Just by going to Singapore to meet with Kim, Trump got rolled before he even arrived.
And that video was the creepiest thing I've seen since "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".
54
It is precisely this do-not-concede-till-we-gain attitude that led to the going-no-where outcomes with North Korea by the previous US administrations. Despite his erratic and unconventional ways, Trump has succeeded this time by first building trust and seeing the big picture to achieve the ultimate goal.
17
Any President can say- I won't talk to North Korea. That was the case for 50+ years.
This article proposes a thousand scenarios of doom and gloom albeit, President Trump has taken a positive step
towards opening a dialogue - no matter what comes of it.
We live in a nuclear age in which talking to anybody, anytime and anywhere is well worth the effort.
23
true. and Obama was savagely outfoxed by the Iranians. however, the lesson about negotiating with dictators that we were supposed to have learned in 1939 still won't stick. instead the red team and the blue team will keep on believing their side of the story, that somehow their deal was the good one, while the other team who made the stupid deal made the bad deal. and the truth will continue to stare us in the face and become more and more ludicrously obvious. I wonder when we will wake up from this insanity? will it be when the jointly engineered north Korean iranian nuclear weapon lands on our shores (yes they have been working together for decades).
8
What trump *didn't* get was exactly what he says he can get from Iran. In 25,000 words or less, explain.
6
I would be afraid of an "April Glaspie moment" sometime in the future.
Maybe a year from now, Kim will call up Trump and say: "Donald, my old friend, my buddy! You know, you and me are both going to be Nobel Prize winners pretty soon now! Listen, the US has no real opinion about this little border issue that I have with South Korea, do you?"
5
I can't even stand to look at pictures of them shaking hands.
27
This summit has given me mixed feelings.
I was ashamed to see the American flag, a symbol of freedom, liberty, and justice that so many have fought and even died for, be displayed next to the North Korean flag, which is the symbol of one of the world's most abusive totalitarian regimes.
However, I do give President Trump credit for bringing Kim Jong Un to the negotiating table. By having this summit with Mr. Kim, President Trump has done something no other U.S. president has ever done before.... He has meet with face-to-face with a leader of North Korea. I think that is a highly impressive feat that he should be acknowledged for.
President Trump must though be very careful not to let North Korea advance it's agenda too far....
7
In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press in 1999, Mr Trump said: "We have a country out there - North Korea. Which is sort of wacko, which is not a bunch of dummies, and they are going out and they are developing nuclear weapons." “They're not doing it because they’re having fun doing it, they're doing it for a reason." He added: “Wouldn’t it be good to sit down and really negotiate something, and ideally negotiate? Now if that negotiation doesn’t work, you better solve the problem now than solve it later."
Yield.
3
all we are saying is give peace a chance. morning joe, all we are saying is give peace a chance.
7
How could this have been any different? Trump is a megalomaniac and narcissist: He can't negotiate for the nation; he can't engage concern for suffering North Koreans; he can't be trusted to prepare for these situations or to approach them with the nuance and circumspection appropriate to them. He is always and only able to attend to himself and to satisfying his hunger for attention, notice, camera, and accolade, even if from a petty tyrant.
Kristof is right, and sadly, the people enduring Kim’s horrifying reign in North Korea are most deeply disserved by the president’s pageant. South Korea finds itself collateral damage, thrown under the DPRK’s running-men limo without warning. Americans, and the rest of the world, are likewise unhelped by Trump's self-seeking self-service.
Our single remedy is to elect leaders with the courage and integrity to move us from madness to hope, to reestablish U.S. leadership in the world, to look up and out beyond the mirror to the global common good.
18
I agree with a lot of the other commenters that Mr. Kristof has the read on North Korea all wrong. It was wrong when he exclaimed with trepidation about how ready for war North Koreans he interviewed on a North Korean sponsored trip . He was again wrong when he criticized Trump for agreeing to 1-1 with Kim Jong U.N. at a moments notice - after all, the stakes were well known and so were the positions of the US and most of the West - total denuclearization. And again, after his worst case scenario turned out to be unnecessary, he is still at it.
It is sometimes good to admit a mistaken world view instead of doubling down on mistakes.
12
Please liberals explain how taking a dictator to the table and getting a signature on a commitment is not progress. After reading all of the clear hatred towards Trump I am amazed some of you can breathe. I don't "like" Trump as a person, but he IS making the effort to drag the hermit out into the open and start the discussion. Kim was begging for security for himself and his select few, and Trump can still deny that if Kim fails to follow through with his agreement to continue discussing total disarmament. Barring that, we could call this a draw. But I sincerely think Trump has the stronger hand going into the next round of talks. Kim has to put out or once again be shut out.
16
Trump is not troubled in the least by the fact that he is dealing with a brutal, authoritarian regime. He is, in fact, in thrall with the 'brilliant' young dictator Kim Jong Un. They're soulmates.
But then there's Cuba, which Trump insists must remain a pariah. Two differences there, apparently.
First, there are still quite a few right wing, Republican voting, albeit aging Cuban expats in Florida, a state that is crucial to any Republican victory in a Presidential election.
Second, and more important, Cuba hasn't built a nuclear weapon and threatened to aim it at the United States.
Query, what message have we just sent to the Cuban government and other similarly situated regimes currently on the outs with the United States? Use your imagination...
8
Does everyone forget who Mr. Kim went to visit before agreeing to meet with Trump? Kim is working for Xi. Reduce US military presence - takeover Taiwan.
17
With all due respect Mr. Kristof, BLOTUS and his supporters will never see it that way. His and their reality is only what they choose to see. BLOTUS will declare "victory" or an "unprecedented success" and then he will simply make up whatever "facts" he needs to support his assertions. His one-on-one meeting with Chairman Kim gives him the perfect cover and opportunity to do just that. Any failure will be attributed to others. I have no doubt that he was outfoxed for the reasons cited. However, it is increasingly obvious that the only opinion that counts is that of BLOTUS and he will never see anything other than in the light of his own personal benefit and his own ego.
8
Who is outfoxed? Nobody is, except if someone think people could outfox themselves, unknowingly or otherwise.
Apparently, the summit went well, concluded in the signing of a joint communique which is all fine but seems to lack important details. Still a good and respectable, for that is the essential first step to have the two nations connected.
12
I give Trump credit even as I think he is a despicable man and totally unqualified to sit in the Oval Office. He literally jumped on the first challenge to carry the ball to the top of the hill. We all need to kick back and witness the direction this summit takes from here. I remain hopeful. Dictators prefer negotiating with America's hard-line conservatives.
Yes, ongoing dialog with adversaries is necessary to keep the rhetoric and emotional heat down to levels allowing rational thought. I'm glad to see Kim Jong-un did his part to give Trump some comfort with the dialog. They both take pride in being cunning.
Lower level and experienced science and political professionals on both sides of the table will now do the heavy lifting. Until I read or hear different. I'll remain moderately optimistic for the Korean people.
7
How charming that Chairman Kim loves his people - loves ‘em to death, I’d say. Love like that is what makes people flee their countries and take desperate measures to enter the USA. President Trump’s love for HIS people is making reality out of fiction like The Handmaid’s Tale and Vox (won’t Ivanka just be so surprised).
5
Am I the only person who has misgivings about going into a country like North Korea and filming the locals speaking about politics? Whilst it undoubtedly makes fascinating viewing, is it fair to put ordinary people's lives at risk to make a news report? I would love to know the journalist's thoughts about the ethics of what he has done.
5
These are the wages of electing a president who knows nothing about history, policy, diplomacy, governance or military strategy and refuses to make any effort to learn.
This is the president who objects to being "lectured to" by a former National Security Adviser who actually knows a thing or two. This is the president who cannot tolerate the "schoolmarm" ways of Theresa May or Angela Merkel, women of all things, who happen to know something.
This is the president whom we know is lying by virtue of the fact his lips are moving who berates another national leader as "weak, meek, mild and dishonest" when he stands up for his own countrymen in measured, courteous terms.
We have elected an empty suit who will sell his country down the river through stupidity, venality, cowardice and ignorance whose substance above his neck is as empty as the suit he wears below it.
37
'A sucker is born every minute,' as the great PT Barnum once observed. Sadly, we elected one as President. At what point do Republicans and those who voted for them realize who they'd have done a better job in these 'negotiations' than their 'duly' elected representative(s)? If it took 8 years to clean up from the last 'Greed is good' (and perpetual war even better) administration: Bush2, it will take a generation to undo DJT's disasters. In the meantime the world will become a much less stable place.
11
Interesting how trump snubbed South Korea and embraced North Korea. So now along with our list of European allies, he has managed to insult our Asian allies. Soon we’ll have new allies: Putin, Xi, And Kim. Oh, those Republicans, they celebrate their own demise, in such a squirrelly way. However, they don’t hide their nuts. They’re right out there for everyone to see.
12
Dear Nicholas,
Had it been President Obama or Clinton, you wouldn't be so negative. Of course, had it been President Obama or Clinton, conservative media would not have been so positive.
7
Kristoff really knows nothing. The concession he says is huge, is nothing. The war games can be restarted in a day. And trump made it clear that if no immediate action on dismantling the nuclear infrastructure took place, they would start again. The idiotic idea of “Don’t give Kim a photo op” kept the problem from being solved. And we
Don’t care what propaganda Kim tells his people, we only care that he denuclearizes. Until he does, the sanctions continue. The focus on photo ops and appearances gets in the way of action. That is all that matters.
12
The suspension of military exercises with South Korea is a "huge concession"? If nothing comes out of the meeting this "concession" can be turned around in a minute, especially since American forces remain in South Korea.
8
Kim Jong-Un got everything he could possibly have dreamed of and much more from America by building his nuclear capacities. Does anyone think that Trump would have responded with such alacrity to the N. Korean invitation if N. Korea had not developed into a serious threat for us. Absent that threat would there have been such an out-pouring of approval for the meeting? Of course, not, and Kim is totally aware of that.
The moral for Kim is that it is the creation of threats that brings concessions. Ergo, why in the world would Kim give up any meaningful nuclear threats. The logical thing from his point of view is to create further threats –there are so many possibilities from biological threats to hydrogen bombs. God forbid, but that's what we will likely see.
I do not share Trump's optimism that Kim, who had his own uncle murdered in a plot involving deceit, can be trusted, nor could I think that a slick video that presents promises made by a proven swindler could possibly dissuade Kim from creating further threats that will force further concessions from the US.
6
Ignorance is bliss—for the ignorant.
6
Thank you for this article. I watched the disaster unfold in slow mo, and in naive disbelief. Reminded me a bit of Bush II - he who looked into Putin's eyes and soul and thought he could do business with him (yup, they pretty much engineered our recent election). Trump needed no prep, he shook hands and said "tremendous" the whole time, and took away the biggest threat that had brought Un to the table in the first place (fear that the joint exercises could spill over and have him tried at the Hague). Trump spoke loudly, and broke his big stick to pieces. Trump thought his brashness that impresses the robber banks and financiers of NY and Atlantic City, would carry over and convert Un. The little twerp with a bad haircut played Trump like a harp.
The G7 summit followed by Singapore signals that we have truly tried hard to outdo the bay of pigs debacle. I was assuming (wrongly) that Trump would tell the little cherub that his time was up, and that de-nuclearization was going to happen, that his gulags would be emptied, and his people freed - or else. I hardly expected Trump to give the store away. He did. Was he bought off? Oh how the republican propaganda machine is loving this. The only thing that now assures Trump of a victory in 2020 is his wholesale supplication to China - which I suspect will happen in due course.
12
It really doesn't matter, the publicity and accomplishment is there, and a mark made in history. What happens after is anyone's guess. Pure theater....
3
Trump achieved the best outcome possible. Since Kim wasn't about to give his weapons to Trump, and since Kim has hydrogen bombs and ICBMs, (here is a good article by Vipin Narang and Ankit Panda, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/opinion/trump-kim-summit-denucleariza... ), Trump ended the aggro attitude and ended military exercises with South Korea and started disengaging from that region.
Over the next 10 years, China will have the most powerful military in the region, and in 20 the most powerful military, and an interest in keeping peace among its trading partners in that area. The American government's disengagement is inevitable and will make possible vast and dramatic reductions in military budgets to a sustainable level by reducing aggro spending while maintaining the protection part of the military budget.
8
Who is Trump batting for? To continue the sports analogy, he's the confused dunderhead who scores a goal for the opposing team. At the same time he appears to be taking orders from Putin and has no respect for our allies.
Kudlow's denunciation of Trudeau for his low key remarks is laughable, and his attempt to tie Trudeau's remarks to possibly hurting Trump at the "Korean Summit", is absurd.
The press continually reports that Trump is transactional. Well, put that idea to rest. He got nothing, zero, zed. The only thing that we got out of this charade is the knowledge that Trump may be the worst negotiator in history.
10
Thank you. A sane, well documented piece. This is why I read your column.
6
It's my understanding that Kim Jung-un's father made a very similar agreement with the Bush administration in 2005. How is that working out for us?
It is more than bizarre that Trump fights with the Canadian Prime Minister and yet is cozying up with a ruthless dictator who has tortured his own people and killed family members.
I've read somewhere that Kim Jung-un would be very pleased to have our armed services off of the Korean peninsula. So what did the US actually get out of this initial summit except for a photo op?
8
Actually, the (Shrub) Bush administration, early on, adopted a hostile attitude toward negotiations with North Korea, essentially short-circuiting the negotiations that had been ongoing under the Clinton administration.
By the time of Bush's 2002 State of the Union address, he was condemning North Korea as part of "the axis of evil."
The Art of the Deal - concede out of the gate, give up leverage, get nothing in return. See TPP and N Korea "deal"
But God bless Otto for allowing this meeting to happen, according to DJT........DISGUSTING
4
“He’s a very talented man,” Trump said of Kim. “I also learned that he loves his country very much.”
Apparently not enough to make sure all the people who live there have enough to eat. In that respect, surely they are alike.
15
He loves them so much he imprisons, tortures and starves them. If you’re really loved, you’ll be executed by anti- aircraft guns then torched. The highest honor! A truly great leader. Like our own!
17
Only one day ago Trump stated unequivocally and emphatically how this meeting with Kim would produce North Korean denuclearisation. Not possible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, nor initiation of a process to wit denuclearisation of the Peninsula might some day result. I don't need to reiterate all Trump gave away and the significance of doing so to substantiate the lopsided outcome as the list is well documented. The fact is, Trump gave up plenty and extracted nothing in return, other than a vague and well worn promise that has been on the table several times since the 1990's.
By all accounts, Trump's interactions with Kim are an abject failure simply because we are worse off than before Trump commenced his bellicose attacks on Kim. Easing away from a tense situation he instigated isn't an achievement. Neither is bringing Kim to the bargaining table, which any President could have achieved at any time but chose not to because it confers acknowledgement and legitimacy on this brutal regime. Trump went so much further, grovelling at Kim's feet with his praise for one of the worst and most repressive dictators alive today. It is a morally bankrupt person who fawns over authoritarians. This behaviour contradicts the principles of the West and those of the majority of our citizens. We lost so much today as Trump elevated someone who impoverishes millions and murders thousands to the level of international statesman.
12
Trump stumbled into this meeting, if you recall, he cancelled it, then reignited it, then cancelled it. This was never the outcome Trump expected, he wanted to come back and tell his supporters some fanciful lie about how rigged it was or how he knew Un wasn't wanting to negotiate.
Not to mention, this isn't what his supporters expect from him, it makes Trump look weak, and unprepared. There's a reason why no other US president would meet with Un, because it would legitimize his dictatorship.
This has nothing to do with Trumps nonexistent negotiating skills, since he gave concessions, with nothing in return. I'm sure his supporters will suddenly say, oh we knew Trump would walk out with this great deal.
4
I'm not so sure that Kim snookered Trump. All Kim had to do was play along with Trump.
Rather it seems that Trump had to come up with something, almost like a reality show script, that he could take to his base and snooker them with. After all his base will get their news from a very narrow source who will of course laud Trump as the savior of the world. And no one will be the wiser because they don't bother to find out about reality anymore than Trump does. And all history is fake isn't it?
5
When the pariah Donald Trump is no longer President, this country will revert to the great country is always was, not the laughing stoke of the world that it is now.
3
I think we all know that Trump was not there for our country or to promote peace with South Korea. He was there for his and Russian business development. To lander Russian oligarc $$ in, and take out natural resources with labor of those Un has incarcerated. Pretty simple if you stop assuming the past norms and open your eyes to the truth. One thing historians will 'discover'' is that Trump tells us exactly what he is going to do. He actually said yesterday the when we saw the tickets being launched, h saw beachfront real estate (aka his next money laundering property). What he says is layered between incongruous statements so your brain either turns it off or decids it was a silly outburst. God help us all.
7
This week underscores the deterioration of American alliances and diplomatic power. Events in Canada reveal Trump's disdain for the "niceties" of diplomacy and the "tediousness" of maintaining alliances. Lacking even the patience to read one-page security briefings, it's no surprise this president seems to gauge the worth of international leaders by their degree of sycophantism they're willing to offer him. Stick up for your country, as Justin Trudeau did, and you're sent to the woodshed. South Korea is the latest nation to learn Trump's lack of grasp of the concept of "ally". He prefers, I think, that nations who are not openly hostile to us be more like vassals. Don't interfere with our trade, buy our products, and we'll let you govern yourselves- for now. I get chills when I think of how closely "America First" resembles "America Above All". Translate that into German, put the pieces together, and see things through 1933 lenses. God help us all.
8
The tragic reality of this "summit" is how easily Kim was able to manipulate Trump into giving North Korea a huge propaganda coup by elevating Kim to the same status as the American president and North Korea to the same level as the United States. Kim mastered The Art of the Deal playing Trump like a chump. Still, Trump's ego blinds him to acknowledging just how poorly he performed. That won't stop him from declaring this (non) agreement as the "greatest deal ever" and his supporters will blindly go along with it. Our allies have been insulted while Trump cozies up to murderous dictators like Kim & Putin. We can only hope something positive comes from this other than the "photo op" for Trump. We can also expect our allies to stop trusting the promises/deals that come from this administration while our adversaries are emboldened. So America First???
9
But Mr. Kristoff misses the method of Trump madness. By not preparing, listening to advisors or otherwise having any knowledge of Korea, North or South, he can create his own reality! The fact that every aspect of his “deal” had been previously offered in the past, making the “summit” an utter sham, allowed Trump to give up the leverage of the joint military exercises while remaining entirely ignorant of his idiocy. Remember, to Trump it is all about Trump. And once again he thinks he is a winner. Who cares about reality when you can create your own?
6
He was actually mugged but as long as he can sell it to his base as a victory all is well.
3
This seems once again to be all smoke and mirrors. Trump helps create a crisis and then vows to resolve the crisis better than anyone else. We get a photo opp and some fanfare and then what? It's all a sugar high until there is some substance...and we are waiting. Perhaps this was a useful stunt for the midterms.
4
What Kim wanted more than the legitimacy provided by a meeting, was the New York Times to
declare him the victor. It was you who provided him that Kristof, and many Americans will never forget you’ve done that, nor will they forgive you. For no reason more than advancing your failed political ideology you put us all in grave danger.
1
It was trump who made Kim the victor by legitimizing his corrupt, violent regime. Now he’s in equal footing with the USA and Rodman! Yahoo. Trump got nothing out of this but s photo op and bragging rights that he accomplished what others jab not. Only he didn’t. Wait and see ... it’ll turn to garbage like everything else trump touches.
6
Here's how this will go down. Kim will milk this for as long as possible, giving up a missile here and a lab there, and when it finally comes to the crunch, he'll say "I agreed to give up my nukes, but it's only fair that this must be contingent on the US giving up its nukes also."
Trump will downplay it, since 1) he'll be past the midterms and 2) making too big a deal would make his flattery of Kim look foolish.
1
This is the kind of direct diplomacy with our enemies which the right wing never allows Democratic leaders to engage in. Can't we root for Trump to succeed, even though he's...Trump?
4
Yes indeed. That trump can suck up to authoritarian, violent regimes like nobody else! Can’t wait till he has that much power. Drug dealers? Kill um. Political opponents? Kill um. Even better, torture them. Friends, ally’s and trading partners? Shun at all costs. Trump deserves credit for being a vile idiot. Nothing more.
8
Deja vu:
"I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country."
--George W. Bush, 2001
8
From the comments on this board, it seems like W. was spot on in his analysis and treatment of N. Korea.
No more "war games" with South Korea. Apparently, the South Korean government didn't see that one coming, even though the South Korean president encouraged the meeting. Add to that the trade dispute Trump has promoted with the South. Another alliance being undermined?
And then there's Trump and Kim's joint call for "a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula." I wonder how Kim translates the word "Regime." An on-going process? A single government? Run by whom? Note that the South Koreans aren't signatories to this statement, although it references the entire peninsula.
I think Kim is playing Go while Trump plays checkers.
4
Trump got punked.
Who didn't see this coming?
3
I'm looking forward to hearing Republicans complain about Donald Trump's North Korea Apology Tour.
2
Now Trump's kids can go to NK and scoop up all that beachfront for their hotels. And just think of all those gulag employees they can hire. Life is good if you're a Trump! Cha-ching!
7
By hoodwinked do you mean your kids are a little bit safer after this summit meeting? Yeah, what a terrible thing.
6
No. He means that Kim got a good deal and the US got empty promises.
6
Oh the hypocrisy! When Obama through years of intense multi-national talks with relatively moderate Iran leaders he was skerwered by Republicans and so-called US ally and crook Netanyahu from a brazen speech in Congress. Somehow Obama let it go, yet the Iran Deal was much much more solid than anything by the great negotiator.
Why cuddle up (literally) to a Communist who has imprisoned and killed thousands of practicing Christians and operates a concentration camp economy. Whike threatening little Justin Trudeau, our best friend.
