill in place and if they could establish a process where future agreements may be possible.
North Korea needs South Korea.
They can't rely on China as China has shown signs that there economy is not as advanced as many thought just last year when the Chinese economy started going South.
If anything the economy South Korea has is going in the right direction and I forecast when population is considerred the South Korean economy will grow much faster than China will per person.
China is at a diplomatic cross road where their leadership has to decide what direction to take the country in.
They can decide to become part of world community or they can reject the progress they have made towards that goal.
They have to give up their desire to gain power and influence in the Chinese Sea.
They might have some short term success but in the long run they will only create enemies which can come back and bight them where it hurts.
Just as with the Mueller investigation, Trump is playing a weak hand and seeing his bluff called with each card that is dealt. About to lose the big hand, he'll flip the table and try to declare the game over.
7
The Seoul hostage crisis has been averted. That is a victory. The absence of collateral damage in North Korean is also a victory. Who needs a peace prize. Trump has saved lives. Three years from now China and Russia could be democratic countries, which would dramatically change the North Korean situation. The Tienanmen Square movement was the largest and most profound expression of redress of the modern era. The world needs the Chinese people and the Russian people to help make the planet safer and more sustainable. Authoritarian governments are bad for everyone’s health.
Yes authoritarian governments are bad for everyone's health. That includes the US where we have a tin pot dictator in the making.
Beyond this Trump has shown no interest in creating democracies or the rights of people in authoritarian led countries. He has shown only an interest in his own image and that bodes poorly for everyone.
6
Corrupt democracies don’t help much, either!
Trump is having a hard time making to the end of his term. He is tough as a dictator, and he can stand up to them, but he does yet qualify as an authoritarian leader. Trump and several congressmen have just sanctioned Cambodia. Hen Sen is dictator that jails democratic opposition candidates. Trump is standing up to Xi and Putin by kicking over trade and the Syrian connection.
Keep your eyes on the prize!
2
This presidency is wholly corrupt and not equipped to lead. The Republican Party needs to do right by our country. We are watching, listening and voting come this November and again in 2020.
1
Trump is perhaps coming to understand China.
The go-between, Moon, might be Tessio in the Godfather.
the dealmaker has no deal.
2
It was said that North korean leader’s safety would be guaranteed. Yeah okay, perhaps in Levansworth super max. Very safe place
He is so incompetent it’s ridiculous. All he does is wait. Make a decision? Like cancelling the idiotic joint military exercises? What is this costing us and what does it accomplish? There was a great opportunity here and he squandered it. Can you imagine Trump in a delicate diplomatic negotiation? Good luck with that.
3
Kim and Xi are playing with Trump like the puppet he is. Trump could not make a deal that kept him out of bankruptcy court much less one that will have legs with these wily opponents. They see that Trump is all about ego and that makes him vulnerable to having to prove something for himself rather than for the world or our country. Trump is no statesman, only a small time con man who is out of his depth and Kim and Xi know this while laughing at him in private.
6
Does this mean he no longer gets the Nobel Peace prize "everyone" says he deserves?
7
Trump is a cult of personality and the Trump administration is a cult of corruption (C.O.C.), maybe that's why they are in league with the COCH Brothers.
1
Singapore on standby
1
but he is still getting the peace prize - right?
1
No chance of the Nobel Prize for Literature for “Art of the Deal” this year, either. Sad!
3
The summit that needs to occur this summer is one between Mueller and Trump, where Mueller denuclearizes Trump under the Libya model.
12
"On Tuesday, Mr. Trump went out of his way to guarantee Mr. Kim’s safety. “He will be safe. He will be happy. His country will be rich,” the president said."
Of course he will. Just like Mexico was going to pay for the wall and everybody was going to have medical care cheaper and better than Obamacare.
11
Two thoughts:
1. Follow The Money
2. Peace For Our Time
I TOLD YOU!
Few weeks ago i got many criticism from Trump supporters because i boldly said that the possible meeting between US and NK was hardwork of South Korea. I remind them that Pence ignored KJU sister at olympic, invited father of died prisoner, refusing simple handshake and threatened NK over and over again.
That's not how diplomacy works, that's not how negotiator try to settle their difference and that's not how world leaders behave. Even Shinzo Abe willing to do simple handshake with KJU sister for goodwill.
And when Trump and his team get involve in pre-negotiation, suddenly all collapse. It shows how "capable" Trump in negotiating peace and how much dependent he is to South Korea negotiators.
But Trump and his supporters will blame this to NK, not to John Bolton, not to Trump's tweet, not to Trump's action to betray Iran's deal and not to Trump's hastiness to make a "deal" without properly assessed situation. US "excellent" negotiators, THE BEST PEOPLE, THE ART OF THE DEAL MAKER, get rejected by third world country!
9
Consider the symbolic nature of the commemorative coins, which portray Trump and Kim as the same height, i.e. equals. If you wanted to play the big honcho with greater leverage and all of the advantages, minting such a coin before actually meeting telegraphs the wrooong message.
"The president’s comments, delivered as he welcomed President Moon Jae-in of South Korea to the Oval Office, were the latest move in a battle of wits between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim."
Apparently, this is a one-sided battle.
7
no matter what agreement is signed...later Oprah can scrao tbe deal when she is Presudent. is that nor how we roll now?
5
Trump is backpedaling on something he proclaimed earlier? Aw, say it ain’t so!
As it turns out, he is not very good at making deals after all, is he...?
9
"The president said he detected a shift in Mr. Kim’s tone after the North Korean leader met for a second time with China’s president, Xi Jinping, several weeks ago. He suggested that Mr. Xi might be influencing North Korea’s approach to the United States."
Of course Donald Trump finds a scapegoat. Now, Xi Jinping. Now China. Nothing new. That's why this president learns nothing. Learning and improvement requires self-reflection. Not always blaming someone else.
If Trump could self-reflect, he might understand why Kim has change his tune. And it isn't about China.
These are a few factors impacting Kim's decision: Trump doesn't listen or pay attention. He refuses to accept that Kim isn't going to give up his weapons. He keeps pressing for that despite Kim's statements otherwise. Kim realizes Trump is a self-consumed blowhard who cares about winning the Noble Peace Prize and nothing much beyond that including Kim's not being deposed. Kim doesn't trust Trump, he sees Trump's instability and the fact that he can declare a goal one minute and change his mind the next. etc., etc.
(Of course Trump and Kim in many ways are two peas in the same pod, but Kim is decidedly smarter and more aware.)
Thus, if this summit doesn't happen. Or if it produces nothing worthwhile. Mr. Trump has no one to blame but the ill equipped self-consumed narcissistic man who refuses to learn about N. Korea or Kim who looks back at him when he looks in the mirror each morning.
7
Trump is way over his head in his dealings
With North Korea and the rest of the world. He does not have the skills to lead. Confrontation and bluster will not solve
Problems.
13
One good move. Cheers to Trump's decision to reconsider the meeting with Kim.
Trump should also put some space between him and Moon.
Since Moon took top job in Korea, he put two past presidents in jail. It was an easy job. Moon and his regime has replaced key members in judiciary, prosecutors office and mass media with extreme leftists.
Moon placed his office and his cabinets with leftists. Moon's meeting with Kim ( dictator in North) was a reward given by dictator Kim for putting past two presidents in the jail. Both had an anti- north policies. It is doubtful that Moon has any intention to work in the interest of democratic Korea and democracy ( West: America, Japan and other). So far, all he showed was unconditional
pro- Kim ( dictator) policy and so confusing mixed signals.
Major streets in Major cities in Korea are being occupied by protestors protesting against Moon's regime everyday.
Trump needs to watch Moon and his regime as well.
Moon is not an ordinary Korean.
That was quick...
4
Shocker! Kim Jong-un killed ranking North Korean officials who displeased him. With an anti-aircraft gun. Tyrants who kill disloyal underlings with anti-aircraft weapons are generally unreliable negotiating partners.
1
Lol. A meeting between the U.S. and North Korea “delayed”. Since when?
1
As in, delayed indefinitely?
4
Trump is playing defense and failure as he peddles
the myth that the North Korea meeting may not happen.
Really?
So why the celebration coins?
So why peddling himself as a Nobel receiver?
Trump's antics has made America weak, and the world
knows this fact - China is playing Trump before he falls
to the Special Counsel's Russia investigation.
13
Nice to see how readers are rooting for our enemies rather than our President's efforts and possible success. The Left always gets it right. Yeh, sure.
1
It is your wonderful president who put himself in that position.
5
To Kim Jong Un (if you're reading this): Please ask Trump to institute sensible gun laws in America in exchange for North Korea denuclearizing. It seems that Trump will do anything to get you to denuclearize so use this opportunity to get some sense into this issue.
8
‘Making America great again’ one scowling failure after the next.
13
Darn. But we have already nominated him for the Nobel. Can we still give it to him?
2
Its the NO-Tell Prize. When you absolutely, positively, cannot speak the Truth. Anytime, anyplace, ANY subject. Just saying.
11
Oh Trump....how I pray your Nobel Prize for Peace (imagine such a thing!) remains forever a carrot on a string. Forever and ever.
PS: Doug Mills you are fantabulous, a brilliant photographer. You capture Trump in the most revealing ways. Your pictures speak a thousand words. Look at Trump’s face staring straight at the camera next to the South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Wow, it says so much. Journalists gives us the valuable facts and insightful opinions for which we are so grateful. But you carry it further by giving us the whole, the rest of story, the one behind the facts via the face. You give us the emotion, the thoughts, the mind at work in the expression and in the eyes. By Golly, I love your work. Tell your boss I said you deserve a great big fat raise for bringing infinite depth and clarity to the NYT.
7
Moon Jae In should be treated as an enemy of the US , not as a friend. He had masterminded to bringing down President Park in order to establish a socialist system in South Korea, and just in time to save Kim Jung Un during the winter Olympics. Moon has surrounded himself with pro North Korean (Ju-Che) cabinet members and hundreds more under his administration in order to amend the constitution. Moon and his administration must be eliminated in order to bring back the democracy in South Korea.
The "Upside down Jenny" is a very valuable postage stamp printed in error. How can I acquire the "Trump Kim" commemorative coin struck in error?
6
Good, slow down. Trump has already conceded far too much including granting Kim direct bilateral talks, grounding military air operations, and flattered Kim with words like honorable.
Trump was on his way to being played further, he was just too eager, who didn’t notice that? Kim certainly noticed.
1
Trump will say anything, and will change his line from day to day. But as he well knows, talk is cheap.
4
Maybe Trump will now put together a fake Time magazine cover showing him accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. After all he’s earned it. John Bolton can be barely visible in the background, but only if he shaves the mustache.
2
What I can't figure out is how Hillary, Barack and Bob Mueller got together with Kim Jung-un to make this whole thing unravel so precisely.
Maybe DOJ should investigate?
12
Well... now he has time to meet with Robert Mueller!
5
Wow, none of us saw this coming!
8
Maybe the President will give a few billion to Kim Jong-un, agree to withdraw from North Carolina and to disarm unilaterally if Kim will just agree only to bomb South Korea, Japan, California but spare Washington and New York. Trump will then call it victory and ask to be given a Nobel Peace Prize.
3
It's call quantum diplomacy.
Trump is weak and nations around the world know
this reality.
7
What a rude awakening for someone that in front of the wohole world and cámaras rolling said, “ And I alone can do it “ Yikes
4
Trump said yes, just to spite Clinton, the Bush duo and Obama. His plan? None. Now that he agreed to meet, he realizes the deal maker can't make the deal. The loser is South Korea, because they will continue to live waiting for a nuke attack. The entire deal smells of grandstanding and showmanship by you know who
4
How about that? The much hyped “historic” summit may never happen, but the Nobel committee should award Peace Prize for effort.
1
President Trump and Moon has been taken on a ride, again, by cunning North Koreans. What is more sad is hat this was entirely predictable based on NK’s behavior since 1948. Pathetic S. Korea led by Moon JI is virtually ignored by Kim Jung-Un, except when he needs South Korean ‘blood kins’ to lay a trap for President Disturbed. How sad that people do not learn from a hundred mistakes over 70 years of dealing with North Koreans.
1
Looks like South Korea overplayed its hand and over-promised results as intermediary between Un and Trump. Major embarrassment for Moon.
It remains to be seen whether Mr. Kim will be agreeable to meeting Mr. Trump at a federal penitentiary at a time to be determined by Robert Mueller and company.
8
I recommend Florence, where he would be in good company. The Shoe Bomber, the Unabomber, et al.
2
Mssrs. Kim, Moon, Ji and Shinzo Abe are in the process of administering to novice Trump a bruising lesson in Far East foreign policy.
Trump operates viscerally. He ought never to have jumped so quickly at a one-on-one meeting with Kim. He ought never to have employed bravado. Now the U.S. looks like a chump. They all know they can roll us.
6
What happens to the medals that have been minted? Or the oil portrait of the Trmp with Nobel Peace Prize?
1
Trump is hanging on in his bunker as the Special Counsel
closes in on his culture of corruption.
6
As Gomer Pyle would say, "Suprise, suprise". Bolton blew it big time with his lose mouth. Don't know if it was on purpose, or pure stupidity. Can't tell anymore....
4
I'd say on purpose. The strategy seems to be, foment war, push to see how far it will go.
2
Trump will endanger the whole world if he thinks he can win a nobel prize.
1
Trump will need more than the Nobel Prize to save him from the full force of the law.
2
Rescheduling my trip to Oslo....
1
What a shame. The Nobel Peace Prize for Trump will have to wait.
Judgement in the courts will not wait.
The rule of law will win.
2
He’s pardoned Putin can he pardon Kim
too ?
Would Rudy Know?
1
Moon should be treated as an enemy of the US, not a friend.
Moon Jae In is a socialist who ultimately wants the unified Korea to be in par with North Korean regime. Moon's government has masterminded in bringing down President Park and filled his cabinets with pro North Korean regime just in time to reach out to save Kim Jung Un during the winter Olympics.
Moon, his communist minded cabinet members, and hundreds more under his administration should be removed along with NK Kim's regime to restore democracy in South Korea.
>John Kim
Do you own any of Samsung's products? There's no way they come from a country with a "communist minded" government.
2
I am getting so tired of all this winning...
4
Trump also believes his own lies.
3
good!!! who knows what of ours trump would have given away for his name on something in north korea.