Impeach
5
Better yet, how about we acknowledge the Republicans' hypocrisy and not engage in our own, by recognizing that this may - just may - be the beginning of bringing North Korea and its long-suffering people into the world of nations?
I loathe Trump. But I'm ready to be hopeful that this is the first start towards something good.
I haven't spent a single sleepless night worrying about whether Kim would launch a nuclear attack on the US or any other country. Kim is ruthless, but rational, and wants above all else to preserve his country and himself. I did and still do, worry about our Boy President doing something stupid and dangerous. He is ruthless, impulsive and definitely not rational.
Kim ate most of his lunch, but Trump doen't realize it; let's hope he never does.
9
If you are bewildered by anything Trump, just ask a Fox News watcher what happened. You'll get a very North Korean-sounding answer. Two little con men playing to captive audiences.
5
That’s ok... the left thought Hillary was going to win in a landslide... so any commentary on President Trump take with a grain of salt.....
5
Well, the joke is on Kim.
He thought he was meeting with the president of the United States.
Instead he got mostly failed NY real estate developer, who has left a trail of closed casinos, bad steaks and vodka, a phony University, a TV show and a reputation for lying as easily as breathing.
A man who came to power in a treasonous collaboration with Russian cyber criminals.
A pretend president.
Illegitimate!
Guilty!
Sorry Kim!
You are the latest fool to fall for the con man Trump.
The smart majority of Americans know better.
We coulda' told ya.
7
There is no way to know who was “outfoxed” for years to come. Suffice it to say a preliminary agreement was concluded, hostages are released, military posturing is reduced, a nuclear testing facility was closed, and missiles are not being launched over Japan. This author sounds like a jealous jilted high school student.
3
Once again Trump has shown himself to be full of pomp (hot air) and just plain full of it. His words mean zilch. He is an idiot. We must all realize that this man wakes every day to promote his image, his vainglory. He does not live in reality. He lives in a world that he has constructed in his head and only sees the world, himself, as a story and an actor. He lives in a mirror world. He has no real self, only the person he constructs and believes. It’s like he has created a storybook which becomes a live action feature film where he stars but is not real. This meeting with Kim, a cruel dictator and murderer, has left the US more vulnerable. No exercises with South Korea?! When will our Generals march against that?! Once again Trump has been played for the fool he is, and as Mr. Kristof says, the scary thing is....Trump is the last to know. He is killing our country.
4
The level of pure hate that the fanatical left has for President Trump is truly stunning. Kristof needs serious help
6
Of course North Korea got more than the USA. Trump was there only to make a showing and pretend to be a statesman..as was Kim ( but he got much more than trump). It is incredible that Trump's idiotic show got so much positive attention from the press...he is not a normal persoon, he is a self obsessed ignoramus and all of his policies and statements are in service of this pathology.
2
If Trump walked on water this author would say it’s because he can’t swim.
3
You mean, like when Obama caved to Iran and Cuba?
It seems like Rudy Giuliani got it wrong. It was Trump on his knees begging Kim for a summit. SAD!
4
Trump's meeting with the Dear Leader, whose country is his personal slave camp and torture chamber, was a humiliation for the U.S. Trump intentionally built up the tensions last year and then presented himself as the savior. Typical Republican political games. I mean does anybody really believe that North Korea is going to nuke the U.S.? I think the Dear Leader knows he would be wiped off the face of the earth in the push of a button. That Trump has come back with nothing but photo ops with the world's most dangerous criminal is, I guess, Trudeau's fault.
Why didn't somebody slap handcuffs on the Dear Leader and ship him to the world court?
It is always amazing to see comments from Trump fans saying give him a chance or the equivalent.
Trump fans wouldn't care if Donald shot someone on 5th Ave. He himself has said so. They also cannot see that Trump is being played by Kim, a third rate dictator who is apparently smarter than Trump.
It is part of a sad pattern. They also do not care if he takes cash from their pockets and gives it to the super-rich GOP owners that put Trump in office to service the wealthy. Trump's true fans are racists, religious fundamentalists and people with little or no education. Economic issues have always been a cover story. They are fed inflammatory lies and propaganda 24/7 by Fox/Hannity/Breitbart and Donald Trump is now their Holy Saint who can do no wrong.
That Trump is a racist, ignorant and a sexual predator doesn't bother these people in the least, even so-called Evangelists. He legitimizes their deep seated hatred for what this country stands for.
The Republican leadership is desperate to keep these blind Trump followers on board and they do all that they can to protect Trump for this reason. Trump is indeed the face of the Republican Party of today.
.
14
Nope. American people snookered. Trump and co. (family) will soon be making millions developing the North Korean waterfront.
2
Of course Trump was out-negotiated by Kim. And somewhere in his muddled mental state, even he knows it. He knows, as surely as Bolton and Pompeo know, that he achieved absolutely nothing in this "negotiation", and in fact, weakened the U.S. position. He gave away more than any other U.S. president had to Kim, and got nothing in return.
But he doesn't care. Why? He knows it doesn't matter. He has more than 40% of our voters who continue to be willing to be lied to. He will simply tell them about his "big win" with the North Koreans, and they'll believe him. In fact, he could have told them he brought North Korea's nukes home in his carry on luggage, and they would have believed that, too.
And this is why we haven't heard a peep out of Congressional Republicans. They are terrified of Trump supporters, so they continue to spout, as Trump does, that black is white and night is day.
But the rest of us know exactly what was lost in this negotiation. And the rest of us know exactly what the cost is of Trump's destroying all our international alliances, too, some that have taken decades to create and maintain.
That the Canadian Parliament votes to condemn Trump as he walks away with his claimed "win" in North Korea says everything. Our country is now an international pariah.
11
I cannot believe what I am reading. Apparently Mr. Kristof believes that the world is better off with the two leaders staring at each other from across the world threatening to unleash nuclear war. To mr Krisof 's state of mind it was an all or nothing full blown peace accord first time out or its a failure. HE GOT THE NK's TO THE TABLE, that in and of itself was a win. Neither side gave away anything. Military exercises serve no strategic or miltary purpose, they hold them to let the NK's know "we are thinking of them". No, you liberals are so blinded by your hatred that now you fear world peace will come in Donald Trumps term and he will be hailed as a savior. I have never particularly liked the guy but he deserves major credit for wat he has accomplished here and only a spiteful little man would deny him that. What does that make you Mr. Kristof?
6
First the verdict, then the trial.
2
Man it's really something reading these comments. Big-time cognitive dissonance from Trump haters. If you substituted Obama for Trump in the summit outcome your praise would be deafening. Of course there are many questions, but can't you give this a chance? The odds of Trump's re-election have gone up dramatically, and what makes this comical is the NYT crowd is only pushing those odds higher.
10
Agreed.
Kristof's silly piece and the comments on this board remind me of the right-wing hack jobs Obama's Iran deal was subjected to. It's nothing but pure partisanship.
We are so, so far away from this being anything beyond a hopeful first step. Why can't we have some hope, because it may make Trump look good?
I thought it was the right which was supposed to be so closed-minded. Oy!
3
I'm amazed that you can't see the irony of your comment. Obama negotiated a much tougher deal with Iran and five that included their getting rid of nuclear material and stopping Iran's nuclear program for 5 years, yet Trump and his supporters thought it was very weak. How you can now accuse the other side of not granting Trump a victory in this agreement that reads more like a a Miss America pageant answer is beyond me.
7
"In exchange for these concessions, Trump seems to have won astonishingly little. In a joint statement, Kim merely “reaffirmed” the same commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula that North Korea has repeatedly made since 1992."
Basically Trump sold the cow for some magic beans.
2
At a news conference Trump stated he could be wrong about Kim’s pledge to denuclearize but he’ll [Trump] never admit it, he’ll just make up an excuse. So how does this differ from his usual modus operandi? He’s been blaming others for his failures for decades.
This entire megabucks charade was about two peacocks strutting around, displaying their tail feathers, and showing off for each other. Except one was on the take and the other still hasn’t realized he’s the patsy. Trump ya got snookered.
I just watched the propaganda film that the White House produced for this "historic" meeting, starring Kim Jong-Un and Trump. It just defies belief. I want Trump's head examined by a real doctor. It shows Trump and Kim as buddies making world peace, walking practically hand-in-hand as attractive Koreans play in the marching military band. It was surreal. Also, Trump mentioned in his speech that he thinks North Korea has some prime real estate opportunities. What on earth is going on with this country????
5
There is a Chinese idiom that perfectly describes Trump's personality, and I translate it here literally - "Eat Soft, Not Eat Hard". The Chinese and the North Korean have figured him out. You stroke his ego, you get everything you want. The G-6 leaders tried to argue with Trump on principles, and they got nothing but grief from the bully. Let us not forget the fact that China and North Korea are ruled by Dictators. The question I ask is this - are we going to stroke his ego, too? Fox News is doing just that. If we all stroke his ego, we will build him up as our Dictator. SCARY.
1
this just reaffirms that like attracts like so we have to worry as blocks run by dictators coalesce with the implicit approval of the GOP. Where are the voices we need to hear?
2
You can always start the military exercises. So what was lost again?
5
profwilliams, it IS possible to let one's personal feelings interfere with objective journalism. That being said, I have not yet read a recent, or historical account of history that was written from a purely objective point of view. Nor have I yet to read comments to the New York Times that stated only facts and excluded the writers emotions, and that includes yours. I do hope you can see that.
"Hate" is a powerful word, yet often used quite loosely. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Hate is- intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury. So, unless Mr. Kristof has confided in you that, indeed he hates Donald Trump, your analysis of why he wrote today's column, and others, is pure conjecture on your part. Or, to put it another way, you wrote from your emotions, as we mere mortals are prone to do.
1
I can't imagine anyone thought that a terrible negotiator like Trump wasn't going to give away the store while getting nothing in return. I'd have been mightily amused if Kim had offered to throw in the Brooklyn Bridge as a free gift along with the rest of the deal
Trump was simply negotiating his next private business deal..like a Trump Tower in North Korea...history does repeat itself...it’s all about Trump and his pocketbook
Very much the "Straw Man"negotiation process. Firstly you conjure up an apparent conflict or opposition. Then you burst this balloon of smoke. Finally you claim credit for resolving a major problem..which never really existed in the first place.
1
Where are our “checks and balances? Where is more outrage? Doesn’t anyone see that Trump is mafia himself and working together with Putin - who assists Assad in brutally murdering nearly half a million Syrian civilians. Trump is working to bring down America and this will be the same strategy with Kim jong Un. I ask again - where is the outrage ? What is taking Mueller so long ?
2
If President Hillary Clinton behaved as Trump just behaved in Singapore what do you think the reaction would have been from the Republican-controlled congress would have been...they would be impeaching!
1
Trump did not go to Singapore to wrench concessions out of Kim. He will now leave the stage and allow diplomats and technical types do their work. President Moon adept at putting his fingers in the holes in the dike will prove again a solid partner. The Ringmaster of the show has done his job. Next up taking credit for the results crawling over Moon and Kim who deserve most of the credit.
War games are called that for reason. Halting these military games does no harm and might give Kim a warm glow. Cranking them back up requires very little effort. Kim got nothing for suspending testing of warheads and missiles last November. We need people who understand how to get to "yes" not scorekeepers in search of headlines. When war is not an option diplomacy is the only answer.
2
All I can think is: Wow! Mueller must have some really really really bad stuff on Trump. He's giving away the farm to save himself.
1
I would trade a bit of ‘Presidential prestige’ any day to avoid a nuclear strike on Los Angeles...
3
This column is unfair to Trump.
After all, Kim Jong-un has more experience than Trump at being a dictator.
3
It's hard to keep the faith that The Times is a sober commentator when, just a few days ago, this columnist called the Democrats "childish" for their skepticism about this vaudeville summit, when, in the interim, Trump attacked our allies and disparaged a time-tested status quo; and now embraces a murderer. Mr. Kristof's verdict on this that "there is something frankly weird" here.
"Something frankly weird"? Is this your best thinking?
3
I wonder how long it takes people like Kristoff to come up with something negative to say about Trump that can be made to look rational?
Every living creature owes President Trump a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid
1
This is a sight I never would have imagined. The president of the United States shaking hands with a murderous dictator who has watched his country suffer for years and who orders the death of anyone who opposes him!! What has happened to our country? How have we sunk so low?
3
They blew up their main if not only nuclear test site and there location for launching nuclear missiles. How is that nothing
1
Trump may be demented but he’s not stupid. Instead of saying he’s given away something for nothing, they should be asking, what’s in it for Trump? Viewed through the lens of fame and self enrichment, one possibly is that he’s been promised the right to build Trump Tower Pyongyang in a few years .
The US throwing South Korea under the bus is a big deal. The Kim family’s fondest goal is to reunite Korea under their family’s leadership.
I wonder how much more corruption the Republicans in Congress can stomach before they start worrying that by their inaction and lack of oversight, they have compromised their own and the whole country’s future.
3
The U.S. has agreed to forego military exercises in return for the same illusory promises given to the first George Bush.
The Great Negotiator Snookered in Singapore.
No nuclear-weaponized power has ever given up its weapons. None - Zero -Zilch - Niente.
North Korea is not going to de-nuke. It is that simple.
2
Mr Kristof you visited North Korea a few years ago and wrote about the injustices that the North Korean people suffer. You also spoke about how close we are to nuclear war with North Korea.
Whether you agree with President Trump's policies or accomplishments as leader of the US he still is the first US president that has sat down with a N. Korean leader in 75 years.
You find offense in Trump's words "very special bond" however Trump is just being a polite politician in the moment...what did you expect him to say while the world was observing.
Trump and Kim met for a brief period of time and signed some documents to get the ball rolling. But there is still plenty of work to be done and the ink has not even dried. Denuclearization is in the best interest
in the future history of the world. Who cares about human rights violations in North Korea if a good part of these people do not survive a potential holocaust.
2
Right, who cares about those silly human rights violations? Or Americans sent home in a coma? Or alienating our true friends, aka the rest of the world ? Except Putin and Kim and Duterte of course. Murderous dictator: trump’s greatest aspiration.
1
What? Didn't you tell us just days ago that Dems were behaving like children for saying the whole thing would be the sham it was? A little self-reflection please...
1
2020 cannot come soon enough.
2
As Victor Cha says in a neighboring op ed, "Don’t scoff. The Singapore summit is a first step toward peace."
The game is in maybe the second inning and already Kristof is calling the result. A perfect example of how Trump Derangement Syndrome makes quite rational people write things that are beneath them.
Here is my advice: (1) Give the process some time and (2) stop seeing it through the lens of your hatred for Trump.
6
Between the booming economy, the unraveling of the collusion lie, and peace on Earth the anti-Trump hate mongers on the left are coming completely unglued and totally unhinged
2
Perhaps. Or perhaps the donald has a new shiny, beautiful tower complex in a decade. Perhaps Ivanka has a new beautiful shiny factory where her goods are produced at even lower costs. Perhaps Putin and/or Xi shared their blackmail info on the donald with this funny leader of NK who loves his people.
The American voters who voted for this grifter are the ones who were outfoxed.
3
I found this meeting reminiscent of 1938, Chamberlain, Hitler and 'peace in our time'. I very much hope I'm wrong. There are differences: Chamberlain was not a compulsive liar, nor was he obsessed with 'the deal'. And he was genuinely seeking peace rather than self glorification and a nobel peace prize. But there are creepy parallels nevertheless. Anne Jolly, Tasmania Australia
2
Mr. Kristof - your dislike and contempt of Trump caused you to demonstrate a complete lack of objectivity in today’s NYT opinion piece. Get a grip on yourself! Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un served the interests of all Americans. The man may be contemptible, but yesterday marked an historic accomplishment in American diplomacy.
4
Folks, not to rain on anyone’s parade but the smokescreen is obvious. Trump’s acting is getting from bad to worse; and who else but Singapore, our Little Israel, gets to referee this pillow-fight. North Korea is the sales coordinator for the Thaad anti-missile program in the Pacific while China, the Rothschild proxy, feeds the pitbull. Japan, Taiwan and South Korea are mere customers that ring up the register. Moscow, on the other hand, promotes the David Sling and other bits in the Middle East, but that’s another story. You get the sense the New World Order is a double-end taser where one end is Tel Aviv, the other is Pyongyang and nations in between are simply conduits that make Banking and the Military Industrial Complex, work in tandem.
But if Trump came to Singapore with immediate demands causing an immediate souring between Trump and Kim; and the talks broke down back to the acrimony we're used to since 1950, Kristof and the rest of the Trump-derangement crowd would be ridiculing him for botching the best chance for peace in years. Oh, and Kristof would be urging him to go back to all the other armchair advice on dealing with North Korea that Kristoff has been peddling for 20 years that went nowhere .,.. other than increases in North Korea's nuclear weapons stockpile.
A Kristof analysis of how to deal with North Korea is about as reliable as a Paul Krugman economic prediction. Fuggedaboudit.
3
How much longer do we have to put up with this phoney in the white house. In terms of what he has done he should be fired.
Wow Mr. Kristof, I didn't know you had an invisibility cloak that allowed you to hear everything that was discussed.
Do we know what was actually discussed? Also, unlike other past presidents who folded and made to look like fools, do you really expect the mercurial and thin skinned Trump to stand for being played? I don't and I doubt Kim does either. He knows that if he breaks his agreement Trump will go after him with everything he can.
1
This is what a great President looks like! Is Obama watching and taking notes?
2
We are trying something that has never been done before.
President Trump is asking a country that fancies itself to be a nuclear power to give up its nuke program and its missile adventures altogether.
As tyrants often find themselves, Premier Short-Fat-Bad-Hair is surrounded by hardliners from his dad's time and half-figured he'd have been replaced if he did what some were saying going in to this deal.
So we prop up SFBH's international stature so he isn't dumped the next time he leaves his little kingdom and let's hope the next meeting does a lot more on a permanent basis.
Obama shied away frm this entire issue as badly as the Bushes and Clinton did, and then had the nerve to tell Trump in Jan. 2017 that the Norks were going to be a problem.
What a classy guy!
So Trump doesn't have to bow and scrape like Obama did once or twice and no aircraft have to fly into an airport at Oh-dark-thirty packing pallets of bundles of cash like Obama did in Tehran.
1
Trump is a bombastic nut and Kim is even more scared of him than the rest of us are. That's why Kim came to the table.
1
I just finished reading the entire Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which was linked in this piece.
I strongly suggest readers review it; then look once again at the photograph of Kim and Trump at the top of this piece.
This 'summit' was a very calculated play by Kim. There is no way Trump is talking to what he thinks he is talking to.
1
If Obama had suspended military exercises in the Mohave Desert he would have received a Nobel Prize. I thought liberals hated the military. Now Kristoff can’t live with exercises? We’re talking bout exercises. Not games. Exercises. Not games. Exercises.
2
That's what you get for thinking. I'm sure there are a lot of misconceptions about liberals. One of them is that they hate the military, they don't. The other is, that they like illegal's running across the border, which isn't true either, they just want them to be treated with the dignity due a human being, not like the trash that the right says they are. If Obama had done what Trump did, end the war games, exercises whatever, the right would have had a fit, they still would be talking about it. In fact I'm sure Hannity, and Limbaugh would still be denigrating Obama, over that.
You seem a tad upset that Obama won a Nobel Prize and Trump didn't and won't.
1
A news pundit mentioned before the summit meeting that the translators would take copious notes and we should get to see those notes. That intrigued me and surprised me and, unsurprisingly, I haven't heard a thing since about getting the translators' notes.
We need those notes and in the spirit of transparency, Trump should release them or perhaps they could be gotten through a FOIA? Those notes of what Trump and Kim REALLY said should be released.
2
Democrats have finally stumbled on to their mid term platform.
They will be running hoping the economy crashes and the peace initiative fails. I’m not sure how that’s going to change many votes in the heartland.
3
The "I'm a great negotiator" got took. Exactly what country does he love? Apparently not the U.S..
Thank God for President Trump. What he has done brings us closer to Korea peace than we have been in six decades.
2
I'm writing this before I read the comments. This article is the first I've read concerning the meeting in Singapore and I shall not read another. If we understand narcissism we understand Donald Trump. If we have to deal with him it can be only with total agreement and flattery. He's dangerous. If we are to survive as a country positive things must be done without his involvement.
5
It's difficult of late to open your newspaper in the hope of finding sense and clarity in an unstable world. Nicholas Kristof's commentary on Trump's vaudeville diplomacy explains that "There was also something frankly weird about an American president savaging Canada’s prime minister one day and then embracing the leader of the most totalitarian country in the world."
"Something frankly weird"?
We're watching a wrenching change in American diplomacy and in our place in the world. We need clarity. What are we as your hopeful readers to make of language that sounds like a remark overheard in a junior high?
1
I do not agree with those who say that at least Trump has walked us back from the brink of war. Trump was all bluster and had no intention of starting a war. If push came to shove, would he ever have the guts? At most the chance of war has been slightly reduced if at all.
Kim got a meeting of equals with POTUS and that is a win for him. But I doubt that Trump will keep his promise to end "war games" much longer that Kim will keep his vague promises to "denuclearize."
Trump's love for Kim will last as long as his love for Macron did.
1
When two megalomaniacs meet for diplomatic negotiations, it’s an insult to statecraft. It’s frightening to think that these two leaders were saber rattling in the most puerile terms to the horror of the South Korean people only a few months ago. An agreement forged between two mentally unstable men could unravel with one unsavory tweet. Trump takes credit for being a maverick who will accomplish what no president has been able to do before him, but he has no grasp of history, diplomacy nor humanity. Rather than trust the media moment between a dictator and a reality TV star, a multilateral agreement must be forged with the input of China, Japan and South Korea. Trump only sows chaos as a function of his disordered ego. No good can emerge from what transpired in Singapore.