1
Brilliant strategy! A necessary response to KJU's recent tests. Step by Step as it has happened since the dawn of consciousness.
No planning, No strategy, Just reality TV hype and blather. After a few days anyone paying attention realizes that this is a big nothing burger where the North Koreans are playing Trump.
Kim knows that flattery is the norm for his regime so it's absence is cause for displeasure. but it's presence is taken calmly for granted.
Trump by contrast always needs to ask people to flatter him and so like a little show-off kid he pulls "stunts" to get attention in the moment without the slightest idea about the consequences.
Once Trump gets the front page headline he is happy for a minute or two, but his need for attention and adulation is insatiable. No matter that a day later all his "plans" fall apart. The fall-apart need is buried in page 11, and the MAGA-heads never see it (something the GOP Trump enablers count on).
It is a sickness that is overwhelming all of us. If we survive this presidency it will be a miracle,
26
Let me get this straight. Kim was going to give us the nukes, access to North Korea, where the world could see all of North Korea , and become best buddies with Trump. But it all fell apart because of North Korea's second meeting with China. Darn I was betting that this was going to be the best summit ever and more people attending than on the inauguration.
12
Don We'll See is afraid of Kim. The dictator is also afraid of his own shadow. Cowardly traitors are like that sometimes.
2
Will I go? Won't I? Will the world blow up? Will we have a war? Will you have to send your son or daughter to die? Ah, the beautiful smell of the spotlight...
13
Oh boo hoo! There goes that imaginary Nobel Peace Prize that Trump thinks he already won. Guess he’ll have to scrap that fake Time: Man of the Year cover he printed, too.
14
Trump once played a game of Chinese Checkers. Thus his certitude in his ability to humble Kim Jong-Un and Kim's BFF Xi Jinping.
10
"We will see" is Trump code for "No". This meeting was doomed from the start. Neither Trump nor Kim are mentally stable enough to negotiate in good faith and with any degree of sanity and logic. Kim is smarter than Trump but Trump has the benefit of having good people in the State Department and the NSC; but will he actually listen to them, that's the 64 Billion dollar question. Good thing South Korea and China are involved.
6
Delayed until after his impeachment!
24
Gee nobody know this nuclear stuff could be so complicated.
21
President elect trump was told that north korea and Russia needed immediate attention. instead he picked out colors and played golf.
15
Trump want to “usher in an era of prosperity in North Korea”? How about one stateside?
16
Prediction: the North Korea summit with Trump will never come to pass.
13
Kim "The Supreme Leader" face-to-face with a Supreme Leader wannabe on a coin issued by the White House Communications Agency? Before anything happens? I guess Kim secretly called Trump and told him NK loves the Libya option? Just come with the deal papers and I'll have the pen ready?
This beats "Mission Accomplished" by miles.
10
Does DT smell any conspiracy? Does he plan to blame Democrats--with blessings/approval from popular Evangelical leaders? Or should he seek advice from China's "1-party" leaders? Or rather than approaching such "Tops", seek help from the people who are Base?!
2
I guess the Nobel prize acceptance speech drafts along with the minted tokens will be soon getting a lot of money on eBay?
7
Oh dear. Sadly this was all too predictable.
7
Beyond numb, doubtless I’m not not alone.
I can only hope to regain feeling come november
6
I don't know about you, but I need to stop watching and reading. It's causing health issues. I need to watch Turner Classic Movies or Netflix.
15
Same here!
Need to go out in mountain air and get good hikes in.
So our pompous braggart-in-chief now realizes that Little Rocket man may be able to outnegotiate the great "Dealmaker". Donald Trump might show the entire world how incompetent he really is. Typical reaction of a bully whose bluff has been called. So sad!
17
After a year and a half, why can't the NYT, WAPO, etc. correctly interpret Trumpspeak? 'Many,many' of us caught on 'very,very' quickly in 'a brief period of time'.
8
And there you have it. On North Korea, as on so much else, DJT simply has no clue what is happening, what will happen, or why, or when. Lord help the USA.
5
I was so looking forward to 21st century version coddling of a bloody tyrant as the Russian installed president had promised. A great disappointment.
2
1. Blurt attention-grabbing proclamation with No Evidence!
2. Tease Big Reveal in Immediate(ish) Future!
3. Now is Not the Right Time! A little Bit Later Will Be the Right Time!
4. It Will Be Totally Awesome and Very, Very Interesting!
5. Stay Tuned! Wait For It... Wait For It...
6. (crickets)
Wash, rinse, repeat ad nauseam. Heavy emphasis on the nauseam.
26
Donald J. Trump
Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
Follow @realDonaldTrump
Deals are my art form. Other people paint beautifully or write poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals. That's how I get my kicks.
7:39 AM - 29 Dec 2014
President Trump, congratulations!
You are #1, in worst deal-making.
Sad.
20
Let's not forget the China trade deals as well.
3
Actually, many Americans who are thought to be "fans of Trump" are NOT "fans of Trump" but see no reason to oppose his effort to bring about a good result here for North Korea and South Korea:
"I am no fan of Trump, but I think we owe it to the Korean people to stay the course and try to make this thing happen, if at all possible."
I'm skeptical that any "deal" will be far-reaching, but nearly any deal will be better than no deal, which is what we've had in Korea for the past 60 years or so. I give Trump credit for trying, and for (maybe) bringing North Korea to the table. It upset me to see that so many commenters are such Trump haters that they hope he fails in this effort. I hope he succeeds; I have my doubts that he will, but I hope he does.
4
People didn't predict Trump would fail on Korea just because they hate Trump. They predicted he would fail on Korea because he obviously he had no idea what he was doing, and was falling for the exact same thing earlier Presidents have done. Obama warned him not to take Kim's bait and Trump went ahead and did it anyway because he thinks he's special. So we were rightly skeptical. And no, any "deal" is not better than no deal, because it is likely to loosen sanctions and strengthen Kim.
26
Good response.
I’m with you!
1
Commemorative coins for the planned meeting have been printed already. The coins feature likenesses of Mr. Trump and the North Korean leader, describing him as “Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.”
Nobel peace prize is waiting for Donald Trump.
This meeting will happen.
1
But the Nobel Prize is still coming on time, right?
25
Not after his killing the Iran accord. The Nobel prize committee is not stupid. He can do anything he likes with N. Korea but he will not get the prize.
1
Unsaid- “I’ve been snookered”
DJT.
6
Trump is just looking weak and a loser,
as North Korea plays him and his culture of corruption.
5
Don't award the Nobel Peace Prize just yet.
14
Perhaps Mueller will get it.
2
Very surprised to hear trump may not solve the Korean crisis. I’m still confident Trump or Kushner will solve the Middle East crisis by year’s end.
18
Yesterday I read that Trump wants to get interviewed by Mueller only after the meeting with Kim, scheduled for June 12. Today I read that Trump is setting the conditions for the meeting and, if Kim doesn't comply, is willing to postpone it. Pure coincidence?
10
Oh, no!!!
After those fabulous medallions were already minted!!! And what about that Nobel Peace Prize?!?!
Drat.
7
Oh noooooo, that Nobel keeps slipping away!
I want my Nobel, I want my Nobel; my military parade is coming up in November and I need to have it so I can wave it to everyone.
8
Is anyone REALLY surprised? Guy can’t close on anything.
The nightmare continues.
11
The summit meeting between Trump and Kim is postponed. Or is it totally shelved? I am no fan of Kim Jong-un but I doubt this time around he is to blame. Of course, with Trump all that goes wrong is someone else's fault. Did he have any idea about what the consequences would be when he decided about putting steep tariffs on China? Did he reckon about what a joint US-South Korean military drill would do just before the meeting? Did he think that bluster, bullying and threatening rhetoric will force countries to do his bidding? Thanks to Trump, we are about to be an impotent world leader. You know the US is in dire straits when the amiable Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe of Japan takes a strong stand against the US. If Trump is deluded enough that he can unilaterally withdraw from Pacts and Deals, destroy the world order, he could'nt be more wrong. The world will simply move forward without the US. But the greatest danger for our country is that this President is unaware of his own unawareness.
12
I can't even imagine that this will happen:
"In other words, there would be a nuclear arms reduction agreement where both sides promise to eliminate offensive and defensive capablities."
Kim knows, or should know, that there would be utterly no point in him asking that the US reduce its nuclear capabilities. That's never going to happen. Maybe North Korea will agree to reduce ITS nuclear capabilities (though I doubt this, at least until the US has verifiably performed its undertakings), but the "negotiations" won't involve the US' own nuclear weapons. I think Kim already understands that's not on the table, but someone from the US side will let him know that early on if there's any doubt.
To be fair I will say in the context of history if there is a deal any short term delay will fade from memory and be forgotten.
1
Fantasize about the Noble Peace Prize. Cancel the Iranian Nuclear agreement (with Iran in compliance). Appoint John "North Korea will follow the Libyan model" Bolton. And now the Summit of The Glorious Leaders "might be delayed"? Who would have thought it could be so complicated?
24
It's okay because Trump is busy completing the NAFTA deal...oh wait it's on hold. Well then there's bringing China to heal by imposing harsh tariff...oh wait, Trump backed down on tariffs. Well perhaps it was that he was busy crafting his infrastructure program...oh wait, there is no infrastructure program. Perhaps his time was consumed with dealing with the pharmaceutical companies to bring down drug prices...oh wait that fell through too. I guess it must be the golf. He had some golf games he had to play.
98
And the Republicans sit on there hands and do nothing. And the holy rollers think
He is the greatest President since Bush
9
But, the wall is a success. At least prototype panels were fabricated for him to observe...
3
Trump and Pompeo's plan for North Korea consists of de-fanging it while saddling it with massive debt for a massive infrastructure and industrial overhaul. If Kim ever read "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" by John Perkins, he might pause at this "generous" offer.
6
Oh people are so mean! But I rarely have som much fun reading the comments section!
13
Our "profile in courage" leader is so confident in his negotiating skills, he's terrified of being played and humiliated by the leader of North Korea.
13
Don’t look now, but he already has been.
10
I agree, but you understate the point:
"Why on earth would North Korea give up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for assurances from our 'adore me, I’m the prez leader?'”
It's not just Trump. North Korea wouldn't give up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for assurances from ANY US President. It's been down that road before, with Bill Clinton. Various commenters insist that North Korea breached its obligations under that earlier agreement, and it did, but those breaches FOLLOWED -- not caused -- the US' breaches of its obligations under that deal.
Kim will insist on more than bald "Trust us" promises from Trump, and he won't take any meaningful steps to give up NK's nuclear arsenal until the US actually performs.
My hunch is that NK and SK will cut a deal to "end" the Korean War, and that they'll largely get along after that happens. That will be an important step in the right direction. But I expect that that will be the only step. NK won't agree to dismantle its nuclear arsenal any time soon; it will just stop rattling its sword -- as long as things go well with South Korea and the US doesn't rattle its sword.
5
Wait. Does this mean he has to send back his Nobel peace prize?
28
Chris W
The President does not have the Nobel peace prize. That would be, if it happens, in the future.
4
Thanks for the update, Sarah.
3
it's one thing to swindle contractors who may not have the resources to fight back, but our rocket-scientist-know-it-all is in a whole new game with people who can fight back in spades. The little man is out of his league.
20
Who knew North Korea could be so complicated?
The misadventures of clueless Donald continue.
17
njlatinlifemom
You believe the President is "clueless."
Then please explain the history of Korea, and how it became divided after the Korean war, in which I believe we lost 58,000 soldiers.
Donald Trump could not even find it on a map.
It was divided before the Korean War. The leader of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, invaded the South in 1950. It ended in an armistice in 1953.
Sarah, be careful who you call "clueless."
Trump has no place on this playing field.
20
Jan
Where, Cape Cod?
1
Delayed? Okay. I guess in the post truth world of Trump and Republicans they haven't screwed up, things have simply been delayed.
13
Max Deitenbeck
Do you have some advice for the two presidents?
Donald won't go ever. He's afraid to go. Cowards and bullies are like that.
5
I do, never say I alone can do it
So just wondering, what happens to the commemorative coins trump had made, if they had a date on them, and the summit is cancelled. I am sure the US taxpayer paid for them, no doubt we will foot the bill for new ones. Lets just hope they make them like our FOREVER postal stamps, which never expire because of a date. If the summit finally happens, and when trump comes out of the room, should someone ask, what's next after this, trump could say I am going to Disney World.
12
Ricky
The President is concerned with the safety of America.
And you worry about coins.
No, the President is not concerned with the safety of America. At all. He is concerned with looking like a great dealmaker on television. Because that's all he's ever been concerned with, and this 71-year old leopard is not changing his spots.
Having not heard of these "coins" I searched and found various references to it on 'main stream media" but no official reports. In case others are wondering, it seems the "coin" was not produced by the White House but by "the White House Communications Agency, the military unit that provides global communications support to the president and his staff." Haven't found any information about how many of the coins were made. No doubt they will be collectors' items! https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/05/22/white-...
1
I see too much defeatism in this comments section. I do not like or trust this man either; but I see this window of opportunity here.
And we should be hopeful. Why should this not, for example, end up in a unified Korea? Similar to what happened 1989 in Germany.
3
Yes, that could happen, but it won't come through conventional means.
2
Now why in the world would North Korea get cold feet about "negotiating" with Mr. Art of the Double Deal, D.J. Trump?
Just because Mr. Trump:
issues more lies than truth
can't keep the people he hired for the White House staff and key government positions*
summarily pulled out the Paris Accords and the Iran nuclear deal thereby dropping our allies on their heads
disrespects and flaunts laws and rules
is under special investigation by the Mueller team for obstruction of justice, foreign influence in U.S. elections, campaign violations, money laundering, etc.
accepts no personal responsibility for his actions and always blames everyone but himself when things go wrong--and it almost always does
plans to have North Korea totally denuclearize but will get no concessions in return,
and his National Security advisor, John Bolton, publicly proclaimed we would use the Libya as a model for our negotiations with North Korea
doesn't mean Trump cannot be trusted and his word means absolutely less than nothing.
And Mr. Trump is "baffled" why the North Koreans are skeptical?
Heck of a job President Trump!
24
PB
Did it occur to you that your lack of support for the president can be read by the entire world?
Sarah: Read the news. He has no international support. It doesn't matter that nobody on this board supports him either..
Do you realize that blind support for a criminal President is what is expected in North Korea-not the USA?