2
I have a very different view. This Opinion writer wasn’t in the room. He has absolutely no idea what was discussed, yet he just knows the President was hoodwinked? Why, because he can’t stand Trump, and thinks that a businessman can’t negotiate on such delicate matters as well as our former lead from behind, community organizing junior Senator and former President Obama. I also believe a lot more was already agreed on and told what would happen (militarily) if it were not agreed on well in advance of this meeting. Dictator Un has no where to go and no place to hide. This is the only card in the deck. He didn’t even get a chance to draw it. It was shoved to him. China doesn’t want a mass exodus of starving North Koreans flooding in to their country, and the little dictator wants to survive too.
3
I guess it’s fairly obvious that President Trump will never get the benefit of the doubt in some quarters. I don’t care what you personally think of him but by sitting down with Mr Kim he has stopped the chance of any war with the DPRK at least temporarily. Since we have no idea what was said between the two leaders themselves, then it is arrogant for this author to assume that Trump gave up too much by freezing US joint military operations with South Korea. We’ve been doing these exercises for many years so will it really matter preparation-wise if we stopped for a while now? No, of course not. We can agree to disagree but I think Trump has done the right thing by giving s concession that really riled the North Koreans. It’s a smart move no matter what any opinion writer thinks.
4
Why should Trump get a pass, when the right won't give Obama one.
By admitting that staging war exercises was expensive and seemed belligerent Trump may have caused Kim to look at his own military expense and realize what that money can do for the good of his own people. Let's not curse the darkness here but keep lighting more candles as relations improve.
1
At the risk of oversimplification, the nuclear matter - fearsome as it may be to S. Korea and Japan - is just noise designed to disguise Kim's ultimate goal: "reunification" of the Korean peninsula under his control. He won't give up his nukes, no matter what he seems to promise, and Trump seems willing to give up America's standing in the Pacific. Trump is just angling for a "win", whether it's truly a win or not. He'll try to make it seem so, as he already has. Don't fall for it, people. Kim is not only vicious and power hungry; he's wily, too.
1
I do give Trump credit for being willing to talk with Kim. It's always puzzled me that we never want to talk to dictators because it'd give them legitmacy; as though if we pretend they don't exist they'll just go away. Facing reality and understanding we have to deal with the world we have is a good development.
Unfortunately, Trump is also so desperate for a deal to show he's the great deal maker he appears to be willing to sell out South Korea and Japan . The reason why we conduct joint exercises with South Korea is so that our forces are properly trained. Not having a trained military is dangerous. My fear is that he'll agree with troop withdraw which signals that America can't be trusted. It'll also push Japan to re-militarize. They'd have no choice since they couldn't count on the United States. American troops in South Korea and Japan aren't just about North Korea or about some relic of the past. They're deterrent against China and Russia. I'm not sure Trump understands that
1
Simply suspending planned military games is not the withdrawal of American forces from the Pacific. Those exercises can be switched on or off, based on Kim's behavior.
2
President Trump is fixated on winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and the stream of revenue he will derive from showcasing it at his various properties. As a result, he will sign any treaty with North Korea that he can coble together (e.g. Peace Treaty ending 70-year old war or unverifiable nuclear disarmament treaty) oblivious of facts and repercussions just to get the prize won!
1
Very interesting what Trump said, "[paraphrased] I trust him, and he trusts me".
For me a bit oxymoronic that a con man says that the other con man trust one another. Go figure...
1
In a sane world, the USA would also give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for other countries giving up theirs as well. But we are not sane, or even close. It's all about holding our position as the biggest and baddest monster, just to scare anybody else away. Denuclearization of the United States is never even mentioned ~ we are, in fact, insane.
The cup of sour grape juice runneth over. The irredeemable progressive critics suddenly shed crocodile tears for suffering North Koreans they never gave two hoots about until now when it gives them a chance to rain on Donald Trump's remarkable parade. Fortunately, most Americans are not taken in by the blather in the elitist echo chamber, and understand full well that it is historic moments like today's that rapidly yield positive results on the human rights front. Donald Trump already has his legacy guaranteed, while hissy fits like Nicholas Kristof's only induce more voters to join the Republican wave.
3
Outfoxed? That would assume he cared about the US. If you look at it through the lens of possible enrichment for Trump and his family, he was not outfoxed.
There is a reason this article is on the "opinion page" and not a news story. Although I doubt that matters to most liberals, who regularly use polls as facts. This article continually spouted how the US didn't receive much in return, and breezed over the fact the talks and negotiations would be continued by trained personnel in the near future. The reality is; there isn't much to get from North Korea. Best case get Rocket Man to stop making public threats, and allow China to go in and ensure safer nuclear handling procedures. Sure maybe someday talks will progress enough to allow doctors without boarders come in and tackle their intestinal parasite problems, maybe dig a few wells and bolster some better crop irrigation. But what do people expect from a first time meeting in almost 30 years? You can feel the simple hate for Trump dripping out of the comment section, not allowed to have any wins before the next elections (tax cuts are popular, unemployment is low, wall is going up, hurtful regulations being tossed, etc etc etc). The fact is North Korea is so far behind the power curve, any arrangement is going to benefit them more than US. Best thing we could get out of the deal is a DMZ troop withdraw (not a full withdrawal because Korea is still strategic) maybe trade some coal for rice and some John Deer trackers.
2
Strange that so many commenters here have become so "hawkish"!
Military exercises are a show of force just to annoy your opponents. And spend lots of money! Good for morale.
To advocate annoying a somewhat "erratic" dictator during peace negotiations is ludicrous.
Do you think embarrassing Kim would in anyway help? Do you think he doesn't know our military capabilties?
Is a show of force necessary, or just part of the traditional foreign policy used by his predecessors that has created an enemy that can destroy New York at his pleasure... War Games will not alter that possibility.
At least Trump, for all his many flaws, seems to be actually want to get a deal done to end this threat rather than and play games!...His real estate is at risk!
The war games can be rescheduled when needed.
2
Have the Russians have been sending him subliminal messages ever since the last time he visited Moscow? It certainly seems that way.
"Create a loud rift with Nato!"
"Impose high tariffs on all allies!"
"Demand Russia be re-admitted to the G7!"
"Say it doesn't matter that Russia invaded and annexed a country because that was 'a while ago'"
"Go meet with North Korea and heap lots of praise on its leader."
I'd say the self-proclaimed Master Negotiator failed bigly (once again). Kim won a substantial victory just by meeting with the American president. Then he won a major concession from Trump in the cancellation of military exercises. And finally, Kim got Trump to parrot his propaganda. In exchange, Trump got the latest in a series of broken promises to denuclearize. That basically amounts to nothing, as the Kim regime has historically shown itself to be about as trustworthy as Donald Trump.
Trump will, of course, spin this as a Major Win, and Fox News will trumpet the victory to Trump's adoring fans. But by any objective measure Kim has conned Trump, perhaps as much as Trump conned voters into believing he's a populist who will "be their voice." It's not surprising if Kim and Trump actually did get along swimmingly. They're both narcissistic con men who recognize and admire their own kind. Very dangerous.
2
The first round went clearly to Kim Jong-un, who, contrarily to Donald Trump, had thoroughly readied himself for the meeting over the last years, and in 2017 proved to the USA that NK had finally acquired the ability to atomically hit their soil. They have at long last a trump in the hand to force the US President to seat at the negotiation table. In Europe, we see Trump as just being moved around by the nose-ring. Kim Jong-un's readiness to seat with Trump has nothing to do with the bravado of the US President, and much less of the 57-year-old, tattoo and piercing freak, ex-basketballer Dennis Rodman, who claims to be the éminence-grise behind the encounter. Kim Jong-un is the one that dictates the règles du jeux.
“I am just not sure a leader should get credit for defusing a crisis that he himself created“. A pertinent remark by Mr. Nicholas Kristof.
Trump needs a "tremendous, bigly" success before the 6th of November. G7 and NK didn't deliver it; on the contrary. And the US President is getting nervous and making errors with unpredictable consequences.
1
cancellation of exercises can easily be walked back if the north does nothing to curtail its nuclear program. trump cares absolutely nothing about the people living in the north and neither do i. kim can do whatever he wants with the people under his control. the US has lived with being the target of nuclear adversaries for nearly 70 years. we can live with the north korea as a nuclear adversary if we can reduce the likely hood it will launch an attack on the US.
1
I think I have it: Trump is trying to lull Kim into a false sense of security. Meanwhile, Kim has actually lulled Trump into a false sense of security
3
"Trump made a huge concession — the suspension of military exercises with South Korea. That’s on top of the broader concession of the summit meeting itself, security guarantees he gave North Korea and the legitimacy that the summit provides his counterpart, Kim Jong-un."
The question of "legitimacy" is an absurd concept, but one that US pundits are obsessed with today. As abhorrent as the North Korean regime might be, they are a nuclear-armed country whose government is recognized by every country in the world. They don't need "legitimacy." This is little more than a term used by US pundits with their imperialism-tinted glasses.
As for the rest - yeah, Trump gave Kim a lot. Everyone seems to forget that Trump's word is worth nothing. I fully expect the military exercises and saber-rattling to continue once Trump realizes he was duped.
1
Trump said he'd be able to predict the outcome of the summit within a minute of meeting Kim.
The rest of us were way ahead of you.
Sound and fury, signifying nothing.
4
Neither Trump nor Kim have any intention of upholding whatever agreements they have made; both are well-known for backing out of or blowing up not just oral agreements, but written treaties, as well. This was nothing more than a photo op dog-and-pony show for both of them. Ah, well- Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
6
One guy was prepared, the other wasn't. One walks away with what he wanted and the other is happy with the deal.
"Let's talk later, okay? Safe trip, see yah."
3
Outfoxed? Foxes are very smart beasts. Smart for beasts, that is. Nary a one of them ever wrote a sonnet or even a Limerick. Trump is in that league. He understands the undergrowth of TV, and was schooled in it by skilled producers for years. But does he understand symbolism? He rants about footballers who don't stand for the anthem and disrespect the flag. but he puts the flag in the same company as the flag of the dirtiest dictator on earth. Trump's symbolism is important even if Trump doesn't get it.
2
In Trump's addled mind, the actual content of this deal is irrelevant. He's only concerned about making people THINK it was a brilliant coup. All the superlatives (fantastic, successful, very special, a great relationship, etc.) are designed to bamboozle his fans into thinking he pulled off the negotiation of the century. The sad thing is they will eat it up, and see him as the conquering hero who outfoxed the little dictator guy.
Note that his "fans" includes Congressional Republicans who will surely refrain from criticizing Trump for giving away the store and getting warmed over lip service in return. All those hawks who used to at least stand for a strong military have now been declawed and neutered out of fear of Trump's voters.
1
Trump can always revert to his regular practice of reneging. I wonder what we will see next.
1
It seems unlikely that anyone but President Trump and his closest associates would know about his near-term strategies or any specifics that he and Kim may be preparing to address in the wake of this initial handshake. Any deficiencies in President Trump's negotiating skills that are alleged in this article should, in all fairness, take at least as long to measure as it took his unsuccessful predecessor to validate his own. Hopefully, these NK outcomes will be weighed on the basis of their value instead of pre-conceived notions, political motivations or naked pathologies.
1
"Trump made a huge concession — the suspension of military exercises with South Korea."
.
We are talking about the lying, cheating and no-bill-paying New Yorker, right? Maybe, if Kim backslides, those military exercises get back on the schedule. And, the NYT can "rightly" say, Trump reneged.
It's naive to believe that Trumps actions aren't based on the glorification of Trump. Kim is also an unstable egomaniac but much shrewder. He has done nothing yet and Trump has made a major concession, cancellation of joint military exercises. Kim himself couldn't have it any better than he already has so why should he invite domestic unrest by opening up his country to the outside world? He certainly isn't motivated by the welfare of his people. If I were Kim my immediate strategy would calculated to eventually remove the US military presence in South Korea.
This is like two football coaches agreeing to play a game. Everyone is so psyched the game is going to be played. The coach of the other team is brutal. He uses players with no helmets or pads. The other coach wants to play the game so bad, he agrees to the game, calls the other coach a talented and great coach and doesn’t even bring up the lack of equipment. And then suggests he receive coach of the year award. For getting the game on the schedule. And football fans cheer him on.
1
Indeed, Mr Un has every reason to be broadly smiling in that picture. Mr. Kristof seem to give Trump a mulligan since the alternative could potentially be war. I would argue that there is a better way to prevent war than giving in to every NK position, liking him and declaring that he's good for his people?!?
GOP congress and Fox News, what say you?
1
I'm sure other commentators have mentioned this, but what 45 got with this is the opportunity to say, "I did what no other president could -- sat down with the leader of North Korea." Everything is about the sound bite. The man has about as much substance as that wisp of hair at the front of his head. Many of his supporters will echo his talking point -- "I did what no one else could." They won't realize that no one else did because to have the American president sit face to face with the leader of North Korea is a win for the leader of North Korea. Now that Kim has given up nothing and gained legitimacy and more, who is the fool? the president, that's who.
2
Trump will take credit for negotiating another “great” deal, and his sycophantic followers will extoll his virtues, but in fact he “negotiated” nothing. Kim is shrewd. He knew his nukes would give him enough leverage to get to the negotiating table, and he timed their final development to coincide with our election of a weak leader. We played into his hands by electing an incompetent president who can be manipulated so easily that he doesn’t even know a bad deal when he sees one. The only thing Trump can take credit for is that this embarrassing debacle happened on his watch, precisely because he is incapable of seeing what really happened.
1
Trump got a vague agreement from a man he savaged a few months ago, creating a crisis that Trump now claims is fixed. He has nothing but compliments for an enemy while he attacked a great ally only a couple of days earlier.
This is business as usual for Trump and his administration. Kim definitely won more than Trump, not only in the concession of no military exercises but even more so in Trump adopting Kim's terms for those exercises. Kim can go home triumphant while Trump tries to figure out what he did wrong. I doubt he will.
I am pleased that you highlighted the fact that Trump now wants adulation for calming down a threatening situation that he caused.
6
"One can argue that my perspective is too narrow..." No really Nicholas?
Apparently Trump threatening to turn North Korea into a lump of charcoal and acting twice as arrogant as Kim had nothing to do with it . At that time pundits complained that Trump was going to start WWWIII, destabilize the region, etc etc. Yep that's sure what did not happen.
Furthermore Nicholas seems to think all of the details, timetables and such had to be hammered out by lunch time for this trip to be successful. Get over it, like the election, Trump won in taking this first step. Of course it does not mean all is going to end well. Time will tell that story. It certainly will not be Nicolas who has yet to get anything right concerning Trump.
1
"Kim seems to have completely out-negotiated Trump, and it’s scary that Trump doesn’t seem to realize this."
Wrong. Trump doesn't care that he gave away the farm as long as Republicans, Fox News and the "both sides do it" media spread the Party Line. It's easier now that the Republican Party and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's party line are the same. Shame on Republicans.
5
"The most remarkable aspect of the joint statement was what it didn’t contain. There was nothing about North Korea freezing plutonium and uranium programs, nothing about destroying intercontinental ballistic missiles, nothing about allowing inspectors to return to nuclear sites, nothing about North Korea making a full declaration of its nuclear program, nothing about a timetable, nothing about verification, not even any clear pledge to permanently halt testing of nuclear weapons or long-range missiles."
.... and he is the one calling the Iran Nuclear Agreement the "worst deal in American history". Who is he trying to fool?!
1
I worry much more about losing my political freedom to Donald Trump and the Republicans than I do about losing my life to Kim Jon-Un, despicable and dangerous as he is. For me, Donald Trump is the clear and present danger, not Kim. So, yes, I don't want to anything to happen that helps him or the Repubs in 2018, even if it would be otherwise constructive (which in practice would never happen - but let's allow that it might). We need him, and them, out of the White House and out the Capitol a lot more than we need anything from Kim.
2
Let’s see. A year ago President Trump was called a warmonger, ratcheting up his anti Kim Jong Un rhetoric to red hot. He was about to start a war. Now a year later, the same people are calling him a dunce for meeting Kim, de escalating the threats and moving American troops away the DMZ while pursuing peace. It looks like whatever President Trump does, Nicholas Kristof, the self appointed NK “expert”, will find fault. I swear, he’s rooting for America’s failure.
3
It's about moving his brand. Did you hear him talking about the beaches of North Korea? He's already thinking about putting up another Trump Hotel. He isn't interested in nukes or no nukes. He's interested in Trump.
3
I usually am in agreement with Mr. Kristof on most anything he writes about, but I'm not in full agreement here. The main narrative in most articles in the times is that Trump got played, made major concessions with nothing in return. However that's not quite true. Even though the deal point memo they signed totally lacks specifics on implementation, it does set forth basic principals of what the two nations are aiming for. Yes, Kim can play this false like every other North Korean dictator has, but it certainly sets the stage for further intricate discussions on the technical issues. We'll see what that brings. The fact that N. Korea dismantled their main ICBM launch pads is NOT insignificant. I firmly do not like President Trump and hope he gets impeached, but I'm willing to admit if he actually pulls this off, it is a worthwhile achievement and should be supported. Don't forget the U.S. is not removing any sanctions until there is a verifiable significant stop to N. Korea's nuclear program. The sanctions are hurting them very much. The carrot is to open up trade and investment there, and its possible that Kim Jong-un maybe the 1st ruler to understand how that can help his country. I say stay this course and see what happens. Nothing really significant has bee given by the U.S. besides acknowledgment of N. Korea. Maybe that's the right thing to do to bring them into the world more.
1
For the posters who praise Trump's optics: At the end of the day, optics fail to translate into lasting geo-political power, economic relationships, and world esteem.
While Trump may be pleasing his base, North Korea, and Putin, that does that make the US safer if N. Korea has given nothing but words. The US's historical allies do not love us more if they see Trump as dumping a redhead for a blond - it's just disloyalty, fickleness, and betrayal no matter how you slice it.
When a nuclear agreement had economic benefits such as Iran purchasing Boeing jets, that made the US safer and stronger economically, Mr. Trump just blew it up to look for a new girlfriend in N. Korea.
In time, the citizens of the US will understand what the rest of the world already knows: Mr. BoneSpurs is a second rate cad.
1
Excellent description of the "Summit", Mr. Kristof. If Trump had even an ounce of good sense, he'd be aware of how he's lowered himself, and by extension the United States of America, by having such a high-profile meeting with a dictator of a country that has so ravaged its citizens that many, many of them are much, much smaller and thinner than their South Korea counterparts.
4
So lets get this straight, Trump is not going to get us into a war that the liberals promised would happen. He cancels yearly military exercises that happened last month. But what he has not done is sent plane loads of cash, pull all our troops out of the region and blame South Korea as the underlying problem. (Insert Obama, Iran, Iraq and Israel in to that last sentence to understand the irony). Trump made a meaningless concession that won't have American and SOKO troops running up and down the beach together. (The can still do strategic level war games together) This was a no cost move to see NOKO follow through. If in six months, no progress the exercise gets rescheduled. The really is that Kim wants chicken nuggets over nuke and would like nothing more than to play China vs the US for economic benefits. At the end this is a game Trump knows how to win.
6
Trump legitimized a dictator that used a nuclear weapons program to bring the U.S. president down to his level.
You have nothing but your belief in Trump to back up your prediction. He got nothing. He conceded much.
Obama did the opposite with Iran, whether you like it or not... and I think you know but are deceitfully ignoring the fact that the plane load of cash was, in fact, Iran's own money. Playing with facts is a dangerous game.
2
Sadly, I agree with you. Kim is driving this negotiation, and he can stall, delay, or end it. This is no real estate transaction, and there are rarely do-overs.
4
I think Trump got exactly what he wanted...Winning Theater. Nothing else really matters to him and I don't agree that he was out snookered. He just isn't negotiating on our behalf.
15
Let me begin by saying that I am no fan of Donald Trump. That said, I wonder if the events in Singapore were exactly what was needed to move Kim Jong Un in a direction that begets a positive future.
Kim is clearly a big ego guy, and he clearly feels that he "gets no respect" for most of the rest of the world. By meeting with him one on one, treating him in a friendly fashion and conveying generally positive regard, Trump may well have offered the most emotionally persuasive strategy for real change. That is to say, if Kim Jong Un can be led to believe in the possibility of an open and affluent society in North Korea, of which he is now the highly respected and well liked head of government, this prospect may well encourage him to make changes.
In assessing this most recent meeting I think we might be best served by considering the emotional psychology of North Korea's leader, rather than the history of past political negotiations.
7
That's naive on your part. Trump gave Kim everything he wanted, without getting anything in return.
The political establishment in DC has been outfoxed for the last thirty years at least by the North, and has run out of ideas for handling the North, if it ever had any to begin with. Under their guidance, the North has acquired nukes and missiles. If Obama or Clinton had handled new negotiations, you can be sure we would have finished with more the same--empty promises and an even better armed North in the end.
Trump is trying something new.
9
By "something new" you mean surrender? Because that's basically what Trump did. And all he got was...more empty promises with no verification.
Yes, the "I don't like to read or study" approach. The "I'm so ignorant I think I'm knowledgeable" approach that tells him he does not need to prepare, he'll size up his opponent in 5 minutes because he's, you know, so smart. This approach has worked so well for him through all his bankruptcies, something we can't verify, but he keeps telling us it has and he's very truthful and such, except when he's not.
Just because something has not worked well in the past does not mean something worse will work better in the future.
1
Maybe (though it's too early to tell), but you don't want a war, do you?
We have already surrendered--that's been our policy down to the present.
I haven't quite got the words for this yet - but the bit about Trump's press conference that got me was where he was insisting that he hadn't given anything up to Kim in agreeing to meet with him. I guess part of this is him never admitting to being outdone - but I think a lot of it is that still, after 1-1/2 years, he doesn't understand what being the President of the United States means - in terms of prestige, of influence, of responsibility. That's why he doesn't see that he is giving Kim prestige by meeting with him, he doesn't understand that his position is a prestigious one. That's why he can agree to stop military exercises without discussing it with the countries most impacted by that, he has no sense that, as the representative of the U.S., he has some responsibilities to others (which is also why he can blow off treaties and allies). He still doesn't understand what he is and what that means on the world stage, and he never will. And I still can't guess how badly that will hurt us all.