13
Trump’s “certain conditions” include the condition that he be declared supreme leader too.
8
Corbin
You are communicating with the president??
He is channeling him, Sarah.
If you want to understand Trump and the Trumpsters and now, the Presidency, you need to understand the World Wide Wrestling Federation.
It's all a show and the run-up with it's storylines are as important as the main event. We get thrills and spills and last minute escapes. Don't touch that dial!
The mainstream media rakes it in with yellow journalism - and they're just reporting the news.
3
Probably has a golfing game scheduled instead, and the 12th doesn't even fall on a Friday.
4
We've given each other some hard lessons lately
But we ain't learning
We're the same sad story, that's a fact
One step up and two steps back
- the boss
4
I think Bruce might prefer: "Miss-step up and two steps back."
2
North Korea can read. They know what the history books and latest news all say.
George W. Bush did not honor the deal North Korea had made with the Clinton administration and that led to the deal's collapse. Trump did not honor the Iran deal and quit it unilaterally, even though every other charter nation says Iran has been complying.
They see that "do not honor" seems to be every Republican administration's way of dealing with prior deals and treaties. And they're supposedly getting into one that looks very much like the deal Iran just had with the US.
Of course they're thinking "no way," and it's all thanks to the guy at the top who did NOT write "The Art of the Deal" and just paid to put his own name on it.
32
"But last week, the North Koreans said they were having second thoughts, objecting to the Trump administration’s demand that they relinquish their nuclear weapons before receiving any benefits."
Almost certainly Kim is saying to himself:
"Let's see -- Moammar Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein agreed to give up their nuclear weapons programs, and they both ended up dead. Now the US wants me to give up North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Hmmm."
I still expect some sort of "deal," but I can't imagine Kim will agree to take any de-nuking steps until the US actually performs. North Korea has been down this road before. One can blame past non-compliance on North Korea if one likes, but I considered its non-compliance to be a result, not a cause, of the US' non-compliance.
Frankly, young and naive and intimidated though he may be, Kim strikes me as highly unlikely to make the same mistake again. He'll count his fingers after shaking hands with any US negotiators, including Trump.
8
Trump suspects he's being set up and he is. Kim wants Trump to welcome him to the nuclear club and negotiate with him as he would with any other nuclear superpowers like Russia or China. In other words, there would be a nuclear arms reduction agreement where both sides promise to eliminate offensive and defensive capablities. North Korea would also want the elimination of sanctions and a large good faith cash down payment to get the ball rolling. The timeline for implementation of this agreement would stretch out for many years, maybe even a decade.
This is the only avenue open to Trump to get his cherished Nobel Prize. All other roads lead to devistation.
But the coins?!
28
This unsurprising turn of events reminded me of a song from the broadway musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". The song's title is "Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight". The lyrics provide an accurate summary of the current administration's activities.
https://genius.com/Stephen-sondheim-comedy-tonight-lyrics
Exeunt omnes.
11
Can we assume the president gets in-depth briefings on these complex national security matters? I wondered and so did an Internet search and found this in a recent edition of The New Yorker:
"The National Security Council has a comparatively lean budget—approximately twelve million dollars—and so its staff consists largely of career professionals on loan from the State Department, the Pentagon, and other agencies. When Trump assumed office, N.S.C. staffers initially generated memos for him that resembled those produced for his predecessors: multi-page explications of policy and strategy. But “an edict came down,” a former staffer told me: “ ‘Thin it out.’ ” The staff dutifully trimmed the memos to a single page. “But then word comes back: ‘This is still too much.’ ” A senior Trump aide explained to the staffers that the President is “a visual person,” and asked them to express points “pictorially.”
“By the time I left, we had these cards,” the former staffer said. They are long and narrow, made of heavy stock, and emblazoned with the words “the white house” at the top. Trump receives a thick briefing book every night, but nobody harbors the illusion that he reads it. Current and former officials told me that filling out a card is the best way to raise an issue with him in writing. Everything that needs to be conveyed to the President must be boiled down, the former staffer said, to “two or three points, with the syntactical complexity of ‘See Jane run.’ ”
47
Trump could care less about what the summit is actually about. His only concern is TV ratings/publicity...commemorative coins!
10
Does this mean the pre-order for Trump's new coin with his face on it will be delayed also?
I think Kim would be crazy to believe anything Trump says. He would be better stopping all nuclear activity until we have a normal President.
7
"Does this mean the pre-order for Trump's new coin with his face on it will be delayed also?" They're going to do a redesign. Instead of being portrayed face to face, Kim will be doing an about-face, while Trump loses his.
1
Trump got played and Revealed to be a novice on the world stage as if we didn’t know.
It’s going to get worse before it gets better. We will need that apprentice!!
8
The US is competing with the North Koreans for the most offensive incompetent narcissist to be their so-called leader. The smart money is on Trump.
10
In showing some diplomatic restraint at Kim’s delay, Trump certainly is keeping his critics’ heads spinning. What will the dogs do after they’ve caught their tails?
1
Trump’s critics aren’t that type of dog. We are more like pit bulls defending our turf (USA). Bite down and only let go when lady liberty calls us off the intruder.
2
I don't know how you see any diplomatic restraint on trump's part, all he can say is we will see if it happens. Hey the guy had coins made for the occasion, which has never been done before, he wants it to happen. I bet when he learned about the NK leaders change of thoughts on getting rid of his nukes, he started chasing his tail around the room. If the coins had dates on them ,and the summit does get cancelled, the tax payers who paid for them will have had there money wasted.
3
Maybe if John Bolton did not mention Libya when he was trolling the news media about this there may have been a miniscule chance of having a successful outcome. This is what happens when there are bloviating incompetents in our government. But Trump being Trump he blames China. Has he ever taken responsibility for anything?
11
Does this mean we have to put Don's Nobel Peace Prize on hold? Because I thought, like, everyone thought he deserves one.
11
First of all the North is using the collapse of the mountain used for underground testing of their nuclear weapons as a pretense for dismantling their testing facuilty. The North Koreans are a rogue regeme that preaches hatred toward Americans politically, and even in some cases racially. It is ok for Mr. Kim to murder his brother or his uncle in public and place hundreds of thousands of his people in forced labor camps. The South Korean government held a summit with Mr. Kim because they fear his military threats. He is not a leader that you can trust at all.
2
If the summit is delayed or cancelled the President will have time to meet with Robert Meuller.
16
Trump has way more in common with Kim, Putin, Duerte, and their ilk than he does with his own base. So let the posturing continue.
4
Any rookie car salesman will tell you, "It ain't sold until it's over the curb." Nothing kills a deal quicker than claiming it's closed before it's closed. Trump is being exposed as a mark and a dupe with every decision he makes; nothing but an enabled rich kid who never had to learn how to read, pay his fair share or make his own bed — tho, soon, he's gonna have to learn how to sleep in it.
20
Rut-Roh! Who thought diplomacy could be so hard?
10
That delay will give him more time to bone up on the issues. Oh, and learn how to negotiate.
5
Why on earth would North Korea give up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for assurances from our “adore me, I’m the prez leader?”When has he ever been honest in public? Or cared about anyone except himself.
This bungle is directly related to Trump and his arrogance and vanity. Nobel prize indeed. What are u going to do when they test the next nuke? That will be interesting to say the least.
When you vote for Trump you get the whole enchilada- that includes the horns, the devils tail, everything.
9
Who knew that negotiating with a murderous sociopathic North Korean dictator would be so hard!
4
So 45 got out of the TPP, and China feels that it is all hers, except the US is still in the Koreas area. Now, China is working on weakening the US hand in the said area.
China could not have had a better US president than 45.
45 is selling the US interest piece by piece.
23
Yes! You have gotten to the crux of what is REALLY going on. China is pushing the US out of Asia - and we are leaving. We will regret this.
The title of this production is "Duck and Cover" a Kabuki theater featuring the two most crazy, dangerous and unpredictable leaders in the world.
16
The greatest nuclear power in the history of the world in in the hands of traitors, con-artists and the end-time religionists that love them so well. We got problems.
68
"[Trump:] - 'Do it our way, or we will hurt you badly!' ... What nation in the World would agree to meet under such terms?"
I know you intended your question to be rhetorical, but it's not, and I'll answer it:
ANSWER:
Pretty much any country that doesn't want to be hurt badly and that believes the US will hurt it badly if it doesn't agree to something.
That's worked really well for the past 50 years, starting with Vietnam!
5
Kenarmy,
The second element was missing in the Vietnam war (in which, incidentally, I strongly opposed US involvement): the North Vietnamese did not believe the US could hurt them badly if they resisted. (More accurately, they felt their cause warranted a great deal of suffering, which they accepted.)
Here, Kim also may doubt that the US can hurt him badly, but I doubt he doubts that. That makes him different from the North Vietnamese. But he's also different from Moammar Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein, and he'd like to stay that way. Each of them gave up his country's nuclear weapons program and soon thereafter had his country invaded by the West or Western-backed enemies, and was killed. If Kim just gives up his nukes on the US' reciprocal promise to do good things for North Korea, I have almost no doubt that North Korea would soon be invade and Kim would be killed.
I'm pretty sure Kim doesn't want to have NK be invaded, and that he doesn't want to be killed. For those reasons, I think he'll behave differently from Moammar Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein. He won't rely on bare assurances from the US. His attitude will be "Show me!" and he'll not take any steps to reduce his nuclear weapons capability until the US does just that.
I'm going to frame my Trump commemorative coin right along side my copy of "Dewey Defeats Truman".
12
This is Trump's negotiating strategy.
He first sets an unreasonable goal (denuclearization, $200 billion in trade concessions, a Wall paid for by Mexico), which is broadcast, along with an announcement that the negotiation will not take place without the possibility of a major concession.
Then he pulls out, blaming the other side for being unreasonable, which saves him from failure. The result is that he can talk big about everything he's trying to do, but he never has to face reality and never does anything substantial.
It's all a show with no need to study up, or listen to the experts, or worry about follow-through.
The Trumpsters like it because they can believe he's doing the best he can but is being thwarted by his enemies. The media likes it because they can play it up and sell it. His opponents and other countries like it because there's no need to worry.
Trump is a genius - he might even get a second term.
2
Isn't this erratic behavior displayed daily by President Trump precisely the kind of troubling conduct that the 25th amendment is supposed to address and control? I state this, knowing that Pence would make a terrible, horrible substitute president; but I have seen no indication that he is mentally ill as Trump reveals himself to be.
8
So, when is Trump minting his new coins? Will he keep the profits therefrom?
And how is Trump's nomination and election going for his Nobel Peace Prize?
11
We all knew where it was going to go in the end - nowhere. President Moon is playing an envoy from Kim Jong-un to the US. Moon is either delusional or deliberately playing this game with an intent to create a bigger rift in the US - S Korean military alliance with the eventual goal of forcing US influence out of Korean peninsula altogether. He is from the far-left leaning faction of the Korean politics and has been a fervent believer of nationalism all his life. Conservatives in S Korea distrust him and label him an appeaser to the NK regime or, worse, collaborator who intends to destroy US sKorea alliance. From what has been going on, looks like Moon is on Kim JU's side.
pence, pompeo and bolton are poison to any negotiation as they boldly proclaim it's "complete denuclearization" or nothing. there's not going to be any denuclearization so the best that can happen is technically ending the korean war and reasonable relations between north and south.
trump is totally deluded if he thinks anything other than this is possible; he's not holding the cards because there are no military options that won't strongly risk a new hot war.
sanctions is all the u.s. has and these can be easily subverted and trump says he's upset that kim visited china for a second time. haha.
10
Actually, I think this is a good response, no doubt conceived by the S. Koreans. This gives the North a taste of their own medicine.
Wow: "might be delayed" ! The Nobel Peace Prize for Trump's machinations might also be delayed! With Trump and his world famous band of grifters, how could anything go wrong? Trump is easier to play than tic-tac-toe. Expect a reversal close to the ZTE deal with Trump finally agreeing to talks in Singaore (or Indonesia) after getting financing for a Trump-branded hotel in Pyongyang. Wake me up when this nightmare-of-a-president is no longer squatting (!!!) in The White House.
5
In reality this summit has started, that's why arguments are being tossed back and forth, involving the US, North- and South Korea and China. The actual meeting in Singapore will be nothing but a rubber stamp session. What about Japan though - they are keeping very quiet.
2
It’s Trump, Bolton and their method of Negotiating - “Do it our way, or we will hurt you badly!” that is responsible.
What nation in the World would agree to meet under such terms?
They were warned that Trump’s mouth, and hit pick of Bolton would backfire spectacularly. Of course Trump did not listen! Why should he? “He knows more than anyone!”
Of course, the US Press will largely blame North Korea for this, but for once, this is on us!
Trump and his followers think, “Trump the Genius says, ‘My way or the highway!’ and that’s just how he rolls, and the World should take notice...” Trump Supporters actually prefer this, think it’s an improvement, and that it’s “Making America Great.” They can’t see that Trump is an International Calamity!
If the Korean Nuclear Issue was easy, it would have been resolved long ago, by People way smarter than Trump!
18
The stakes on this are incredibly low for the United States and China, the default is to leave sanctions in place. North Korea needs the economic sanctions lifted or else they are stuck. It seems like China has promised them something, but China can not just break the sanctions either. North Korea has the bomb finished, so they have hidden some away and now want to stop development for everyone to see. I am no fan of Trump, but no one else has accomplished anything in the last 50 years, so you can not really criticize him on this. A one-on-one meeting will not hurt anything. North Korea has a negotiations playbook they have used for decades and nothing Bolton says will change that.
2
We must protect our nation against President Disturbed, who reveals himself daily as a pathetic yet menacing victim of his own rampaging, insatiable ego. Our USA suffers as a victim along with him -- until we constitutionally sever that tie. The sooner, the better. The 25th amendment, impeachment, whatever works.
20
Trump likes to swoop in and get the prize, win, ratings or medal.
Details like negotiation are beyond his skill set. We can not even ask him as Leader to get his team on the same playing field. One message seems to be an elusive goal for this administration on any matter.
Slowing down and preparing might be just what we need. Trump's personal obsession with a win clearly does not support such diplomatic behind the scene planning. And unfortunately, John Bolton is not a fan of diplomatic talking either.
When Trump hires only sycophants it could be hard to get them all on the same page. Sure they support HIM but what is his vision?
Trump wants success for HIM. That is not foreign policy.