24
mmwhite,
Very well say, thank you!
The suspension of expensive military exercises doesn't sound like much of a concession. We should have been out of Korea 60 years ago.
If North Korea doesn't de-nuke, then the agreement is broken and void. A little early to judge details and enforcement.
10
Chances that someone from the NYT would say anything positive about Trump's meeting with Kim (or anything else) regardless of the outcome. Zero.
10
John, what could be less open-minded than what you write here about the citizens of an entire US city?
1
If someone wants to confiscate my gun, and that person continues to wield a gun outside my house, shall I give up my gun ? Same with N Korea.
3
Correct, as long as it's clear that the U.S. has been wielding its guns "outside North Korea's house" for more than six decades.
1
It's amazing how there are more cold-warriors in the corporate-media than there are in the Beltway! I wonder how Kristof would feel (or react) if twice yearly bunch of guys threw mock-grenades in his backyard!
5
Liberal hypocrisy is genuinely astonishing. When Trump was not backing down from Korean threats, he was dragging us into a war. Now that he got Kim to sit down and dialogue -- the first President EVER to accomplish that with the hermit kingdom -- he's just an appeaser and sucker for Kim. Honestly, if Trump made it rain one hundred dollar bills in your back yard, you'd be screaming to have him arrested for littering.
9
Sitting down with Kim is not an accomplishment at all, and this is NOT the first time a US president has done so. It's the first time it happened in 1-on-1 talks, but that's because the US always rejected 1-on-1 talks in the past. Excluding South Korea, Japan, and China from the talks was in and of itself a concession to North Korea.
2
No surprise at all that Trump thinks he was a fabulous success at this ridiculous summit. He's an ongoing walking, talking Dunning-Kruger effect laboratory.
13
I'm sure that his royal highness will be expecting the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to him next week. If not, look out Sweden.
11
What Trump gave away re the suspension of military exercises only makes sense if he got concessions behind the scenes. This seems unnatural for a creature like "The Great Divider", who likes to look like a good negotiator, if not possess the upper hand in other public ways, so it's to wonder if Mr Kristof is correct that he gave too much away. If Trump is willing to revisit these joint exercises if Kim is too slow (by a decent standard) in moving toward (at best) opening up North Korean nukes to international jurisdiction, then this deal--whatever it is, and much is probably hidden--has some wisdom behind it. It surely takes doing something unusual like suspension of these exercises to keep the good will train moving.
It's less that Trump "likes to look like a good negotiator" and more that he BELIEVES he's a good negotiator. Trump always thinks he's done great in negotiations, but in reality he's absolutely terrible at making deals.
1
>>> "What Trump gave away re the suspension of military exercises only makes sense if he got concessions behind the scenes."
Really? So, if I'm your hostile neighbor who has been marching up and down the property line for years, would it "only make sense" for me to stop if you agreed to make concessions to me?
Don't you think it just might "make sense" to stop the show of force, as a gesture of good faith, to encourage the neighbor to engage in further good-faith negotiations?
Trump's goal was to build a new Trump hotel resort on the beach. Tell me it wasn't!
17
It wasn't. Why would anyone build a luxury resort on the beach of a country where the people can't afford food and fuel, let alone luxury vacations. Silly idea.
1
Trump knows how to stroke a guy just right because he needs that same stroking of his own ego. He thinks he is playing Kim to his own advantage, namely that he has reduced tensions in Korea. But he threw South Korea under the bus to do it. In Trumpworld, he can tell Kim he will suspend joint military exercises and then under some imagined slight, deny that he ever promised that or any part of the agreement. In fact, note carefully that the written agreement does not include this promise from Trump and on the other side Kim may have promised some form of "de-nuclearization" but there are no details of that in the agreement. These two megalomaniacs think they are negotiating a masterful move toward peace. We observers only see that the emperors have no clothes and are merely prancing about in a pas de deux with nothing intended but to hold the world's attention. We now enter the usual Trump waiting period which, typically in a few days ends with a complete reversal and denial by Trump of ever having promised anything at all. We used to be aghast at this then we took it as entertainment and now we are extremely bored.
5
There's a lot of crazy things Trump does, but attempting to beat up the PM of Canada and then next day coddling the most brutal dictator on the planet is abhorrent.
Trump is truly the Manchurian Candidate doing the bidding of Putin, Xi and now Kim.
When will the Republicans in congress stand up for America?? So sad.
29
"Outfoxed" is very funny indeed.
He was also "out-friended"...
3
Who offered the idea of stopping US-South Korea joint mil exercises? A large poor first step for South Korea, a great first jump on track for possible unification under under KJU.
5
The way this is going, I strongly suggest that every Trumpist needs to get their younger kids and grandkids ready to go fight.
Because I figure that in about twenty years, after we finish trashing our allies and NATO, after we bail on South Korea and Japan and Vietnam and Australia, after China balloons, after we let the little people go hang, after we finally make it clear enough that we can no longer be trusted, after we lose our educational and technological edges, after we shrink back into a fantasy of national isolation...
Well, we will have to fight.
10
Next. What will Iran do? Also, what will China do in the South China Sea?
1
Cognitive dissonance is never pretty when viewed in real time.
6
I share the opinion that Trump did look unprepared, and the 'concessions' (i.e., denuclearization) are vague. However, the fact that a US-NK relationship that was practically non-existent (except confrontational ones) until now is happening, and that this momentum might actually bring about the resolution of war in the Korean peninsula, the event itself is extremely significant.
Also, nuclear weapons is everything to NK. Without nukes, NK no longer has diplomatic leverage on its own. The fact that NK has put denuclearization on the table without asking US to do the same is already a huge deal. To US, a denuclearized Korean peninsula is a worthy concession, at least in the long run. Sure, the details are missing (e.g., having regular checks by IAEA etc.) in the deal, but the promise to completely denuclearize still stands nonetheless, and US can repeal its commitments whenever it feels NK is not reciprocating enough as well.
Lastly, I'm not a fan of Trump, but I think that this deal might have been possible precisely because it was Trump, and Kim took the opportunity. What I mean by this, is that previous 'negotiations' with NK always failed in terms of resolving nuclear weapons AND human rights. Kim saw Trump as a 'businessman' who was not too entangled with moral issues such as the abysmal state of human rights in NK, and he was right. Trump could overlook the matter of human rights and even recognize Kim as a legitimate ruler of NK without any problem.
3
North Korea has promised denuclearization a dozen previous times, and those promises were always lies. They also came as part of deals that actually involved some sort of verification process. This one doesn't.
I guess now, that Mr Kim and Trump are going to build a wall between North and South and make South Korea pay for it
6
We have just seen a $20 million photo op paid for by Singapore in which the US gained nothing. The President of the US met with a leader who murdered over 400 people including members of his own family noting that Rocketman was a very talented guy. What a disgrace.
16
The conman trump was conned by another bigly conman.
No matter what happens nor how bad it may (or may not) turnout con don trump will claim ALL credit IF ANYthing favorable transpires. And absolutely NO responsibility for any failings of this so called summit in Singapore. He even let that slip in his throw away comments.
Trump lies, lies, LIES. People may die, but who cares as long as trump and republicans make more money. Party OVER Country. THAT's what they stand for.
Resist. Rebuke. VOTE Them OUT.
17
Trump isn’t the only one who’s been snookered. So has most of the American media and, indeed, the public. Think about it: an agreement between two known pathological liars. Kind of an oxymoron, don’t you think?
16
I like Nicholas Kristof a good deal but what American elites lack is an appreciation of the needs/wants of the other side. Can you think of any nuclear power which has been overthrown by his/her own people or others? North Korea has an ironcast guarantee against revolution or regime change.? Would Kim have it otherwise? What concessions would North Korea need to forgo Nuclear Weapons? What concessions would the U.S.A. need to denuclearize?
Oddly, assuming Kim does not want to commit suicide for himself or his own people the best we can do is foster large exchanges of personnel between the U.S. and North Korea. Once the North Korean military and other elites realize how poorly they live relative to the rest of the world, the regime will liberalize or end. The real issue is to alleviate the suffering of the bulk of the North Korean people. Kim will not use Nuclear Weapons unless attacked. As long has he has them and they are functional this would not happen.
3
After a meeting with a ruthless dictator, we have peace in our time. Why does this sound familiar?
9
It's troubling enough that Trump gave away the military exercises and provided increased status to a criminal against humanity (in exchange for nothing), but worse than that, he is embracing every unsavory dictator and butcher while pushing away the allies and friends who've helped keep the world safe for 70 years. And why? Because he says whatever comes into his head with no regard for the facts? Because he doesn't want to feel inferior at the G7? He knows our allies already have intelligence on his collusion during the campaign? Because he's a contrarian who envies and hates Obama and wants to prove he can do things 'no one else every has'? WHY? And his supporters fall right in line, giving away our country day by day. It's maddening. A literal nightmare.
12
If you talk with this president trying to reason with facts, you get viciously attacked, even if you are an ally looking for the mutual benefit of all countries involved. However if you use flattery and empty rhetoric, you can get away with murder, since he doesn't know (or care to know) even the basics of complex international situations. This keeps happening over and over again.
The fact that he gets along so famously with the worst dictators in the world but mistreats democratic leaders is terribly disturbing.
15
For some odd reason I think that Russia and China are calling the shots in this situation.
What exactly, did South Korea, Japan or the United States get for agreeing to halt military exercises on the Korean border?
Trump is really a lousy negotiator- his oversized ego always gets in the way.
7
Meanwhile, over at the Fox News website, they're leading with "DOJ's Rosenstein threatened to 'subpoena' GOP-led committee in 'chilling' clash over records: emails". There is an article about Trump's reversal and policy give-away that's pretty straight forward, but I had to scroll down to find and read it. Amazing.
9
Pretty early to call this a win for Kim, etc. Shows how even a good writer like Kristof is guilty of "keeping score" for the first inning when the game has a few more innings left. Kim needs to lower his dependency on China and restart his economy. This little summit by itself is not the victory he needs. Lets see where this game goes.
1
I must say that I've always support direct talks with "enemies". I favored Reagan's doing so when many conservatives were having fits over the prospect. On balance, talk is better than most alternatives.
So talk, just don't do stupid.
In this case, although nothing of substance was accomplished, both Trump and Kim accomplished their aims. Trump got a photo op, which, for him, is a big deal. He'll crow (and lie) for months. Kim also got a photo op, one that will play well in the homeland, especially those parts showing a fawning Trump. Kim also got the long desired international recognition and Trump's "pledge" to halt those long bothersome joint military exercises (of course, he could be lying).
In these early innings, Kim takes the lead. Trump mostly talks, and attacks allies. Currently, I'd say Kim, 2-0.
7
A less biased column would have trumpeted (pun intended) the fact that the President demanded and Kim agreed to allow Wisconsin to export all the cheese it wants to export to North Korea completely free of tariffs.
Take that, Trudeau!
8
Human rights violations in NK may indeed not have a parallel anywhere in the world, but it strikes me as strange that so many commentators think the USA has any moral authority to raise human rights as an issue with a foreign country.
We imprison more people than the North Koreans, both per capita and in real numbers (our prison conditions are pretty barbaric too). Our police forces routinely kill and brutalize ethnic minorities, and get away with it. And as of recently it is government policy to separate migrant and asylum-seeking children from their families and house them in cages in detention camps.
I would love to see our national press devote 1% of the indignation they show toward Korean human rights violations to the crimes against humanity that routinely take place at home. It can happen here. It's happening here. Wake up.
3
It is possible to address both domestic and international issues at the same time; it is just not reasonable to expect the American public to focus on more than one headline for more than a day or two.
The Cultural Revolution in China during the sixties killed nearly 60 million people.
China had nuclear weapons and was openly hostile to the US
China in 1972 was far worse for human rights and more of a danger to the US than North Korea ever was.
President Nixon went to China and met wit hthe very same leaders responsible for all of the above, and was lauded as a Statesman of the highest order by the Democrats and the Press and the Times.
My, how the "Times" have changed.
4
Larry, Nixon offered Mao nothing. More importantly the summit helped to pull China away from the Soviet Union, a critical geopolitical objective at the time. Better relations with North Korea does not provide us any such advantage.
1
By giving away our training with the the South Korean armed forces, trump just tossed two allies, Japan and South Korea, under the bus. And he did this without consulting with them, which highlights that his motivation was his own constructed notion of self worth and not their or America’s well being.
5
The US may not have gotten anything. But Trump himself certainly did. Enormous bragging rights. Which he will find a way to translate into $.
3
Trump fooled himself by thinking that his ability to feel people out was enough to know what was going on in his interactions with Kim. To have survived as long as he has, Kim needed to be able to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself while conveying friendliness and good intentions to those he might have feared most. When dealing with people like Kim, you have to know what matters to him regardless of what he displays, or you will be maneuvered by him into wanting to do what he wants. Trump's habit of repeating the messages of people with who he has been conversing is an old salesman trick of making the other person feel appreciated and of being with a kindred spirit. But his suspending of military exercises was a give away that was not reciprocated.
North Korea is militarized with forces exceeding 1.5 million. With tanks and aircraft it could sweep across the South in about a day unless stopped by force of arms. The U.S. has a small number of troops backed by nuclear weapons as well as a fleet and reserves in Japan. The yearly exercises are a true means of deterring aggression. The North knows perfectly well that it's a defensive force while their own is an offensive one.
President Trump needed to get a lot from the North to justify suspending the joint training exercises. Kim considers holding power to be serious enough to slaughter his own relatives and high ranking officials in his government. Trump seems not to understand what that means.
2
The deeper danger is, when Trump needs to spin his poor performance, he digs in and says that NK is really our friend, and our (former) allies are really our enemies. Because he cannot admit error, anyone who actually got the better of him once, he will have to continue supporting forever.
2
Mr. Kristof, a few days ago you were chiding skeptics for being skeptical.
Glad you came to your senses.
2
To state that President Trump outfoxed Mr. Kim is quite amusing. Here is a man who outperformed 16 Republican presidential candidates to win the nomination. Most were career politicians who had years of experience. On top of that he beat Hillary Clinton which was never predicted to happen. Everybody said she was going to be the winner. We all know how that turned out.
President Trump is crazy like a fox. You do not achieve the amount of success that he has and be a pushover. President Trump knew exactly what he was getting himself into and he played his cards right. He has Mr. Kim right where he wants him and that is in the palm of his hand. This is not over for Mr. Trump. He was not the loser by any stretch of the imagination.
The agreement looks like a NOTHING-BERGER.
And I see no way for North Korea to ever give up its nuclear weapons; it's the only thing that they have.
5
There is no substantial difference between the Democrats and the Republicans.
The only distinction is that while one side is in power, the other is in opposition and vice versa, but they are using the identical scripts in both instances.
Can’t you remember the reluctance of the Republicans to accept Obama as the legitimate president and the identical stance of the Democrats toward Trump?
Can’t you remember how soft Obama was in crafting the Iran Deal and how Trump was equally outfoxed in dealing with North Korea?
Don’t you remember how both sides believed that the budget deficits and the national debt would ruin the country while they were in opposition and suddenly became needed once they controlled the government?
Don’t you remember how Obama condemned the export of the American jobs overseas as the candidate but became the chief proponent of the free trade as the incumbent?
Don’t you remember how Obama condemned the Iraq War as the candidate and then launched the wars in Syria and Libya as the president?
Don’t you remember how both Obama and Trump wanted to drain the swamp in Washington D.C. and bring the power back to the people?
Their shared slogan is:
Yes, we can make America great again!
Fully compatible, isn’t it?
Kenan Porobic, your comment is replete with stunning falsehoods. Obama did not launch either the war in Syria or Libya both of which were started by internal rebel groups which triggered strong responses by those countries' respective dictators. Obama did not purposely ship jobs to China. He negotiated TPP specifically to stem that. Also both Democrats and Republicans have criticized this photo-op from yesterday but Democrats did not go behind Trump's back in write a letter to Kim Jong Un behind Trumps back. I weep for my country when I read ignorant, false comments from a fellow citizen.
1
avoiding war was the first step for both crazy men - Mr. Jong-Un and Mr. Trump. The challenge - if Mr. Trump's incompetent world diplomats can build something better on it. That $64 dollar question may not be answered right away but we will see.
1
Trump's insatiable desire for flattery coupled with his arrogance is his downfall. He cares deeply about the power of the optics but can't help showing his hand. From the minute he entered the room, his facial expressions announced it; he was way ahead of the game. Kim Jong Un is his inferior and his own superb gamesmanship will see him through. Trump's dangerous train of thought, his laughable comment about taking no more than a few seconds to assess the situation, played right in to the hands of Kim and his aides.
In the videos of Kim in those first few seconds with Trump, there was a steely determination and a look in his eyes that might be interpreted as cold, calculating hatred. Of course, there were the pleasantries, the touches on the arm, mostly on Trump's part, and let's not forget the handshake. As usual, it was way too long and too hard as demonstrated by that wince from Kim. Here he is with none other than Donald J. Trump, a man who has called him all kinds of names. He has murdered people for much less. Furthermore, I don't see Kim as the kind of guy who forgives and forgets. He holds grudges and probably has dreams at night about getting even with Trump. I mean really getting even.
There's an old blues line, "I laugh and I joke, but I don't play." It fits Kim perfectly.
3
I find it utterly preposterous that left leaning news portrays the summit a joke and right leaning news portrays the summit equal to the fall of the Wall in Berlin. Is there no reasoning by either side anymore? The fact is that on June 12 USA time, we really don't know what is yet to happen. Both portrayals above are ridiculous at this point in time.
Very sad.
If we liken the N Korea summit to dating, Kim and Trump are on their first date. First dates embody high hopes yet few expectations. What is important here is how to behave on a first date; expecting sex is not appropriate, but agreeing to meet again in the future while promising not to leer provocatively at other potential dates while together is very reasonable, and I think that is exactly where we are with North Korea as of today: a letter of intent along with a promise not to provoke with military exercises on the North Korean border. Well Done.
Yes, we can make America great again!
The political slogans of two last incumbents combined together...
We should be a lot more than being ‘skeptical’ about Trump making a ‘great’ deal with his new BFF, Kim; we should be scared out of our minds. This a man who when meeting with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi over DACA essentially gave them more than they even asked for and received absolutely nothing in return. Minutes later, after meeting with his staff, he of course reneged on everything he promised the Democratic leaders. His “Art of the Deal” book should be more appropriately entitled the “Art of the Giveaway.” The fact that there was no record or witnesses (other than the translators) to his meeting with KIm only presupposes that he probably already promised to send them more uranium and better missiles to help them economically like the deal he made last week with the Chinese tech giant (whose products are banned by the military) to help save jobs in China, clearly an act of his “America First” doctrine. By the way how is he doing on his deal with Mexico to have them pay for his border wall?
First and foremost, Trump believes that what is good for Trump and his family is good for all. All you have to do is look at a map of Trump properties to see who he supports and who he bullies. The Toronto Trump Tower took down his name and Trump Vancouver is struggling...at best...so look out Canada.
China gives money to Trump for his Indonesian development and approves trademarks for Ivanka in a notoriously difficult trademark environment...Trump goes easy on North Korea while selling out South Korea and Japan.
With Trump it is not just about following the money, its about following where Trump wants the money to go...his own coffers.
8
North Korea is closer to annexing the South than it has been in sixty years.
And, as always, Japan is ignored. Trump insulted right-winger Abe in Canada and has now palpably demonstrated his contempt for the US-Japan analysis.
Japan's imminent demonstration of its missile and nuke capabilities better not come as a surprise to anyone.
As a retired senior officer, I can assure you that suspending the military exercise costs us nothing, in fact it will save us a bundle, and it will have no negative impact on our readiness or ability to respond. What it will do is lower tensions and show our willingness to de-escalate an over heated situation while simultaneously maintaining the sanction pressure on North Korea.
Kristof isn't a big thinker, but that's par for the course when dealing with all progressives.
1
I'm a retired senior officer, and you're full of it.
8
Amusing that you think "progressive" is an insult?
1
"There was nothing about North Korea freezing plutonium and uranium programs, nothing about destroying intercontinental ballistic missiles, nothing about allowing inspectors to return to nuclear sites, nothing about North Korea making a full declaration of its nuclear program, nothing about a timetable, nothing about verification, not even any clear pledge to permanently halt testing of nuclear weapons or long-range missiles."
Let's be clear: Trump doesn't know what any of those things are, nor that those things are even things that would be required. He also doesn't care. The Trumps aren't going to profit off denuclearization. They might profit off lifting sanctions on the DPRK though, and that's all that matters to him.
3
I don’t know, and I don’t think anybody knows the future, but I think this may be the case of a broken clock being right, twice a day.
The North Korean guy is far, far from being perfect, but I don’t think that he is the Devil incarnate.
The kids that knew him in Switzerland, when he was a young student, thought his parents worked at the North Korean embassy. They didn’t know who he was, and their memories of him are not bad.
Better to hope for the best.
1
Just exactly who is Kim now legitimized with? The North Koreans? They believe he is a god – well they let it look like that anyhow. There is no revolt in North Korea; Kim did not buy time with this meeting. Does the author believe that after a meeting with Trump, South Korea is going to lay down its arms and defenses? Is Europe going to fly into North Korea and do business?
War games can be re-started with a phone call. Unless the suspension were to go on for an extended period of time – which presumes some forward motion, no damage done.
Some pretty weak arguments made here by the author.
2
Weak arguments are Kristof's stock in trade. Anything that Trump does, Kristof finds fault in the doing, anything Trump doesn't do, Kristof indicates that was the one thing he should do.
There will never be a case wherein Kristof is actually honest, and says something along the lines of "with that action, I can actually support something Trump did".
Nothing was given away and nothing really gained. It was an initial meeting. Sanctions are still in place. It would be best to see the media supportive at this point to not encourage dissent among those being negotiated with. If we don't support our President, why should N. Korea.
To reiterate, Sanctions Are Still In Place. What did Kim win here?
1
I thought the article rather mean spirited. Stopping military exercises is giving away nothing of value to the US but gives something of value to the N. Korean government who can say they have got a concession from the US. Fine. If N. Korea backslides then the exercises can start all over again. I note that no mention has been made of taking US troops out of S. Korea or demilitarising the border, both of which would be less reversible and carry some risk.
In negotiations one must make concessions on things of little value to yourself with the intention of getting in return something of value from your counterpart. All I see is step 1 in the bargaining process.
1
In our recent history, the liberalization of authoritarian regimes results in chaos, anarchy, and civil war more often than in an emergence of a free country. Even if Kim does want to liberalize his regime, I think that he knows once his grip on power weakens everything that could go wrong will. We should not be so careless about what we do to obtain desirable promises from Kim, it's nothing but a failure to appreciate what a person in Kim's position can do effectively. The meeting was the only way to undo the fear and suspicion which Trump's bombastic talk triggered but suspending the military exercises was a lame move.
1
So I guess we made a huge mistake defeating Germany and japan in 1945
As much as I truly loathe the petty, vindictive parts of Trump, I find that there is a weird recipe of understanding in the coming together of these two awful men. They might, in their thirst for power, prestige and self-regard cancel each other out, by using economic, not military means, as the way to mutual accommodation. North Korea has so much more to gain by embracing the freer market, and using its closeness to China and South Korea, to make America another market for its goods. The only way to introduce the potential for human rights in N. Korea is to integrate that nation into the modern world through cultural, business and educational exchanges. Trump will eventually leave the world stage but if his only lasting accomplishment is the prevention of a nuclear war, he has accomplished a great deal.
Newsflash: North Korea became our "nuclear equal" the moment it became able to hit the western United States with nukes. Whether we like it or not, NK has become a force to reckon with, even at the risk of conferring legitimacy upon Kim.
This very predicament disproves Kristoff's contention that the 1994 Agreed Framework was a raging success. In fact, Clinton was duped into giving the North Koreans $4 billion in aid, who immediately and secretly began reneging on their promise to freeze their program.
That Kristoff considers the suspension of war games, ones which could be restarted the moment Kim fails to play ball, a "huge" concession, is ridiculous.
*Of course* this first 24 hour meeting isn't going to yield a comprehensive undoing of NK's nuclear efforts. *Of course* both Kim and Trump are going to make great propaganda out of this for their respective audiences.
This is just a first small step on a journey which could lead nowhere. Or, history may see it as a Nixon in China moment, which eventually lead to the end of North Koreans' suffering and averted a would-be catastrophe on the Peninsula.
This is the kind of direct diplomacy with our enemies which the right wing never allows Democratic leaders to engage in. Can't we root for Trump to succeed, even though he's...Trump?
2
I don't know if Trump was "outfoxed". I don't think he gained anything from his meeting with Kim. I think Kim is stalling and we should increase the sanctions. Let's face it, Kim is subhuman, and maybe a horrible war is inevitable.
On the other hand, I seem to recall an Op-Ed that you posted suggesting a similar outcome to what Trump and Kim agreed to. That is, freezing South Korean-American exercises in exchange for North Korea freezing nuclear and missile tests. I also saw some of the same liberals who criticize Trump's Singapore performance chirp that if America can have nukes why can't (the murderous totalitarian soul-crushing) Kim regime, as well.
While I am a Trump-supporter. I am disappointed that the "next steps" were not concrete. I think we need to give a time frame to begin the lengthy denuclearization process. We also need to see concrete steps on human rights. We need a carrot for compliance (easing sanctions, suspending drills, security guarantees) and a stick for non-compliance (tighter sanctions, a more robust defense in coordination with Japan and South Korea etc)
What does suspension of military exercises with South Korea mean?
Is this just a temporary halt while they are talking for a couple of months or something more?
My impression is that nothing really changed very much?
Kim Jung Un did get acknowledgement and praise from Trump but he knows Trump is not that bright so Trump's praise isn't worth more than confirmation that Kim Jung Un is the kind of human right's violating authoritarian that Trump likes.
1
Just another reminder that Trump did not actually write "The Art of the Deal".
8
Kim has agreed to de-nuke. If he does not build any more warheads the existing one will gradually become inert. The half-life of U235 is 700 million years, therefore NK will de-nuke naturally between now and then. Bravo Donald.
Trump could have save the taxpayer money by flying home via Stockholm to pick up his Nobel.
Nicholas Kristof is wise to be skeptical. We all should be. North Korea's leadership is cunning, brutal, and experienced. Donald Trump is not going to close a deal easily, and any win is going to be part of a win-win where North Korea gains a lot too.
But it's early days. Don't be labeling winners and losers yet. Donald Trump didn't agree to cancel the "provocative" "war games" -- he said that we would not be holding them unless the negotiations got off track. That's pretty vague and is still a carrot dangling in front of Kim Jong Un that he can't eat yet.
Indeed, the letter agreement signed by the two men said nothing of substance. It is the start of negotiations, not the end. Comparing that agreement to past agreements with North Korea or the Iran agreement is like comparing a blueprint to a finished building. It's not a fair comparison.
It may seem like North Korea won this round, and maybe they did. But is that so bad? A good negotiator lets the other side win a lot of the time. Particularly early on, when wins are preliminary and don't mean much.
And what has Kim Jong Un won? A meeting with Donald Trump. Legitimacy on the world stage. Favorable wording in a letter agreement. Baubles, almost.
And if Kim Jong Un is messing with us and he doesn't deliver as negotiations advance, any victory now will be Pyrrhic. Donald Trump may look like a fool to some, but he will not be played for a fool. He never has been.
1
What is particularly sick is Trump's reference to the people held in appalling conditions in prison camps in North Korea as 'big winners here', when not a word in the agreement refers to them. But I suppose that Trump's depiction to Kim of the marvellous hotels that could be built on NK's beaches (by whom?) is enough comfort.
4
The columnist has an interesting take on what happened in N Korea.
It would be good to know whether credible insiders such as Pompeo and Mattis agree.
Whatever the real story, it was obvious that S Korea had begun to cozy up to the North in the last several month, as we can infer from the public statements of their leadership.
Perhaps the president has decided that the whole Korean peninsula isn't worth Truman's war, especially if the target'
of our protection is squishy about its role in the alliance.
This president may have decided that leaving the two Korean
states to each other is the simplest way to render the North less interested in nuclear weapons or animosity to the U.S.
South Korea would be an awfully big morsel to swallow.
As for Japan, they are big enough to take care of themselves.
1
How the world changes.
One decade ago, the West was dreaming about a collapsing North Korea and a huge, cinematographic decapitation operation by the South Korean Special Forces. Cuba would be next and China would continue to produce cheap stuff to fuel the Western voracious appetite for natural resources.
Now, one decade later, North Korea has a nuclear ICBM capable of obliterating not only Seul (aka the only place in South Korea that matters) with 100% surety, but capable of wiping off the map with at least 50% surety any city of the American West Coast, from Seattle to San Diego; Cuba is, for now, (knock on the wood) successfully reforming and opening up to their socialist brothers of China, almost out of the woods of the dark "special period" of the 90s and early 2000s; and China is almost a superpower (officially treated by the Trump administration as a superpower for all practical purposes).
Sure, one decade more and the game may change again. But this leaves us a precious life lesson: a little bit humility is good for the health.
2
I can't believe the hysteria. Krostoff says Trump made a "huge concession" by suspending military exercises. Those exercises can be revived at any time if negotiations don't progress favorably. (BTW, if Obama suspended exercises Kristoff would have praised it as move toward peace.)
So far no one has gotten much or given away anything. Kim got to appear on the world stage -- so what? Optics are way overrated and don't last long.
There's plenty of negotiations to be held and there will be lots of starts and stops. Just relax and let's see what what happens. Nothing said or done so far is irrevocable nor has any damage be done. I know many on the left hate Trump so much they root for failure but that's their problem.
2
Few are as "left" as I am and few despise Trump more than I do.
AND, the outpouring of emotion-driven contempt for the meeting in Singapore is a shameful example of tribalism in American politics. Donald Trump could (well, if he could) cure cancer and end poverty worldwide and the response from the vast majority of our anti-Trump brothers and sisters would be to condemn him and find ways to minimize and disparage the accomplishments.
With all due respect, folks: Grow up.
If Trump cured Cancer, the headlines would read:
"Trump Puts Hundred of Thousands of Doctors and Nurses out of Business- Wrecks Economy"
This was all about Trump reinforcing his popularity within his base, and hoping to attract doubters, ahead to the mid-term elections. For him and his regime, having achieved very little is irrelevant.
4
Trumps statements about Kim are reminiscent of some other relatively recent presidential murmurings:
Bush 1's statement to Fernando Marcos -- "We love your commitment to democracy".
Bush the Lesser's comment about Vladimir Putin -- "I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy."
3
Maybe Trump is adhering to the old adage "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," although the part about keeping friends close seems a bit dubious at the moment. I think we should give things more time to see how they go. While Trump did use extremely inflammatory language in the past, his words didn't create the North Korea problem; he inherited it. Now the situation has calmed down. Every day without a threat of nuclear war is a good day. Let's hope it lasts.
how has it calmed down?? By removing the "provocative" USA/South korea military exercises?
I now am sure Trump is working against, not for, America's national defence
1
There was a time not so long ago when Trump spoke glowingly about Trudeau and Macron. Then, in an instant, he turned on them.
Trump gushes honey only to sting you later.
3
North Korea is not promising even 5% of what Iran promised in the deal with Obama and yet Trump withdrew from Iran deal and wants to embrace North Korean deal.
Simple policy, undo everything that Obama did.
7
I think it's giving Kim too much credit to say that he out-negotiated Trump. Not to deny that the North Koreans have pursued an intelligent and effective strategy, but you can't call what Trump did "negotiating." Kim effectively won these negotiations the moment Trump agreed to meet with him.
If I were the Iranians I would be calling the White House to be next in line to "negotiate" with our President.
3
While it appears that Trump was out-foxed in the short run, this summit could turn out to be a game changer in the long run, more so than the failed agreements of past administrations whether Obama, Bush, or Clinton. There tends to be too much focus in the West on the sanctity of written agreements, a view that is not as widely shared in Asia (as many a business executive in China can attest to). Previous written agreements with North Korea have resulted in nothing. Why not take a different approach based on relationship and mutual respect (and the promise of economic development)? Yes, Kim Jong Un presides over a brutal regime. But peace is often made with unsavory characters (Mao, Stalin, the list goes on). Kim and his sister has had a taste of economic affluence now (Singapore) and can visualize the possibilities. Prosperous countries, whether democracies or dictatorships, are more likely, in the long run, to play by the rules. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I, for one, am happy that the first step was taken and am less concerned with who benefited more from that first step. Hopefully, our president will now learn to treat our friends with as much wisdom.
2
Summit was clearly a win-win for all sides.
and for world peace.
USA has everything to gain by breaking down
barriers.
And of course we are pulling back from the brink.
Trashing the summit is both wrong and a losing
political strategy domestically.
The only problem with the summit is that it should have
occurred in 1945.
6
We will know there is real progress when two past events are resolved. We need to see a peace treaty to end the Korean War and arrangements need to be made to restore the USS Pueblo to US possession. There are those who will argue these are not relevant points, but resolving them would send a signal that Kim has the ability to make real his promises on disarmament. If he can't deliver on either of these he surely is not able to promise denuclearization.
3
This fixation on finding fault with everything Mr. Trump does is getting old - he gives the press plenty to work with without having to take the same position on everything. Let's see - "the joint statement lacked details" - maybe we have to wait until they spend more than a few hours together in a first meeting to get the 1250-page document that includes the dimensions of the table for future negotiations. "He made a huge concession" - by suspending military exercises...I guess he can't reverse that on a whim...oh, he can...hmmm. He was "out-foxed" in the negotiations - I guess that's reflected in the details of the joint statement...oh, I forgot - there aren't any details. And he met with a bad guy...something no previous president has done - except Obama (Putin, Mubarak, etc.), GW Bush (most anyone), Mr. Clinton (ditto), even Jimmy Carter ended up shaking hands with the Shah. How about we admit Mr. Trump did something no other president before him has done and see how it plays out - there are plenty of rich veins for the press to mine elsewhere with this presidency.
5
NOt outfoxed because Trump does not seem to keep his word, but Mr Kristof actually does not have it right. Bush, Obama, Clinton and on, all were outfoxed by North Korea. They gave North Korea everything and North Korea cheated and went ahead and developed or bought nuclear arms and ICBMs. Trump's answer was, stop or I will bomb you. The answer was Let's meet. He agreed. Now we do not have a war( for the present). And to test North Korea, we do not do military exercises there, and see what North Korea actually does do in response. If they flunk, we know what we have. But, the point is, Trump is doing something when previous presidents horribly failed. And, we ( this world) might be the better for it. So, to say Trump got outfoxed is plain wrong. Just the sit down and a possible resolution, is an immense accomplishment for the US. People are so blinded by Trump hate, they can not see that Trump just might have done the right thing here. But, too bad he trashed Canada and the rest of the G7 on the way.
2
I suspect that trump finds Kim-- a ruthless dictator who has murdered political opponents and family members with impunity--much more to his liking because he appeals to his vanity. The much younger and handsome Macron and Trudeau threaten his fragile ego. Kim gets the soft and cuddly handshake.
4
Curious.
Who else besides North Korea and China would be very happy about our ceasing military drills and removing our troops from South Korea?
North Korea's other neighbor - Russia.
What a coincidence.
7
"these may actually freeze plutonium production and destroy missiles."
Yes, and with Trump's "great" negotiation skills, we may be the ones freezing plutonium production.
Such a child! All he needs is to fawned over and smiled upon and he has a new best friend! It isn't about diplomacy, like those other, lesser presidents though, it's about being liked.
Will we survive this buffoon? I am truly questioning that possibility.
2
I guess if Trump and Kim met with no aides, only one translator each, we might have a theory as to how Trump got his latest batch of instructions from Putin.
2
Kristof you are sounding more and more like a Neocon.
"Trump praised Kim in the news conference and, astonishingly, even adopted North Korean positions as his own, saying that the United States military exercises in the region are “provocative.”"
Well they were provocative! I don't like Trump either, but if he pulls this off, hats off(MAGA hats?) to him.
4
How is this "deal" superior to the Iran deal that Trump repudiated? Clearly, the reason can't be substantive regarding verification, international support, or the like. Oh, I get it. The Iran deal was negotiated by a President who is (a) black and (b) smarter.
15
Life is so much easier if you don't spend all of your time defending Obama and Clinton. Just embrace Trump's attempt to bring peace to the region and reduce the threat to America. The leftist media had their anti-Trump articles all tee'd up for today. I recommend everybody actually watch his press conference from this morning. Trump was relaxed, confident, credible and informed. The media is burying the press conference, which is sad. We have all of these leftwing pundits saying Trump is doing peace wrong. After ceding Crimea, stumbling at red lines in Syria and watching ISIS envelope the Middle East, I am not sure where their credentials come from. Trump dropped the hammer on ISIS and squeezed North Korea to the table. All of these Democrats say - "these things take a long time", which I guess is their way of saying they aren't ineffective, they just need a few decades to negotiate their way to something. This is the liberal media's lowest hour. Kristof has all of the answers I guess.
2
Of course Trump didn't get any concessions - because he didn't ask for any, and he didn't ask for any because by his own admission, he "didn't need to prepare". Which everyone should understand by now really means he is incapable of preparing for such a meeting. What's worse - he doesn't know enough to bring someone who does know how to negotiate with stakes so high. So - no controls on plutonium production, no destruction of their existing arsenal, no timetables, nothing! But to be sure he had fun meeting a dictator who played him like a fiddle. A despot who doesn't have to face a nation that can (still) speak the truth: their country is being run by a greedy, narcissistic real estate mob boss, desperate for approval from a father who died long ago, who looks for solace cozying up to the most vicious and powerful dictators on the planet.
5
I think we fundamentally misunderstand the tie between Trump and his true believers.
It is the fascination of the “demolition derby” that Trump offers them.
At some point, the remaining, rational Americans will need to make the hard decision that this country must move on without them and to no longer entertain their foolish fascinations.
This includes the faithless Republican representation in Congress that are willing to ride Trump and his cohort of the mindless.
We need a legitimate, co-equal branch of government in Congress. Not the used tissue we currently see.
2
We who subscribed to The New York Times are blessed with the knowledge Nicholas Kristof shares. So while, I suspect, Fox News (Not!), which I never watch, is broadcasting its propaganda about what Trump has achieved that no other president ever has regarding the ending of North Korea's nuclear arsenal, we are given the real picture of just how "out foxed" Trump has been. I find it totally beyond the realm of reality that Trump would embrace this dictator, telling us how much he loves his country, while just a day before he blasted Justin Trudeau for being "weak" and a liar. What! The world's most outrageous lying leader calls Canada's what he so isn't! Thank you, New York Times, for having the wisdom to keep on your staff journalists like Mr. Kristof.
3
Trump did not get conned! The only people getting hoodwinked are the American people. Trump got exactly what he wanted... for himself. Yes he may have given away everything that this country stands for, but that's a small price to pay. It was a good deal for him.
He gets to (falsely) claim a victory while only giving the position and respectability of the USA, which means nothing to him. Don't kid yourself for a second that amongst his base, this will appear to be a victory on the level of Nixon going to China and his supporters will eagerly parrot the line that this "deal" was 100x better than the Iran deal. Who would've thought that it would be the leader of North Korea who lent legitimacy to the leader of the USA and not the other way around?
If you look at his business career. You'll see this is how Trump operates. Enriching himself at the expense of others - his creditors, his contractors, his employees. It's worked out well for him so far.
3
the journey of a thousand miles
1
Per this article, "There is still plenty we don't know and much uncertainty about the future." So Nick I take it you would be fine with your first drafts going public? The man you are criticizing negotiated his way to a 4 billion dollar international enterprise. Have you?Despite your admitted prematurity here in your criticism, how many children do you think remain un-gassed and alive because of the precision missile strikes the POTUS ordered? Mr. Trump seems protective of your life and limb as well as those Syrian children. Don't you think?
3
Oh please. As expected, nothing done by President Trump is ever good enough for Kristof. Whether it’s one of the most important meetings of the last 50 years by an American president, or an historic tax cut, or a stark reduction in illegal immigration, or a request for free trade among nations without tariff barriers, Kristof will always be there to say meh!
So meh to you Mr. Kristof, meh to you!
6
Kristof actually knows what he’s talking about with respect to North Korea based on personal experience and research. Trump doesn’t have a clue.
2
The reason nothing Trump does is ever good enough is because everything he does is either devoid of substance (the "most important meeting of the past 50 years"), bankrupting (the "historic tax cuts"), or a total degradation of American values (the "stark reduction" in illegal immigration obtained by setting up concentration camps to separate 10,000 children from their parents indefinitely). Most Americans will always seek leaders who work hard for substantial progress, prosperity for all, and a strict adherence to our highest American ideals. I'm sorry that Trumps supporters have given up on these important values.
1
So you know this to be a fact do you? What experience with Kim? Please factually describe, I dare you. And Trump doesn’t have a clue ? Really. I seem to remember 3 hostages being returned without a US quid pro quo. And now this meeting when Obama just wanted to do nothing while he made nice to Fidel Castro.
Your arguments are pure nonsense.
I would not worry about President Trump assuring Kim the United States would cease joint military exercises with South Korea. Today is Tuesday the 12th. With Trump, tomorrow he could tweet, "The deal is off! Kim is weak and very dishonest, and his haircut looks ridiculous." It all depends upon his mood and the direction the wind is blowing.
3
Is anyone surprised? Geopolitical policy is not a reality show or beauty pagent ..trump in over his head on
most everything cannot deliver much of substance, just more con!
6
Make no mistake, everything trump does is in the service of his pathological narcissism. All the world’s a reality tv show and all the people are but pawns in his fantasies of greatness and self aggrandizement. It is only the optics that matter to him which is why there is no substance in the agreement and why he didn’t need to prepare. And still the republicans allow this buffoon to continue to destroy the integrity of this country. It is so on their heads.
12
One of the more remarkable things to watch during theses developments has been the Republican right wingers. They have been as quite as church mice. All of us know for a fact if Obama were doing this, their heads would be exploding. They would be trying to decide on impeachment or assassination. This deal will never be as good for America as the Iran nuclear deal. The level of Republican hypocrisy knows no boundaries.
13
Actually, the beauty part is, Obama offered to meet Kim.
And their heads exploded.
Nothing tangible?
Except the president of the US has proved himself and all Americans that voted for him, a chump once again.
12
The chump just pulled off the greatest diplomatic coup of the last 50 years.
My question is this... Does the G7 see the new "axis of evil" as Trump, Putin, and Kim Jong-un?
4
When I hear the inelloquent baloney from Trump about Kim; the "excellent relationship"; Kim being "a very talented man who loves his country very much..."; and that "he's smart, loves his people, and his country..." and trivializing the lack of human rights as "a rough situation..."( had enough?); it's impossible for me not to remember how Dubya was able to "see Putin's soul..."
And how well did that work out? Kick this around the dinner table tonight. And no throwing food or utensils!
7
Likewise, Trump acknowledged that human rights in North Korea constituted a “rough situation,” but quickly added that “it’s rough in a lot of places, by the way.” (Note that a 2014 United Nations report stated that North Korean human rights violations do “not have any parallel in the contemporary world.”)