8
Trump reminds me of an ex-boyfriend that would make a big deal about "plans" then starts laying out the excuses as to why it will not happen. Always big plans to look like the hero or "knight saving the day". Then about a week or so before the big plan, there would be an excuse. Then when it doesn't happen (he never planned on that "big trip" anyway), he has his "out". And, it was never his fault.
When the United States finally dumps Trump, there will be the "Hey you up?" letters written at 2 am from prison (I assume tweeting isn't allowed in prison). Hopefully, they will be ignored or at least Canada, Germany, France and Oprah letting us know we deserve better.
6
"might be delayed.." = It's not going to happen!
6
Perhaps South Korea will end up having to try their own deal with Kim, just as Europe is trying to do their own deal with Iran. The Trump camp has apparently decided that they won't be party to any negotiations with anyone unless they get to impose their own terms without condition upon all parties involved. In other words, they don't want to negotiate, they want to dictate, to enemies and allies alike. A few more years of this, and we'll be lucky to have any allies left.
30
Actually, Mr. Kim pulled out of the Summit after he saw the commemorative coin with his supremely triple-chinned likeness.
16
Ah, well, he met with South Korea, they're pretty much the same, isn't it, Mr. President? Still, maybe not Nobel-worthy.
6
The POTUS is right to see the invisible hand of China in stirring up troubles.
I have always maintained that China will never allow North Korea to disarm itself so it is at "mercy" of the South.
China has no interest in the welfare of the North Korean people, it wants a strong and a mad man as the head to create trouble for our ally, the South.
While, the POTUS postpones this meeting - I hope he tells both the North and China the price they will be paying.
And to show his resolve, with the postponement announcement, he visibly increases our military presence in South China Sea and insures that both of them notice.
2
I stand with President Trump, Captains Crozier & Fitzjames, and Lt. Jopson!
Shucks, that shoots the heck out of the parade!
14
Trump is playing 5-dimensional chess, again. How does he do it? His deal making instincts are truly remarkable. And how did he ever come up with that ''I hereby demand'' stuff. Priceless. Wait until he unleashes that on Kim.
9
“Soon”... “Very soon”... “in the next couple of weeks”... “a lot of people are saying”... “tired of so much winning”... “great deal-maker”... buzz... click... whirr...
...“Covfefe!”
I have an old ‘Speak and Spell’ (look it up on them interwebs if you're under 50) with a half-dead battery. It blinks and beeps and says nonsensical half phrases when its buttons are pushed... and a lot of people are saying... everybody's talking about it... they are saying… we should send it to Korea to negotiate instead of Donald Trump.
: ) L
38
This the funniest!!!!
2
Yes! What a good idea! Then I don't have to worry about Trump giving away the North American continent.
2
And to think, Donald Trump has already had a commemorative coin for the event freshly minted... at taxpayer's expense, of course.
22
As far as I am concerned, Donald can use those coins to finance his little parade.
So Kim launches missiles, Trump threatens WW III with the "Rocket Man" speech, Kim's sister makes a splash at the Olympics, sanctions get tighter, Kim gets out more, hostages are released, military exercises continue, and now we ride the on-again/off-again "denuclearization" summit roller-coaster that we all know wouldn't amount to anything anyway, regardless if it happens or not.
...and somewhere along the way, someone brought-up the idea of awarding a Nobel Peace Prize for all of this...
19
Health, International trade, climate change Paris agreement, Iran, the Wall, DACA, North Korea, Israel embassy, etc... all follow the same pattern. No strategy, no hard work, no understanding of the issues, no thinking, just loud words and pure chaos. The consequences are going to be felt more and more as times goes by. This is not going to end well...
48
Wait.... let me guess.....
"We'll just have to see what happens."
Am I right? Did I win??
I know, it was a gimme...
13
Unbeknownst to him, his only hope is that adversaries around the world will so strongly want to keep our comically grandiose, inept, destructive president in the oval office that they'll offer peace deals to make him look good, so that the Republicans stand a chance at remaining in power in 2018 and he stands a chance at being re-elected in 2020. Unfortunately, even in that, his best case scenario, they would all independently choose 2021 to unleash armageddon, in order to maximize the destructive result. Lately, every day I have been reminded how much damage one small person can do to an entire country.
8
I just returned from South Korea. The Korean people are so hopeful about this unification. They hold demonstrations and waive Korean and American flags. They believe that President Xi of China was uncomfortable with the sudden change in climate between the two Koreas, and the potential for a positive relationship with the US, and quickly stepped in to influence the process in a negative way. I am no fan of Trump, but I think we owe it to the Korean people to stay the course and try to make this thing happen, if at all possible.
1
Unfortunately, this isn’t up to us. Kim has played trump and will continue to do so until he gets what he wants. Even then, do we believe that he has destroyed his ability to create WMD’s?
We and the Korean people will get nothing from this.
4
He is so flippant about policy-whether foreign or domestic. He has the attention span of a gnat. He is a sad joke of a human being that will destroys everything and everyone around him.
17
The secretary of state says in TV that the North Korea denuclearization model will be the Libya model and the fault is from President Xi?
11
Trump has completely played into the hand of Kim Jong Un and has now unwittingly conferred equal status on an unstable third world tin pot dictator...wait a second, Trump is an unstable third world tin pot dictator !
5
Boy- if you have your hands on one of those pre-emptive "commemorative coins" Trump had made for his big adventure with North Korea, they are going to be like the "Dewey Beats Truman" newspapers of yore. Hang onto it. Besides, it is a truly ugly specimen. Oh well, there is always the Nobel Peace Prize. Or maybe just the Publisher's Clearing House dealie.
8
Why don't we give Trump a "participation trophy" and a box of Capri Sun!!!
10
Trump, and apparently his advisors, cannot connect the dots between their recent actions and the situation in North Korea. They pull out of the Iran deal, they play war games in the Korean Peninsula, and John Bolton tosses off words like regime change. Kim Jong Un is many things but he’s not an idiot. Why would he possibly want to negotiate with the US at this point?
11
@Laura:
Well, Trump has now promised KJU will be happy for the rest of his life and that denuclearization doesn't have to happen all at once or immediately. I'm sure neither KJU nor you nor I believe that, but at least the US President has begun to think in terms other that those of Bolton and has visited and begun negotiating with China.
Saw this one coming from miles away. Just another dog and pony show.
6
As I've said before, Trump will back out, and instead of admitting he jumped the gun, he'll deflect and throw Moon under the bus. I hate to say it, but Kim has a point:
1. If Trump hadn't brought in Bolton with his Libya model, Kim might still be more receptive to talks, and,
2. The entire point of "negotiation" is to try to resolve the differences! How can Trump expect all differences to be solved before he flies in on his red (magic) carpet? That's irresponsibly arrogant at best, and infantile at worst.
What kind of "successful" businessman doesn't understand these very rudimentary principles of real world affairs?
6
When trump says "we shall see" that means the deal is off. He is just too chicken to tell us to our faces. Most likely show up in a tweet when the timing works for him as a good distraction from something more important.
5
Mr. Trump has already given away the store, and gotten nothing in return from North Korea. Mr. Kim and Mr. Moon still believe they can manipulate Trump with flattery. As Trump himself said, "Who thought being president was so hard?" Who besides Trump is surprised that China has its own priorities concerning the Koreas? Trump's efforts so far have been an abject failure.