Isn't this similar to the Liar in Chief's remarks about there being "many fine people" on both sides of the protest in Charlottesville?
The Liar in Chief is seemingly clueless as to what he gave away. The world got nothing in return. There seems to be no impetus to schedule more talks to get down to specific agreements.
And exactly what is the timetable for these "peace" talks that will lead to NO Korean denuclearization?--not just photo ops and expensive trips for these two leaders who are prolific liars and their minions.
One cannot employ professional liars without giving them the monopoly on the truth. Volkoff La Montage
Would Trump have "sat down" with Hitler or Pol Pot after knowing their record of human rights violations? Looks he would have. What a disgrace to the world.
4
Did any of your Trump loathing commentators watch 60 Minutes last Sunday? The cat is already out of the bag. North Korea already has enough nukes to cause more havoc than the world has ever seen. The only question is, can they get a nuke on an ICBM that can get the warhead to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere without burning up. They can reach any part of the continental United States. Even New York.
Trump is surely a fool, but being on a war footing with this nation is just not sensible. I'm not willing to die for the human rights of North Koreans, and frankly neither are the Japanese or the South Koreans. If Kim feels more comfortable not being a bellicose cad and thinks he got one over on Trump, explain to us all the scenario whereby he so wounds our interests it is worth fighting a war now with hundreds of thousands dead, if not millions and the potential of a nuke landing on either South Korea, Japan or the United States.
If Trump befriends this toad, and this toad becomes a problem for the Chinese, would that be so bad? Nixon was a criminal but the opening to China was beneficial, or was it not? I have friends so upset about Trump that all they care about is his failure. I want him to fail as well. But what if he doesn't? I won't ever vote for him or a Republican but if this existential threat went away under their watch, I'll take it.
6
Shame you're not old enough to remember "Peace in our time" uttered by Neville Chamberblain returning from his agreement with Adolph Hitler. This brings back the dim memories from early childhood. Think this is the case, too?
2
Perhaps Trump's strategy is more subtle than we realize. Yes he has delivered a victory to Kim Jong-un by traveling to meet him as an equal, praising him rapturously, and showering him with approval for his actions. On the other hand, Trump is assiduously trashing the reputation and ethical standing of the Oval Office, along with America's image in the world thereby rendering his approval and approbation completely worthless. Wait, did I just use "Trump" and "subtle" in the same sentence ? This will never get past the NYT comment moderator.
Trump doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘subtle.’ He isn’t playing 3D chess here. He has a less than basic understanding of the history here, or what the consequences of his actions will be, much like his base. Trump just got had. Bigly.
1
When I read Trump claim of that "very special bond" with Kim, and all the other inelloquent platitudes; the "excellent relationship"between the two of them; that Kim "has a great feeling for (his people)..." and " wants to do right by them, and has a great feeling for them..." ( had enough of this rambling baloney, yet?); all I csn think of, other than Kim
1
It was appalling to see the flag of The Unites States of American debased as it was displayed on the same level as the N Korean flag. Trump has taken America down to the lowest common denominator in the world. A shocking farce!
5
Meeting between two illegitimate 'leaders' that amounted to nothing.
Trump's winning recipe is 'Declare victory and run!'
4
In our new reality I guess it's ok for DJT to call our military preparedness "provocative" and "war games" in front of the most ruthless human rights abuser on the planet. I guess it's ok to compliment a thug and condemn the PM of Canada. I guess it's ok to denigrate our flag by displaying it next to the DPRK flag as long as you stand and not kneel. I guess it's ok to come away with nothing from a nuclear rogue country but to call a verifiable nuclear agreement "the worst deal in history". I guess it's ok to be just plain exhausted from all this superior deal making and winning.
3
Mr. Trump's penchant for self-aggrandizement hit a new low this week, viz., in Quebec and Singapore. While shamelessly currying favor with the despotic North Korean regime and fawning over its hereditary leader, our president sold US geopolitical interests down the river for a song. In other words, Kim Jong-un and team DPRK appears to have gotten the gold mine while the US and its closest regional allies South Korea, Japan, and others got the shaft.
As Nick Kristoff so aptly observed, "Within North Korea, the “very special bond” that Trump claimed to have formed with Kim will be portrayed this way: Kim forced the American president, through his nuclear and missile tests, to accept North Korea as a nuclear equal, to provide security guarantees to North Korea, and to cancel war games with South Korea that the North has protested for decades."
Another dark turn-of-the-worm at the hands of the new American plutocracy, its mendacious leadership, and enablers - domestic and foreign. Another infamous Trumpian moment. A sad spectacle, indeed!
3
Disclosure-I dislike Tump-voted against him...while holding my nose and voting "for" Clinton, as the lesser of two evils; I supported Bernie.
That said, I, and many people I know, are completely turned off by the NYT and CNN's relentless anti-Trump rheteric, and their failure to give ANY credit to the Trump administration. I fully recognize, there's a LOT to dislike...the withdrawl from the Paris accord, the absurdity of wasting money on a "Wall", the dismantling of the EPA, the increasing of the national debt to finance a tax cut for corprations/the already wealthy, the incivility Trump has fostered in political discourse, etc.,ect.,etc. That said, his foreign policy positions have been, by and large, an improvement over the Clinton/Bush -Cheney(especially those guys!!), and Obama years.
This meeting was a "good thing"- nothing has been given up that can't be taken back, quickly...unlike the Iran deal, which was terrible (that said, since we'd front end loaded it, it made no sense to unilaterally pull out of it...).
My advice to the Times, and CNN, is to return to being objective news sources, and quit being cheer leaders for the "resistance"- you are just preacing to your choir, while losing the middle ground...
1
If you are an NFL player, taking a knee "disrespects" the flag but having our flag sitting on a equal footing with the flag of a murderous regime led by a dictator isn't disrespectful. LOL
So sick, so pathetic, so embarrassing to be an American today.
10
President Stupid got exactly what we knew he would get - nothing - while giving some major concessions to NK. This is no surprise - this is what happens when you are completely ignorant of the past and uninterested in learning about the present. Of course he thinks he got a great deal, since he has no idea NK has "given" these empty promises many times before. The Art of the Deal? More like the No-Deal of the Dumb.
2
Our former allies better get used to the new world order really quick: the USA has switched sides and is now fighting for Russia, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, China, Turkey, the Philippines, and other rogue nations and dictatorships, and former allies are now the enemy. This is perfectly fine with Congress, and the Trump base.
I'm waiting for P45 to pardon Hitler next , afterall he loved his people and country very much, and build many great things for Germans, like the Autobahn, and the worker beach holiday resort Prora in Rügen, and hosted very impressive Olympic games with highest viewer ratings all over the world, such a great show; a very honorable man he was.
Welcome to the upside down world.
Boss Putin won't get tired of winning.
1
Yes, you were outfoxed. The dictator of a country with a GDP less than Honduras just strong armed the United States by threatening military action and the US caved in to his demands while getting nothing in return. Trump looks weak and at the same time, he's making the USA into a laughing stock in front of its former allies.
Winner: North Korea, China
Loser: USA, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany....
2
Calling this a summit would be much too lofty a description -- a sump pit is more like it. An illegitimate 'president' gave legitimacy to an appalling dictator and got nothing in return except a 'we'll see' nothingburger. This is the art of the schlemiel.
5
Another load of leftwing Propaganda by the Times...where were the Times writers when Bill Clinton was outfoxed by Kim Jong Un's Father 20 years ago? Oh that's right, praising Clinton...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC4MHbbVaCg
1
North Korea is not a nuclear force which needs the undivided attention of the president of the most powerful nation on Earth. But because Trump is so utterly stupid he was duped into flying halfway around the globe for a photo-op. There is not a photo-op in existence that eludes Trump's gaze. This is what occurs when a complete nitwit is elected.
The US need to do nothing. They control the nuclear game. North Korea with its dozen missiles has but a slight chance of enacting their threats. And if they did, it would be lights out for Kim and his country. Taint gonna happen. And yet because of Trump the US looks more of a weak laughingstock than ever.
DD
Manhattan
2
Donald Trump is more dangerous to our democracy than MS13. Period!
5
If Donald Trump were to cure cancer, I believe the NY Times would fault him for that. That being said, I believe it is time for this NEWSPAPER to report the news without bias, and quit complaining that your candidate lost the election. Take a lesson from the BBC and stop trying to put your slant on everything. You are no better now than the NY Post!
4
June 12, 2018
To soon to sum up the summit.
Let's give the two leaders further time and exchange of the best path for resolution with both the macro players in the region and then the micro exegesis by elite media and power politicians en masse. The best result is to learn from North and South Vietnam and the the post Castro hell bent mythologies that is over in the post Soviet world illusions - great to for reality politics in the new world order that gives and takes respectfully, transparently and we are all winners very soon....
jja Manhattan, N.Y.
1
It's amazing to see how willing we all are to give Trump the benefit of the doubt and make such sincere efforts, over and over, to understand his motives. He doesn't know anything about nuclear programs or the history of US negotiations with North Korea. He doesn't have a strategy or set of diplomatic or security goals. The much more likely explanation for this entire event is that he saw an opportunity to capture attention on television and probably is hoping to open a hotel in Pyongyang.
2
Outfoxed by Kim? I beg to differ. Benedick Donald did not agree to reduce our nuclear arsenal by one bomb. Nor did he agree to decommission any aircraft carriers or submarine.
Based on his negotiating skills, that led to multiple bankruptcies and failed business ventures, I was relieved that he contained the damage to our country.
Now that he has solved this problem, he can go back to doing what he does best, attacking our allies and friends.
The problem is not that Trump was outfoxed; the problem is that Trump was never interested in the problem of global security. Trump suffers from the "ethos of authoritarianism." He cannot do anything that does not make him appear "strong" (or authoritative). He is incapable of making a responsible decision because making a responsible decision depends on thoughtful consideration of multiple variables. This appears "weak," whereas the ethos of authoritarianism demands Trump act like he single-handedly resolved a crisis by the power of his personal will.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The thing to understand about North Korea right now is that North Korea is not doing anything that it doesn't want to do. Kim's willingness to meet in Singapore is simply the latest manifestation of the DPRK's "carrot-and-stick" model of international relations. Kim Jong Un is meeting Trump because this gives Kim a huge populist win in North Korea's internal politics. Trump is meeting with Kim for the same reason.
So no, Trump absolutely should not receive credit for defusing a diplomatic crisis he created, because this was his goal all along: create chaos and fear, "negotiate" a "deal" that relies on two authoritarians both gaining face with their nationalistic supporters, and doing so at the expense of real, substantial international security interests.
It may be the case that Trump was outfoxed. It may even be likely. However, it's important to note this in context: at least two decades' worth of US Presidents, diplomats, advisors and regional experts have also been outfoxed by North Korea.
1
Trump should not have been allowed, if it were at all possible to prevent it, to have a private meeting with Kim, that was not witnessed by other U.S. officials. Frankly, Trump cannot be trusted and who knows what he cooked up with Kim. The suspicion may sound absurd, but when Trump is attacking our closest allies, undermining the post WWII order, and speaking glowing about Putin, Kim and Duterte, while cozying up to or involved with a trans-national coterie of billionaire who wealth is ill-gotten from plundering their nation-states, and seem to operate independent of most efforts of law enforcement, Trump should not be allowed to wander on his own further than we can throw him. I hope there was a western intelligence service smart enough to have been able to monitor this conversation.
1
Suspension of exercises is meaningless, a low-cost concession. Our warfighters have been drilling there for decades, and so if this is what Lil Kim wanted up front then it's a cheap giveaway. To suggest that these preliminary negotiations are somehow less than the last Iran deal is ludicrous, especially when Iran made no real efforts to comply with any part of that deal in the first place. This is a big accomplishment for an "amateur" president, and sooner or later The Left is going to have to admit it.
4
If Kim felt strongly about the exercises, we should have gotten something in return: that it is easy for me to part with my beater car doesn’t mean I give it away to the person willing to pay $1000 for it.
BTW, before you say the exercises are meaningless, should someone ask our allies in the region what they think?
And sure, NK will comply with its end of the deal, because it didnt promise anything. All it has to do is take the freebies without LOL.
"especially when Iran made no real efforts to comply with any part of that deal in the first place." Sorry, Joe, but this is an alternative fact.
What if the real purpose of this N. Korea charade is to make other (rich) countries nervous. Koreans may find suddenly that time is right for them to unite, creating overnight a nuclear armed economic power house with nearly 80 million people. That should scare a few of their neighbors to be sure. The same would explain also what is happening regarding punishing EU while praising Russia. Western Europe is supposedly scared of growing Russian military but at the same time have relied on US for protection. If EU and Japan get scared enough, would they start paying the protection money that Trump has been demanding all along? I hope not.
This position is really a tragedy.
He could have just left it as a "work in progress" without the added flourish.
Instead he complemented a ruthless dictator who maintains concentration camps, executes "traitors" with anti-aircraft guns or nerve agents, and is ready willing and able to launch a nuclear attack.
This, within a few-dozen hours of alienating our allies in Europe, and all but cutting-off diplomatic relations with Canada.
Thus, our message to the world.
During the Cold War we quietly supported dictators. Now, after the Cold War, we cheer them on...
3
There is plenty of differences, but still it looks a bit like Munich 9/30/1938. Didn't end well.
3
Obama's "new approach" came after the US invaded Iraq, brought down the government and disbanded the military, allowing each soldier to walk away with their weapons. What could possibly go wrong? Paralleling Obama's surge in Iraq and Trump's spontaneous tango with Kim is yet another false equivalence call. They were both wrong for completely different reasons.
I seem to recall that very recently we were seriously concerned with a nuclear attack on our west coast by North Korea. It would reasonably appear that this threat is no longer on the horizon. The North Koreans received absolutely nothing but Mr. Trump was able to have them release three American hostages. The North Koreans blew up their known Nuclear testing facility (at least one of them). Trump had an actual face to face meeting to try and begin a non-military solution to what Mr. Obama himself termed perhaps the most dangerous issue facing Mr. Trump at the outset of his presidency. We temporarily agreed to halt joint military excercises, but that is hardly much of a 'concession'. Forgive me, but comparing Trumps 7 hour meetings results with Obamas many months of negotiations wiht Iran is simply ridiculous. On balance Mr. Kristof, with respect, your narrative would appear to support the Conservatives view of the 'lefts' hating Trump more than embracing factual analysis.
1
Let's be clear. Trudeau is a threat to our national security
Kim is a great man who loves his people very much.
I'm glad the president and his people have clarified this.
4
His airfare was paid for by China
His meals and lodging given to him by citizens of Singapore.
Mr. Kim gave nothing but a few hours of his time.
He came away, having unleashed Americas worst enemy on itself and the world.
Mr. Kim does not need nuclear weapons, when he has Mr Trump and twitter sewn up in his pocket.
4
So we need to ask, in what ways is this deal with North Korea so fantastic while the deal struck with Iran was the worst deal in the history of the United States?
There is one simple answer. The North Korean deal carries the imprimatur of Donald Trump; the Iran deal carried the imprimatur of Barack Obama. No further questions are needed.
There is a distinction, however. The Iran deal was backed by years of research and careful preparation. The North Korea deal was backed by a full 60 seconds of Trump's interpersonal instinct about a known mass murderer.
5
Isn't this what the Democrats were concerned about? Wasn't this kind of predictable? So I still don't get your criticism of Dems earlier this week and I still don't.
1
I believe that Kim will promise to de-nuclearize and Trump will promise him a security and economic package. None of it will actually happen but it will "happen" on Twitter and therefore it will be real enough. Welcome to the world of Whacko.
2
Trump's idea of statecraft is stagecraft. On that he succeeds beyond his wildest dreams. I guess we are not going to see the biggest "fire and fury" show after all, at least not today, or perhaps not even on July 4, 2018.
"it’s good to see that Trump now supports engagement rather than military options". The operative word is "now". Let's not forget Trump claimed his relation with the other G6 leader is a "10" only to trash Canada and its leader hours later.
2
Mr. Kristof, Trump got exactly what he wanted.
A 500 million dollar bribe ( i.e “loan”) from China - North Korea’s ally - to halt military exercises and give China an even more unfettered access to the East China Sea and Sea of Japan.
1
he gave up a "major concession"? military exercises in korea? really? come on. he didn't ease any sanctions. Maybe something good will come out of this, and maybe we will be where we've always been. but, isn't it worth trying? my party, of which I consider myself a moderate, has gotten me to the point of frustration. we have no platform, no plan, nothing positive looking. all we are about is hate and criticise trump, no matter what he says or does. we have become the anti-trump party. don't try to accomplish things, make sure we don't work together with the other side. just do everything we can to stop anything and everything. I have news for you dems, you are going to start to lose any moderate, middle of the road dems because you are not about anything positive, just all hate and negativity. and whining and complaining. the right move here was to at least try for peace. and you criticised trump when he was fighting with kim and calling him rocket man. then he schedules a summit and you criticise that. you can't have it both ways. time to wake up before we get swept away in the next presidential election. because right now I and many others I know are beginning to lean the other way until you get your act together and back on track.
1
Yes, and what did you expect? You told Dems they were "childish" for not standing more strongly behind a man who willfully knows nothing at the head of the negotiations.
We're lucky. It could've been worse. But that Trump would be "outfoxed" was a foregone conclusion.
2
+ 2 to Kim for collecting missile data in a short time
+ 2 to Kim for collecting nuclear test data in a short time
+ 1 to Trump for ratcheting down tensions
+ 1 to Kim for ratcheting down tensions
+ 2 to Moon for assisting in ratcheting down tensions
+ 2 to Trump for securing a photo op.
+ 1 to Kim for securing a photo op.
+ 1 Bonus! to Kim for claiming damaged primary nuclear test facility as a concession.
+ 1 Bonus! to Trump for claiming to have extracted concessions on nuclear testing.
All players achieved their objectives!
Final Tally:
Kim 7
Trump 4
Moon 2
The North Koreans managed to gather as much missile and nuclear test data as possible, and then smooth over the ruckus this caused. They even scored a photo op! At the end of the day North Korea's nuclear program is much advanced. The North Koreans can now just let the world go back to sleep as they work on the next iteration of their weapons systems, and lay the ground work for their next round of missile and nuclear tests. A few years from now we'll go through this again but the warheads will be smaller, the missiles will be more accurate with greater range and there will be more of them.
1
I wonder how Trump supporters are framing this. Trump, the deal maker, makes a really great deal......if your the leader of North Korea. If your just the usual uneducated, uncaring, kool aid drinking, Trump supporter, well, I'm sure that there's a deal in there somewhere..... that they can fabricate.
But Trump can't be trusted, and neither can Jong-un, so birds of a feather. And it could be that Trump was getting pointers on how to be a better authoritarian without really looking like an authoritarian. Which is really why he was able to make this amazing deal....if your the ruler of North Korea.
In about a week, you will no longer hear of anything substantive - i.e., hard work behind the scenes - in this matter. The pictures are all that will survive and, whatever one’s preferred narrative, will be used to support that narrative. We’ll careen to another self-inflicted “crisis,” a hurricane will show up in the Gulf of Mexico, or distraction number 6,392 will be created, to avoid talking about or doing the hard work. When our own children are massacred at school and we just “move on” (with thoughts and prayers, however), or thousands of Americans die in Puerto Rico, living months without power, and children are snatched from families at our own border - all completely within our control - how can the grifting, thuggish, and intellectually lazy leadership we have be expected to do anything honorable that requires serious and challenging follow-through, and collaborating with those who hate us?
3
The risky part of this process may be coming soon. How will Trump react when he realizes that he has been duped by Kim? With his fragile ego, he could go "ballistic" and send missiles to bomb North Korea. Just 2 days ago. Trump exploded against one of the US closest allies, Canada, insulting its PM and threatening total trade war. With North Korea it could end up with nuclear war.
2
It is in our best interest to create friendship, sign the peace treaty and denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
Why not to cease having the joint military exercises with South Korea if the North hasn’t had such kind of military partnership with China for decades?
Hasn’t Pyongyang ceased that kind of exercises first?
Hasn’t such a policy move by Washington D.C been long overdue?
1
NK has nuclear weapons and isn't going to give them up. So the best we can hope for is two years of negotiations or negotiating about negotiations---anything to keep Trump from starting a nuclear war. Whatever delusions he and his supporters need to have to make that happen are OK with me.
The essence of creating friendship is not in giving away what you have to but in gifting the others freely and without any calculations.
Only in that way you can gain their trust.
You have to build up confidence in order to make everybody feel safe and secure.
Isn’t it logical that the stronger side can afford to me more confident, open and outgoing?
It's hard to believe a man like Kim is sincere about any of this when he has personally executed a family member with an antiaircraft gun and then incinerated the body with a flame thrower. Or sent two female thugs to assassinate his brother with VX nerve gas in a Malaysian airport. Oh, wait. Trump says Kim loves his country and has his citizens' best interests at heart. He also says that the 120,000 political prisoners in NK are "winners" because of this meeting. Really? Until the human rights abuses are addressed, Trump is talking through his hat, as usual.
1
Nicholas Kristof is creating a problem for peace by criticizing the thin-skinned egomaniac. It can only encourage bad behavior. Look what Canada get when Justin Trudeau pushed back on the bully's tariff and the gang members Navarro and Kudlow gone berserk. Larry Kudlow even get a heart attack!
1
Many Canadians fought along the USA in the Korea war to get such a US abdication...; sad!
The SK is now alone; they have to be nice to the dictator or the Korean peninsula will be "unified" by Kim.
Good move China; the next one will be Taiwan
Thanks for this excellent critical analysis, Nicolas. Realizing how easy Trump could be hoodwinked due to his disastrous national poll numbers and non-stop scandals, this tiny dictator, who too thrives on caricatures and superficialities, threw out a little bait and, as predicted, the overgrown, bottom feeder Trump gobbled it up.