Without asking for anything from Kim, Trump volunteered to remove US troops from the Korean Peninsula. He agreed to meet with Kim without asking for anything from North Korea. His Secretary of State publicly referred to Kim as Chairman Un. Kim's charm offensive at the Olympics humiliated the dour and inept Mr. Pence who is a national embarrassment.
6
Summit meeting with NK might be delayed.
This does not mean mean that Trump has failed to meet a campaign promise, as many would like to suggest.
As with "the wall", the fault clearly lies elsewhere. In this case, with North Korea.
2
@Mike Edwards
NK was never going to give up nuclear weapons any more than Mexico was going to pay for the wall. LOL
22
You sound so Trump...
2
This is why, as a 'businessman', he underwent three bankruptcies, and could raise money only from dubious sources -and on and on. He is a roaring incompetent, an embarrassment. And the GOP is his enabler and so, in a way, is the Democratic party.
16
Trump stated live that "President Xi is a world class poker player" because he thinks (and soon he will start believing) that China has dissuaded NK from the talks. Well, President Xi knows how to talk in front of the world and you don't. You will never learn this, you don't have a capacity to understand two things - statesmanship and decency. You believe in 'bluster and bolton' and 'pomp and pompeo'. I am certain once the deal with China on tariff will be made public, Trump will find that US trade deficit would have increased not decreased! That is statecraft.
26
Every foreign policy observer predicted that Kim would not give up his nuclear weapons, and that Trump was being lured into an embarrassing trap. Only Trump and his team missed the obvious signs.
I keep waiting for all the winning Trump promised, and for some sign of the "Art of the Deal." So far I only see arrogance and incompetence, a dangerous combination.
Trump's shame is the United State's shame. Why do we stand for it?
610
Sadly we elected this guy to be President. The House won't get rid of him because he is one of theirs and in that party, it's party first, no matter how arrogant or incompetent.
80
I hate making this comment; however, I do hope Kim exposes Trump's incompetence and waits for a real President. I do pray Kim doesn't provoke Trump meanwhile....he should just wait until 2020. Trump has his Memorial Coin ready to go with his face on it. Just too much premature self-congratulations on Trump's part. And, he expects a Nobel which would degrade the entire Nobel Process if he got it.
85
I agree totally with your last sentence. If for some unfathomable reason that were to happen the Nobel Peace Prize would become something no person of integrity could ever accept in the future.
NK is one more thing in a long, long list of Trump's failures. Not one single victory for this administration, unless you count tax breaks for the wealthy. Those job creating tariffs? "On hold." Nobel-worthy NK peace deal? "On hold". Trade war with China? "On hold." Looks like we're all just on hold until this ship gets righted in November.
14
But....but....but.....what will he do with all those commemorative coins with his amazing profile and pompadour on them? Guess they'll just have to go in the trash. Wish the model would be heaved into the trash with them.
11
He'll sell them on QVC for a profit.
4
You're probably right. He's the original Scrooge McDuck. Every little penny adds up - especially all the pennies that were scammed and conned.
How soon until we're back to the bizarre name calling from both sides?.. queue 1, 2, 3...
4
For those of us with even a passing familiarity with the Kim regime's seventy-year legacy of lying and murdering and imprisoning innocents, the summit is not "delayed." We've always known it was a Kim ploy. They played you for a sucker, Mr. Master Negotiator.
5
Who is the worst President in American History ?
" We'll See ". Yes, we will.
8
trumps been in over his head since day one. The kid despot, while nuts, at least knows enough to sound like he knows what he's talking about.
4
trump is probably playing reality TV type games...
Who knows what will happen in these talks? And who really cares? After all, there's already good news!
The White House has released a commemorative coin!
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/2147195/white-house-souv...
And the White House has gotten in large numbers ( in their gift shop awaiting purchase) ) a gorgeous coin to commemorate Trumpian diplomacy. It would look so swell along with the MAGA cap. Kim was given a new hairdo and the nukes went missing. Everything for sale in this bargain basement of skullduggery.
https://www.voanews.com/a/commemorative-coin-struck-trump-kim-summit/440...
Fake Trump quote: 'Nobody knew that North Korea could be so complicated'.
When you send in the Z-team, John Bolton, who announces that we like the Libyan plan, where they lose all your nukes and their leader gets tortured and killed, what did anyone expect? It was so bad that Trump, who never backs down, had to retract Bolton's words. When Bush senior threw up in the lap of the Prime minister of Japan, he was doing something more sophisticated than Trump will every do.
6
Well, let's see here. Bolton mentioned the Libya model, then the president and his supporters - along with nearly a dozen GOP governors - started hailing a Nobel Peace Prize for President David Dennison.
Perhaps these two examples are the cause for Kim Jong Un to back off.
I continue to be embarrassed by these people voted into office. It's sickening on a daily basis. I do wonder if America will survive this.
524
My sentiments exactly. November can't get here fast enough.
33
"President David Denison."
Made me smile.
18
Oh, that David D, the guy who never sign any deals. Stormy, where are you when we need you?
There goes its peace prize! hehehehehe
3
Mike Pompea comes out yesterday with a tough guy speech against Iran ever being allowed to have a nuclear program after the United States walks away from an agreement with 7 countries which, peacefully, settled the question and now today NK walks back it's enthusiasm for denuclearization. Can't say I blame them. Why would you give your lunch money to a bully if it didn't stop the bullying?
6
Hope for the Nobel Peace Prize is quickly slipping away.
But it has been reported that the North Koreans have invited Trump to come to Pyongyang in person and from there, visit the site of a proposed new Trump casino hotel located over their soon-to-be decommissioned nuclear test zone. Because of the famous North Korean hospitality, Trump will be driven to the site first and asked to wait for Glorious Leader there at the symbolic Ground Zero location. Meanwhile, Leader Kim will collect Nobel Prize testimonials from all the North Korean peoples about 200 miles away for his good friend Donald. A never-to-be-forgotten party with fireworks will be part of the festivities.
The people of the world are praying that President Trump will accept the invitation.
3
Trumps says a blustery substantial No-Go, over the last 3 days ... SK says 99 chance positive, while NK runs a hardline reply, as an equal power. What !?!
No way to place the US, in my opinion ... we deserve much better in foreign policy efforts ... I need substance, put some people into key assignments and do something productive !
3
What if President Disturbed threw in several days in splendor at sumptuous Mar-a-Ego?
6
Only if he threw in free golf carts for Kim's security detail.
1
Trump’s national security adviser goes on television. He says that he advocates a model wherein the head of a nuclear nation gives up said weapons and is then brutally murdered in a popular uprising.
And this president is “baffled” by North Korea’s change in tone.
What about that is baffling?
71
John Bolton threatened Kim. After which Trump said the threat didn't matter as long as Kim met his conditions. Whose positions have shifted, Donald Trump's or Kim Jong Un's? And Trump blames China? I am embarrassed for my country.
151
This is very newsy, but doesn't qualify as actual news.
5
That is certainly news to me!
1
But didn't David Brooks tell us that we were winning in regards to trade talks with China and that Korea was Trump's great accomplishment? Wasn't it going to liberals heads that were going to explode when Trump received the Noble prize? One will never go broke betting against Trump doing anything productive.
14