1
About all this showed was a tinpot dictator on an equal footing with the president of the United States. That, and the dictator held his own or outplayed the president.
Mr. Kristoff, weren't you criticizing liberals that thought this meeting would be a stage show?
This is what everyone who had an understanding of this "president's" behavior pattern expected. I expected more from you.
Trump will now get his Fox fawners to promote the Peace Prize. When he doesn't get it, they will scream about Obama having received it.
I wonder what the parents whose son arrived home from N. Korea in a coma and then died several days later think about this?
Can a lasting good arise out of pure evil?
I wish I could actually believe the news analysis in this paper but since the election it has been in hysterical mode. The Times and its pundits are becoming self-parodies. Kim and Trump have not even checked out of their hotel rooms and already the summit is deemed a failure. That's just spin. We just do not know yet.
1
To be a nuclear power is obviously rewarding: check mate for North Korea.
The lesson from all of this: If you're persistent and daring enough, you'll get what you want.
Teheran is closely watching; chess was invented in Iran.
The Iran deal is dead, as dead as a doornail.
3
North Korea?
Right.
Wake me when we get the tax returns.
1
"There will be further negotiations, and these may actually freeze plutonium production and destroy missiles."
Not American weapons, of course. Which country's leaders have been the murderous psychopaths? How many millions of Americans have Koreans killed? How many American cities were vaporized by Koreans? How many No Gun Ris were created in America by Koreans?
It appears Kim took a cue from Benjamin Netanyahu, who got the Trump administration to move the US embassy to Jerusalem for nothing in return.
Is this the art of the Trump deal?
5
On Saturday Trump refused to sign the G7 statement crafted with our long time allies but on Monday signed an agreement with Kim Jong-un a foe.
Let's face the truth we have an ignorant fool for president. Kim outfoxed him. Kim should write a book titled The Art of the Steal.
Mr. Kristof, you have shown yourself to be a disgusting hypocrite. Behind your facade of humanism you really are an imperialist and war-monger.
I applaud any action that means less war games and less military tension in this dangerous hot spot. You clearly want war games to continue.
The US owes this region a peace treaty to finally end the state of war. Anything that gets us closer is a positive development, even if you don't like that fact the Trump is the one to do it.
3
"I applaud any action that means less war games and less military tension in this dangerous hot spot. You clearly want war games to continue."
No, he wants us to get something for stopping them other than empty promises from a lying dictator.
2
North Korea has a standing army of 1.5 million. It has 10,000 artillery pieces aimed at Seoul. It has it's people conditioned for total war. It has tried and would still prefer to rule over the whole country.
The military exercises deter belligerency by North Korea and China, which constrains their freedom to act. That is why both want them to stop and why they must go on. Like it or not the deployment deters open warfare.
'member, that one time, you said It was disgraceful for R's to predict and root for Obama to fail? I remember.
'member, that one time, you said It was premature to give Obama the Nobel Prize for bringing peace to the Middle East ? I remember You totally nailed that one.
'member, that one time, you said Trump couldn't win the nomination? I remember.
'member, that one time, you said Trump couldn't beat Hillary? I remember.
I like that we have a shot peace and I'm not worried that you are freaked out.
I think that you ascribe too much negotiating expertise to the North Koreans. Consider who they were negotiating with: a narcissistic buffoon who cares nothing for his country, but only about puffery for himself. I am only grateful that Trump didn't agree to a joint strike against South Korea.
1
Trump would never agree with Kim to a joint strike on South Korea without getting significant guarantees on naming rights for beach side properties there.
The world sees nuclear weapons and Trump sees condos.
2
Trump got what matters to him: a selfie that he can use to fire up his gullible base and frame for the Oval Office wall. And maybe a hotel in Pyongyang.
Nicky, I think you got this one wrong. You say Trump made a huge concession suspending military exercises in N.K.'s back yard. Did the N.K.'s invite us to play war games alone with their enemy S.K.? How would we like if we were the impoverished nation of 25 million, and Russia or China were playing war games over our heads with their pals, our enemy Mexico? Would we not consider it a provocative act especially after they labeled us one of three countries, ''the axis of evil''? Peace will remain elusive as long as countries only see what others are doing to them, but never see what they are doing to others. Finally, somebody is taking Abe's advice who said, ''the best way to destroy your enemies is to make them your friends''. I give this one to the Pres., but the jury is still out. I am waiting to see when and if the hapless Palestinians finally get justice.
Kristof, your animus toward President Trump is unremitting and congenital to the point of morbidity; if he were to walk on water you'd diminish his accomplishment with the complaint that he'd gotten his feet wet.
1
Is anyone really surprised?
Trump is the ultimate emperor with no clothes. Not smart enough to notice when he gets hoodwinked, not wise enough to rely on the counsel of competent advisors in such matters, he is ruining the reputation and the strength of the US abroad, something that took decades of patient work to build by successive administrations.
Somewhere from his perch in the Jade Palace, Sun Ce looks down and finds all this very funny. Apparently, 2000 years after his life stupid leaders are still finding their way to power. Except that now they are not the unfortunate product of a idiotic son of an otherwise intelligent king that finds its way to power only to ruin his ancestors' work. No, now these buffoons get elected by a citizenry misdirected by years of crazy propaganda by the likes of Fox News.
Even once Trump is out, this should be of grave concern to every citizen in the Republic.
2
At no point in time has the reporting in this hallowed newspaper been so shallow and pathetic.
To quote someone: "Diplomacy is rarely about optimal outcomes; it is about muddling along in the dark, dodging bullets, struggling to defer war and catastrophe for the time being, nurturing opportunities for a better tomorrow."
Want to know who wrote this? Yup, it was Mr. Kristof, on July 30, 2105, talking about the Iran deal- a deal that was a disaster from the get go, that didn't have any of the face to face that this deal has already.
Yet somehow that bit of sage advice was good then, but not today.
Mr. Kristof, you are a hypocrite. You don't have to like Trump- I voted for HRC- but to deny the sheer importance of this day is to deny that the sun rises in the East.
1
Just imagine a democratic President engaging in the kind of self-promoting antiques as our current President does: the Republicans in Congress would be up in arms and Fox News would cover the airwaves with figurative expletives. Hypocrites all!
1
I like it. First you have to say Hi. Then you see where it goes from there.
Photo-ops -r- us. When you fool yourself, you've fooled a fool. A sure way Trump can get re-elected is this. Release 1-3 minority people, per week, unjustly suffering from longish and inhumane prison terms(granny types if he's smart)...preferably drug and non-violent types. Get the feds out of the marijuana penalties business and let the states decide, state by state, how to manage marijuana legalization. Specifically, correct the absurdity of not allowing pot stores to legally do banking transactions. If he does this and manages the media properly, he wins by 8-10% points in the next election cycle. A no brainer. (Caveat...I voted for HRC last go around.)
1
Trump gets along great with Kim-Jon Un, but with Angela Merkel and Justin Trudeau, not so much. How low we have sunk! No one is fooled by this dog-and-pony show, except maybe Kim's pathetically enslaved public, and Trump's delusional base. As another commenter said, Trump only wanted a show anyway, so he succeeded. But it's not just for ego. Kim is helping him out with the 2018 elections.
1
djt is that horrible kid from a well to do family who is so obnoxious that he has no real friends at school. He's too much of a bore to get in with the cool kids so he falls in with the miscreants. He then puts effort into making the other trouble makers seem important and worthy of respect to inflate his own social value.
Beyond that, it's all insulting tweets and photo ops.
Trump gave away joint military exercises in exchange for nothing. You don't have to be a shady real estate developer to know you don't negotiate against yourself. #PatheticLoser
The problem with this article can be seen in the line " Trump didn’t achieve anything remotely as good as the Iran nuclear deal, which led Iran to eliminate 98 percent of its enriched uranium."
No, it did NOT do that ... it got Iran to eliminate some of its
enriched uranium, an amount which we, the people of the US, have no idea of. Our spy agencies probably have some idea, not very accurate, but they are not telling us. Trump
of course knows their guess.
And we DO know that our "on site inspections" have a glaring hole that make them meaningless: the inspectors are not allowed to just show up anywhere, any time, and barge in ... they have to give enough warning that the sites and be cleaned up and made compliant before inspecting.
Let's have the press stop this left wing make-believe. If Obama had made a similar deal, the left-wing press would be pushing him for a Nobel Peace Prize. Oh, I remember, the left wing gave him one of those BEFORE he made any deal at all!
In other words, as usual, this whole article is left wing blather.
Rational people are not expecting a debut of John Adam's opera "Trump in Korea" any time soon.
1
Comparing Trump's recent trash-talking of Canada's prime minister as “very dishonest and weak” with Trump's praise of Kim, "He’s smart, loves his people, he loves his country," seems to signal that Trump realized he was totally out of his element in Singapore, perhaps terrified and shaking in his boots until his bone spurs jangled audibly.
Thank you for the adroitness of your article.
I am reminded of Neville Chamberlain who sought appeasement with both Hitler and Mussolini the days leading up to the war, falsely believing that bonhomie and clasped hands could avert the terror that soon followed.
Falsely assuming that a tiger could change its stripes so easily.
Trump being out-negotiated by Kim should come as no surprise to anyone. His flashy lifestyle notwithstanding, Trump's actual history as a businessman is not impressive, and his immature vanity prevents him from gaining any actual competence.
To his supporters, of course, none of this matters. Here's a scenario for us all to contemplate:
Trump tweets that he's going to start making the sun come up in the west.
The base goes, "Yayyyyyyyy!!!!!!!"
The next morning, the sun rises in the east, as usual.
Trump tweets, "See? I made the sun come up in the west! Best deal ever!"
Fox News announces the sun is now rising in the west.
The base goes, "Yayyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!"
3
More Nick garbage from the Times. What Kristof doesn't get is that this is the first step in negotiations. This was a high level meeting and as you fail to report, Trump didn't remove sanctions and has the option to keep ratcheting them up. And I seriously doubt that any of the things Trump conceded are binding. If Kim doesn't play ball, I'm pretty certain we'll have joint exercises with SK again. Although as Nick fails to point out, SK has a huge, well trained and modern army so our 30k troops or so aren't the thing that's keeping NK from over running SK. It's our air power and nuclear umbrella an the ability of our navy to destroy Kim if necessary.
The left whined when Trump was threatening Kim that he should negotiate. He negotiates and the left whines. How about giving it a rest and seeing what happens.
And by the by, I think the opinion section now has a new record for anti-Trump columns.
2
America might have gotten nothing but the same rhetoric our past treaties received.
But I guarantee you Trump got something.
Say...a hotel/casino on a NK beach maybe?~!
1
I am astonished on the one hand, but not surprised on the other, to listen to the bizarre comments from the media on this NK negotiation. The hatred of Trump blinds columnists and pundits to the very real potential that we may finally see an end to the NK nuclear threat after all these decades. I'm not a Trump supporter, but I try to look beyond his limitations and balance issues with a clear eye. It's amazing how Obama's Iran deal, with a very untrustworthy terrorist regime is somehow good, while the first meeting with Kim is bad right out of the gate. It's hard to listen to the media nonsense, and that includes the NYT and Fox News. To the media, including left and right: try as hard as you must to OUTFOX the people of the U.S., but rational American citizens can have non-partisan views, and aren't as stupid as you think.
1
Obama's treaty, good or bad, was the result of a very long (years) and difficult process involving a lot of legislation, allies, non-allies, technical experts, international organizations, etc. This Trump-Kim meeting was an exchange of pleasantries and a photo-op. People are not against progress. They are just against vacuum masquerading as substance on very serious issues.
3
Trump cannot be trusted
With anything
Forever
I think I'll rewatch The Manchurian Candidate on Netflix tonight.
Never thought it would be relevant, but here we are.
6
"In exchange for these concessions, Trump seems to have won astonishingly little."
Sooooo... Kinda like the Iran deal.
2
Our bankrupt Grifter, the ultimate “dealmaker” has already given away important benefits and legitimized the NOKs in the bargain. Hah!
2
Hopefully, he is going to be POTUS until 2020, therefore anything now is better than war.
Trump outfoxed? How ironic. Does Sean know? Of course he doesn't. And one can be certain the nitwit-in-Chief is incapable of knowing anything.
If there were any justice in this World, Trump would be denied entrance back into the US for crimes against humanity. An American president has colluded with the Russians. And worse, he's sold his soul for something so venial as getting a boost in his ratings. I await the day Mueller brings Trump to justice. It can't happen too soon.
DD
Manhattan
2
Cancellation of the joint military exercises...that is easy, DJT wants the military hardware for his bigly (sic) parade.
I had a cat once who would hiss at whoever came into a room where he was. But his attitude and behavior changed dramatically if you stroked & petted him. Then he would purr, and occasionally lick one of your fingers.
Too bad the name of my cat wasn't Donald Trump. Actually his name was Pussycat.
1
So in all this commotion, the North Korean people, some of the world's most desperate, can take heart that they will have luxury condos on their beaches - one, no doubt, with the Trump name on it.
Trump is a heartless human being, the worst example of humanity. And he is our President. Shocking.
It was disgusting to see scores of American flags debased, hung side by side, one by one, with the flag of this lying, oppressive duplicitous regime and its juvenile con man of a leader. And Trump has the audacity and hypocrisy to criticize NFL players who kneel in silence as a gesture to draw attention to protection of our civil rights.
8
The monkey-maker just made another monkey out of don. Another day to be a proud american.
1
Were he alive today, the noted philosopher, Billy Martin, may have said of Trump and Kim: One's a liar and the other's convicted.
2
Is it just me, or did Trump act like the death of Otto Warbmier was a much needed sacrificial lamb for peace, instead of an act of cruelty from a inhumane dictator who fed his uncle to dogs? Just wondering...
Is there anything surprising here? We all knew the flim-flammer-in-chief would come home crowing about having made history. We saw that coming a week ago.
I just wonder how much more of Trump Americans---the world---can take before they discover he's an empty suit, but with a torch in his hand.
3
Amazing! A complete and total victory for Kim Jong-Un and North Korea. Trump has betrayed the people of South Korea.
Appeasement of a thug dictator. We must realize what this means for the Koreans who have no voice, no power. This is a momentous blunder, but half the U.S. is celebrating.
What a show! Trump gave away a giant win to Kim just by showing up. The Kim family has been panting for this kind of recognition for over 60 years and now, just by showing up he's become a World Leader, the equivalent of Churchill, Reagan and Henry VIII (in girth, anyway.) And for desert, Trump grandly offered to stop military exercises in South Korea. Does anyone think he even asked the South if that is a good idea? Is this how Trump makes deals? Did he offer his lenders half a building before it was even built in his business deals? Kim must know about all the bankruptcies. That would explain his big grins. But Trump did get the one thing he came for, he too has proved to his base that he alone can meet a dictator on an even plane, pat him on the back, and because there was nobody else in the room except translators, he can come home with the best story he can make up.
1
Unbelievable arrogance and hypocrisy from Kristoff, who not long ago was hysterically screaming that "Trump is leading us to a nuclear doomsday." Now that Trump is talking with the North Koreans, he sounds like some neocon warmonger: "Trump is being hoodwinked by an evil thug." The only constant: if Trump did it or said it, it's bad. And these guys wonder why the American people no longer have any respect for the media.
3
These "military exercises" were for show. The idea that they were anything else is foolish. So long as we have the nuclear capable 7th Fleet in Japan, B-52's, B-2's, and B-1B's in Guam, you must know that we can obliterate North Korea in a matter of hours.
So the "suspension" of of these exercises is not a huge concession.
Unfortunately, you have fallen into the trap: you hate Trump so much (a man I didn't and would NEVER vote for), that even something as positive as this has forced you oppose it.
For those of us who rather see enemies talking than fighting, this was a good day.
For those who hate Trump no matter what all you can manage is he was "outfoxed."
I'd rather him outfoxed, than see a war.
2
A shameful day for America. Thank you for this column, Nick.
I no longer read right-wing putative "news", but I bet they are crowing about what a great negotiator Trump is. And as Kristof noted, Trump is too stupid to notice. I hope the 87% of Republican voters that still support him are happy with it, but then since they only watch Fox News (I know I'm guilty of the same thing), they'll love him even more, especially in Ohio since SCOTUS just gave them a big win to keep more Democrats from voting.
3
In Trump's mind, he won, of course. A deal to Trump is secondary to the optics. The final episode of "The Apprentice Goes to Washington," his reality TV in its second season, was staged to perfection. He looked so presidential shaking hands with a despot, signing another black-bound agreement, joking (?) about condos on the beach, all this and outdoing his nemesis Obama. As we go into the summer re-run season this episode will trump the Mueller investigation, the blow-off of the G7 and other narratives. Who cares about details, Trump just put the 2018 and 2020 video in the can. Love when cable news thinks it's getting spontaneity.
2
Trump got exactly what he wanted... The photo op.
1
We gave up MILITARY TRAINING for a promise and a signature on a sheet of paper. All this winning.....
2
It seems a bit early for Mr. Kristof to conclude the Trump was outfoxed. Perhaps Kristof is trying to join Paul Krugman (who famously claimed that Trump's election would lead to a meltdown in the economy and stock market) in the coveted NY Times's Terrible Punditry Award.
In any event, Trump can't do worse than Clinton, Bush and Obama, who were definitely outfoxed by the North Koreans. To say nothing of Obama's being outfoxed by Iran. and Syria.
2
Trump seeks a Nobel prize so he can beat Obama. Obama didn't deserve it, and neither does Trump.
1
The brutal sociopathic dictator and the narcissistic pathological liar revelled in the spotlight at this hastily organized reality TV episode. More thought was put into the menu choices than the actual substance of this non-summit.
Korea has proven over and over to be completely untrustworthy when committing to denuclearize. This will not change, but Trump will claim a false victory, while China and Russia grow ever cozier, and Ivanka and Jared eye personal enrichment opportunities in N. Korea.
8
As the comments show, it is difficult for the trumpies to understand or accept that their boy got rolled. It is almost as hard for them as accepting that they are getting conned in plain sight.
Trump knows this -- he said as much in his little book -- just keep lying and saying stuff and people will believe anything. This is the one thing that he is right about.
Of course we would all like him to succeed - if he even gets half as much as the Iran deal achieved, it will be a genuine achievement.
1
So now any tinpot dictator of a small country has a blueprint to gain prestige, power and world standing: develop (or appear to develop) nuclear weapons and threaten the United States.
Then profess to want 'peace' and 'denuclearization' and a willingness to 'negotiate' and presto you'll get want you want with no real details or requirements to do ANYTHING.
Great deal from the dotard-in-chief of our once great country.
PS - there's a line forming already.
1
The result of the summit is clearly disappointing to most Korean-Americans who had a hope of the Kim's tyrannical regime be removed. Instead Trump did more than Kim had hoped in long run: not only North Korea can keep the nuclear weapons, now they are treated as a normal country. I knew Trump was not smart nor reliable, but now I know he is a borderline stupid and deserved to be removed first as he is better suited for a Coldwell Banker agent.
If Obama had done this deal Kristoff and his fellow left wing Trump haters would be fawning all over it. You have zero credibility.
1
Vox captured the right's hypocrisy with this paragraph:
“I’m not certain why meeting with Kim without preconditions is suddenly a grand coup when we would have gone nuts had Obama done the same,” said conservative pundit Ben Shapiro, who criticized Obama back in 2009 and is now often critical of Trump.
National Review’s Jim Geraghty wondered the same. “Remember how much we condemned then-senator Barack Obama’s pledge to ‘meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?’ That wasn’t wrong,” (National Review’s Jim) Geraghty wrote.
We know Trump lies continually, and NK has never stood by any agreement it has ever made, so I rather think that Kim is probably also a liar.
So we have two liars who met and liked each other and say that they have made progress and we should all praise them for their wonderful achievement.
The only thing I believe is that they are both liars. I'll believe we've made a breakthrough when we get results.. you know, like we did with the Iran deal Trump just trashed ONLY because it didn't have the TRUMP brand. Truth, and working with other democracies around the world, do not interest him. Money and fame is all Trump craves... that seems to be Kim as well.
1
Isn't this right out of the Trump playbook, yell and create a sensation, beat your chest, accept any kind of deal and call it a victory. But, honestly it is too early to call this one, negociations with North Korea will a long protracted process. My only problem is that I'm not sure a state dept headed by John Bolton will be up to the task. He is an idiot. As far as cancelling military exercises, I would rather use the word suspend. If Trump could get a deal like the Iran deal, which he walked away from, he will be lucky.
1
Kristoff kept saying in every venue to be fair to Trump, that Trump was opening up possible new avenues with North Korea and by golly maybe Trump knew what he was doing.
Today, according to Nick, Trump was outfoxed. It didn’t take a seasoned NY Times correspondent to see this coming; even a cub reporter for the Upper Dumbstruck News and Times could have seen this coming.
1
What he wanted, and got, was a G2 with him in charge (he and his base think!), instead of being a member of a G7, with him not in charge. U.S., welcome to the new G2, you have bought, where you can do all the trade in goods and human values with North Korea, while sacrificing those with your long term friends and allies.
Interesting photo: Trump appears clueless while Kim appears to be laughing at Trump behind his back.
So Kim’s missiles that can reach San Francisco and Los Angelos are still ready to go? And Trump just gave him a big hug ?
1
Honestly, you are incredible! If Trumped walked on water, you would say that it was due to a change in the molecular composite he walked upon. He can do no right. Forget this, I'm skipping over, finally, your opinions. There is nothing straightforward about them. Glad to see the NYT employees individuals that are 'unbiased'.
This stinks of Putin. He's not interested in a denuclearized North Korea. Just like himself he wants horrifying dictators to live out in the open and welcomed at everybody's table. He wants to sweep Democracies aside and replace it with Oligarchies. Kim is fine with that because it just means he'll have more money. It's easy enough to convince Trump because he's so easily manipulated and he thinks he's going to win a Nobel peace prize. Nothing good was ever intended to come out of this for the United States. Mission accomplished.
America is Russia's puppet right now.
1
Trump was "honored" to meet Kim Jong-un?
Honored?
He could have used a more appropriate word than "honored."
I guess with his small vocabulary he couldn't think of another word.
4
What his boils down to is that Trump has effectively abandoned the South Korean government and told Kim to go ahead and do whatever the heck he likes. The real fun will be in watching the logical contortions Trump supporters are going to go through in validating their heroes "win".
1
I'm just waiting for Trump/Chamberlain to declare peace in our time. We know where that went.
To quote your colleague, David Brooks today:
"Donald Trump Is Not Playing by Your Rules"
So far, Trump has surrendered to Russia, China, Israel, and North Korea. We've given them various things, and gotten absolutely nothing in return from any of them.
But boy, did he beat the pants off of Canada!
I'm so tired of winning. All we do is win, win, win.
1
Trump probably doesn’t know anything about the horrors that the North Korean people endure. Worse yet , I don’t think he even cares.
We must always remember that Trump is an American despot who feels more comfortable with brutal dictators than with our democratic European allies. Meanwhile the Republicans say and do NOTHING . What a horrible bunch of “ so called Patriots “ they are . Oh but Trump stands for the National Anthem.
Snookered is the perfect word to describe what Trump experienced in his meeting with Kim. We suspend joint military exercises with South Korea and Kim promises to denuclearize. Donald knows a good deal when he sees it. After all, North Korea’s word is their bond, or is it their bomb, or is their bong? Donald’s expertise in human nature allows him to sees an honorable man in Kim, and a dishonest weakling in Trudeau. His fly by the seat of his pants diplomacy coincides with his aversion to prepare and do his homework. Meanwhile, in his briefing bag, Kim had a list of all the adjectives that the North Koreans have researched that can be used to flatter The Donald. And if that’s not enough, he’ll pull out the Queen of Diamonds that Putin told him about and get more concessions. Perhaps Trump should have consulted more fully with his South Korean ambassador. Oops! After a year and a half in office he still hasn’t named one. Perhaps Dennis Rodman might be a good choice. He knows Kim well, and has a larger vocabulary than The President.
1
Excerpts from speeches made almost 80 years ago, on 30 September 1938, after a democratically elected leader met with a totalitarian dictator:
"... here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine. ... symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again. ..... I believe it is peace for our time."
Maybe we should remember what happened to that belief.
If Kristof is correct and flattery by the Koreans is the basis of diplomacy and negotiation with Trump, then Trudeau and other G7 leaders have much to learn.
The difference is that Trump wanted nothing from Kim and did not insult him. This does matter.
1
Quick recent history lesson
They already tried that
Didn’t solve a thing
Fight the photo ops w full fire and fury
Let's not have all the so-called pundits rush in and critique Donald Trump, looking exclusively for negatives, for what didn't happen. This is like calling the final score of a ball game or any game after the first inning. Victor Cha is telling us right when he says "Trump walked us back from the brink of war." The bigger question than nuclear is regime change, and that will take time. So, Nicholas, just be patient and - fair minded.
2
Trump already gave up joint military exercises with the South. Those exercises are vital to our military preparedness.
I agree that most of the critique is a bit nit picky, but this is not.
The truth is, it's too early to tell if the summit was a success. I do know that if Barack Obama had suspended military operations with South Korea (which can easily be restarted, by the way), you would have hailed him as a pragmatist and a peacemaker. All of a sudden progressives are hawks! Who knew. This premature analysis, based on little more than speculation, is annoying and adds little to the dialogue.
4
But Obama didn't , did he? He knew better than to take actions that undermine our security in the region.
And no, those types of exercises can't be "easily restarted." They require months of planning and coordination with South Korea and on occasion Japan. These exercises go directly to our military's preparedness in the most dangerous area of the world. By not conducting joint exercises, the dangers from missteps should something happen increases.
I think the meeting can be summarized like this:
TRUMP: I'm willing to meet with you, and then give up joint military exercises with South Korea, but I want you to know that those things aren't a big deal to me.
KIM: I'm willing to make a vague statement about an aspiration of a possible future without nuclear arms.
TRUMP: So we're both willing to do things that we don't think matter one bit?
KIM: If you say so.
TRUMP: What a deal! Cue the cameras! And also, so you know, I also don't care about the US military being in South Korea.
KIM: I'll keep that in mind for our second summit.
4
The Korean War, like the Vietnam War and all fiascos in the Middle East that followed were disastrous foreign policy blunders on our part. They cost us much -- particularly those of our own who were killed or crippled there -- and gained us nothing. Bad as he is, and he is that, Trump is doing the smart thing if he gets us out of that stupid and outdated international policeman role. It is a loser.
No, I was not a draft dodger like Trump. I was a draftee -- Korean War vintage.
1
This piece was essentially written before the summit was held - indeed before President Trump left Washington -- with a TK - add details here.
So were the pieces on Obama's deal with Iran -- which now everyone can see was a flawed, naive capitulation -- written before the deed was done and the pallets of greenbacks delivered.
Anyone who expects Nicholas Kristof or his employer to be an honest broker when it comes to analyzing the foreign policies of presidents is a fool.
4
The script was written before Trump left, when he admitted that he did no studying whatsoever on a very complex subject, but would rely instead on the instinct that led him to six bankruptcies and hundreds of millions in debt to hostile parties, such as Russia.
Playing footsie with dictatorships such as Turkey, Russia, China, Philippines et cetera is not the mark of leadership, but that of kinship with the worst brigands on the planet.
1
Our "president" is an embarrassment and a failure.
2
I'm not supportive of the hawks in Trump's administration but if John Bolton doesn't speak out against this, he's a hypocrite.
2
Trump got hoodwinked; trump will pivot and attack N Korea shortly. Trump claims victory ; when he lost big time. Trump pulls America deeper into the gutter daily. Ray Sipe
1
What kind of deal can Kim make with a man who's on the way to prison?
5
No "kidding", Sherlock. Who didn't see this coming. Trump gets worldwide attention and adoration from his base, for an Ego Opera, in several parts. One simple question: Where's the BEEF ??? A lot of spectacle and pomp, signifying nothing. Or nothing good. Sorry, South Korea. You're own your own, obviously.
1
It is easy to do relatively well when you are negotiating with someone who is ignorant. It is even easier if the other negotiator is ignorant and not very bright. And, it is remarkably easy when the other negotiator is ignorant, not very bright, cowardly, and narcissistic.
So, Kim, don't flatter yourself too much. Your challenge was really not that hard.
3
Kim Jong-Un and POTUS Trump signed deals agreeing that both would get decent haircuts. That is all.
6
That’s one Red Line Trump will never cross... his hair stays as is.
1
All good points, and relevant here. On Kim and Trump, both amateurish publicity seekers who have had their day. But notice those sitting around Trump were our top brass, now including Bolton always the hawk. We must assume they may make up for Trump's lack of knowledge about the details. If you look at his negotiating skills in the past, it was always about failing enterprises, where he was trying to get something out of it for himself. He did not know how to run, or even buy his businesses (save government surplus), ran them into the ground, and was then saved by Russian money laundering and some shrew investing by his Hong Kong partners (who he sued--idiot). His partners in this deal are our military establishment, who are not going to be hoodwinked.
Kim's partners are the Chinese. It's not possible they developed nuclear weapons without their help and approval. They are a client State. (Try to imagine what would have happened if say, Alaska, had tried to develop Nukes on their own in the U.S., and N. Korea is closer to Beijing than the rest of China.) The timetable not spelled out is how fast can you ship those nukes and missiles to china, the same as Ukraine shipped their weapons back to Russia.
Will the Chinese allow N. Korea to get out from under its Maoist dictatorship--worse than the Great Leap--and make peaceful arrangements with the South, who are willing to share their wealth, as are all of Asia and the U.S. The South is a destination, even in China.
1
I am unclear why you find this bewildering. The current president is deeply ignorant, has no understanding of history, cannot read, and is surrounded by sycophants. It is not bewildering at all but, on the other hand, quite predictable
1
Yes, but what about the really important issue? Will there be a Trump hotel or highrise in N. Korea?? The Grifter-In-Chief isn't losing his touch, is he?
3
Bizarre, sickening -- the President* of the USA praising a mass-murdering dictator, shaking hands with him in front of US flags mixed with the flags of a tyranny that murders its own people every day (yet "he loves his people" ?!?), giving the freak everything he wants and getting nothing in return except a freak-show photo-op.
I thought trump couldn't sink any lower but turns out he always can.
2
Outfoxed indeed. Not a surprise really, knowing how unprepared he was (and has been, and will continue to be, as he has no interest in learning, no humility to see his stupid entitlement, a tabula rasa). The trouble with this charlatan we have in the Oval Office is his monumental ignorance, and arrogance stemming from it, giving him the illusion 'he knows more than the generals' (his words). Seeking denuclearization is a noble goal, but I'm afraid this 'bully in a china shop' doesn't have the temperament not knowledge not perseverance it'll take to see things through. For now, it's Kim 1, Trump zero.
3
I may be just another conspiracy thinker....however....what if Putin and Kim orchestrated this whole meeting to get 45 to look “good” so that he can get re-elected so that they can gain ever more leverage around the world. Hmmmm
Also, the day prior blasting our allies and promoting a killer? Looks like 45 once again showed the world his true colors. He would sell out his mother, children and anyone who got in his way.
1
Let's see how this plays out! Too early for a column! But, I couldn't resist, also too early for comments!!!
2
Kim found his patsy in Trump. One of the worst "deals" ever.
2
"Trump has eased the tensions that he himself created when he threatened last fall to “totally destroy” North Korea. I’m just not sure a leader should get credit for defusing a crisis that he himself created."
The whole clown show in a nutshell (and I mean nut).
3
President Trump has made China Greater!
America prays that he makes Congressman Devin Nunes
the Ambassador to North Korea.
3
Trump just sold the farm for fake magic beans. Trump Country. How's that winning going?
1
I'm growing tired of this paper. It's all Trump hate, no matter what he does. Rarely is there any positive news, even in light of this current economy. I especially love the weekly"its not all bad out there" column. Get a grip NYT, he has accomplished a lot and will continue to do so. The last President (your favorite!) did very little and completely divided the country. His constant meddling in local matters concerning black issues was useless and contributed to the current Presidents election. We know this is true but no one seems to want to discuss...
For a publication with such a storied, long history, you are getting it all wrong lately.
3
One name keeps popping in my head.....Neville Chamberlain.
1
When two powerful mobsters, in a dispute over territory, get together to negotiate, how do they go about it? They don't declare that the moment opportunity arises they will stab the other in the back. No, they're all smiles, while waiting for their enemy to drop their guard so that they can strike first.
Like every crime boss, both Trump and Kim are malignant narcissists. They are perfectly capable of dissimulafing, of smiling for the cameras, of feigning friendship because that's what men with this type of personality disorder do in order to gain power over their adversaries.
I had the misfortune to share a flat in Clifton, Bristol for a while with a vicious psychopath from the Gorbals. At the age of sixteen, while at school in Glasgow, Mike had tried to murder his tough disciplnarian of a schoolteacher and the teacher's wife and kids by setting fire to their house. Mike could be as charming as the day was long when it suited him. But at all times he carried a razor sharp switchblade in his back pocket and if the opportunity arose he would cut your throat without blinking an eyelash — if he though he could get away with it, and it would benefit him.
Malignant narcissists, psychopaths and sociopaths are never, ever to be trusted. Ask the family members of Ted Bundy's victims.
2
Let’s celebrate and honor the past 5 US presidents and the UN s accomplishments with the Korean Peninsula also. They accomplished sooo much!
Silly column by Kristof. The joint military exercises can be restarted any time.
2
The family of Otto Warmbier must be in a state of shock over Trump's effusive, supine flattery of this brutal, murderous dictator.
3
Just think of all the right wing huff-n-puff that we would be subjected to if this were Obama.
3
kinda like he hate we're being subject to now because it's trump?
1
Good God, please remove him from office already. To all Republicans and members of Congress, are you so craven that you would allow this horror stay in office, just so you can get tax cuts? So that you can take away a woman's rights to her body? To cut Social Security and other safety net programs? You would sacrifice all your dignity to keep this terrorist in the White House remain. You would let history memorialize you as traitors, scoundrels, enablers, and cowards by letting him remain? Do you really not see the damage he has cause and will continue to cause? Where is your honor, your sense of duty? It is time to remove this mad man.
1
No, Mr. Kristof, you have been snookered. You probably wrote your article before Trump even got to Singapore, so intent are you on hating Trump.
2
Kristof shouldn't be too hard on Trump. He's only following Putin's orders.
6
So Donald J. Trump, what was wrong with the Iran deal? Please be specific, using facts. Ha.
3
When will TRUMP TOWERS, NK begin?
This was a publicity stunt by both of them!!
1
It is such a shame that the extreme left wing news organizations cannot share in the good news of North Korea or the stellar economy created by Trump. If Trump was walking on water the NYT headline would read "Trump can't swim!"
1
all Republican's must be so proud
hating our friends, being friends with our enemies
Republican's like to see Churchill as their role model
this is much more Neville Chamberlain
6
And yet networks are gushing over his 'historic visit.' Imagine if Obama had done the same.
4
Not sure how you can say Trump has been "outfoxed" you don't know the details of the deal.. ? For example, unless you know something no one else does .. would Trump withdraw troops unilaterally .. ? This "opinion" is just pure speculation.. with a little sour grapes mixed in...
3
First he sells out to Russia, then he alienates our allies, and then he embraces one of the world's most evil dictators in the name of peace. In the meantime, he treats immigrants and his own fellow citizens like dirt, just like his new pals do. It's amazing that his is what passes for presidential material in America.
Instead of the best and the brightest, going to the moon, we have how low can you go, limbo fifth columnists in charge. Is this it for us then? We can't stop these people from doing us in?
7
This wasn't a high-level diplomatic summit. This was a photo-op, nothing more. They shook hands. They signed papers. They preened for the cameras. Big deal. Meanwhile, Kim keeps his nukes, and the U.S. stops military exercises with South Korea. Trump got...absolutely NOTHING.
Trump worships demagogues like Putin, Xi, and Kim. He wants to be like them. He abases himself before them, hoping that they will teach him their secrets. He wants to know what it feels like to wield absolute, unchecked POWER. The Constitution prevents him from doing that...for now. But Trump is using his source of power--television--to create the illusion that he knows what he's doing, that he's some kind of Messiah for the American people, and that he could make everything better if we would just get rid of that pesky "rule of law" nonsense and let him do what he wants.
Kim will NEVER give up his nukes. Accept that. The West Coast of the United States is under the threat of nuclear attack from a regime five times as crazy as China or Russia. And Trump is perfectly okay with that, because he and Kim have "legitimized" each other with this pathetic bit of diplomatic stagecraft. It's all smoke-and-mirrors, folks. And we're falling for it. #NotMyPresident #RESIST #ImpeachTrumpNOW
1
Mr. Trump's penchant for self-aggrandisement hit a new low this week, viz., in Quebec and Singapore. While shamelessly currying favor with the despotic North Korean regime and fawning over its hereditary leader, our president sold US geopolitical interests down the river for a song. In other words, Kim Jong-un and team DPRK appears to have gotten the gold mine while the US and it's closest regional allies South Korea, Japan, and others got the shaft.
As Mr. Kristoff so aptly observed, "[w]ithin North Korea, the “very special bond” that Trump claimed to have formed with Kim will be portrayed this way: Kim forced the American president, through his nuclear and missile tests, to accept North Korea as a nuclear equal, to provide security guarantees to North Korea, and to cancel war games with South Korea that the North has protested for decades."
Another dark turn-of-the-worm at the hands of the new American plutocracy, its mendacious leadership, and enablers - domestic and foreign.
Very sad, indeed!
2
I think all that Trump sees are Trump Hotels and other Trump brands in North Korea's future. In other words, he gambled away the world's safety for more $$$$$$$$$.
In Trump world. follow the $$$$, always.
2
Trump always seems like he was not up to the "real" challenge - but he's not at all stupid, and sees everything you see. He will, I am betting, get what he wants in time, by force or by treaty.
1
The agreement contains no promises from North Korea, which means Trump has crafted a deal within which no North Korean promises will ever be broken. Take that haters and losers!
It didn’t take long for the New York Times to put a damper on the Trump-Kim Jong-un meeting. This Kristof column especially the headline was probably written before the two even arrived in Singapore.
2
I am reminded of this:
Macbeth:
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
. . .
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Macbeth Act 5, scene 5, 19–28
1
Gee, it sounds like you believe the world is FLAT - it's clear nothing changes for the liberals, they question every move. They just can't believe that something they didn't do might work. I guess you would rather have him throwing rockets over Japan? Optimism disappeared for the liberals when Obama lost, just like a lightswitch. Remember how the conservatives felt when Obama won? It spawned the tea party activists, who were deemed ignorant, uneducated malcontents without any merit.
You folks sound even more silly than the birthers you despised, only to a much higher magnitude on volume.
1
The real losers in this entire Trump Reality Show episode are the American people. Its not the $15 M in wasted funds ( a mere fraction of what it costs tax payers to sustain Trump's golf mania) but rather the loss of dignity bfore the world . Any diplomat knows that Trump was suckered yet again by Kim, making the US look like fools.
3
You are blinded by your desire to proclaim all-things-trumpian as Bad.
"We" didn't get much, but neither did we really give much.
Recognize DPRK? Big deal, the world has done that.
"Provide security guarantees". Nothing concrete there ...
"Cancel wargames"? They can always be restarted, or the South Koreans could come to the US for "consultation" and "training".
Did we say we'd withdraw troops? Stop sanctions? Anything concrete? nooooooo.
This meeting certainly hasn't lived up to the Trumpian Hyperbolic Propaganda ... but it hasn't sunk to the depths of Kristoffian Doom either.
1
Trump's performance was predictably disgusting. Kim loves his country and wants to do right by them? Right. Just like Trump University isn't a scam. Of course, there was no need for Trump to make such statements about Kim -- Trump's just an ignorant, narcisissitic buffoon.
And his statement that Otto Warmbier didn't die in vain is downright offensive. Warmbier didn't die trying to achieve peace b/t N Korea and the US. He was essentially kidnapped and murdered by Kim.
Great job, Mr. President!
1
This “summit” was nothing more than another episode of The Trump Show so he can display more shiny trinkets to his supporters and further exaggerate his, well, grand accomplishment.
Kim, on the other hand, does have some bragging rights-he conned the con artist.
Well, so far Trump has turned the G7 into the G6 plus a moron and let himself be hoodwinked.
What is comical is our grand negotiator accomplished no more than those predecessors of his that “failed” in their actions toward NK. Trump’s face to face meeting? Just for show. Nothing to see here so move on.
2
He made another dictator buddy. We are departing the western alliance and joining the axis of evil.
1
Fox news had it right when the announcer spoke about the two dictators meeting in Singapore. Trump has long admired tyrants and dictators. He called the neo-Nazi who marched in SC, fine people. Kim recognized a patsy when he saw one. Why give up anything he doesn't have to? The truth is, it wouldn't hurt him to treat his people more humanely. They are malnourished while he is obese. Our country also has people who are may not be starving to death but are hungry while we have an obese leader. who doesn't care. Trump sees a kindred spirit. Like Obama, Trump is rushing into an agreement solely about nuclear arms without also addressing the civil rights of the citizens. It wasn't right for Iran and it's not right for North Korea either. I hope the Nobel Prize committee doesn't reward him for his stupidity.
5
Nobel Prize worthy, this ain’t.
1
I bet this was written a week ago and some details filled in last night. Trump gave up very little and got very little. This is the first date.
1
seems to me that dennis rodman got a better deal than donald trump. rodman got to hold kim's new baby.
2
This article is woefully ignorant on facts. Prez #42 got played for a fool, not #45. Clinton promised North Korea $4B in oil over 10 years if they de-nuked. Look at how that turned out ... on the trash bin of ridiculous agreements. Trump gave up nothing other than suspending joint military exercises while the process begins. The trade embargoes are still in place. Military exercises can resume in a NY minute if NK equivocates. Nick, please read The NY Times past articles of who got taken to the cleaners.
1
There is a moment when I
think of this as been manufactured from
the get-go.
The stupid name calling.
The threats.
And then it's all warm and cosy as a rice pudding.
Too weird.
2
"Democrats Childishly Resist Trump’s North Korea Efforts"
I wonder what could happen wrong.
"Trump Was Outfoxed in Singapore"
Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me.
Why anyone in his right mind would choose to spend time with an arrogant, ignorant despot who has zero knowledge of foreign affairs; seems to believe "read" is a dirty word; and acts more like Martin Short's character Jiminy Glick every day, is beyond me. What was Kim Jong-un thinking when he agreed to this?
2
We already know Trump is an idiot with a bizarre affection for dictators and their ways.
Let's just be glad that we are not on the verge of a senseless war and let this process go on. It will take years.
By that time, Trump should be out of office and only a danger to those immediately around him, not the entire world.
NK Dictator is not completely insane, he knew that he would never be able to do this shtick with any other american president, so in a way it was his one shot, since he is acutely aware that our meshuggeneh, useful fool, crude, craving Nobel Prize president will be quick out of the office soon enough...so his only window of parading himself on a world stage finally arrived.
Mission accomplished for ruthless despot who tortured and slaughtered hundreds of thousand of his own people in cold blood.
2
Trump got played. China loving it. Putin chortling. Thugs of the world uplifted. Liberal democracies disgusted (with the Buffoon). Most Americans embarrassed and deeply saddened at the sacking of American ideals. November can’t come fast enough.
2
Warmongers like Mr. Kristoff never give up. He seems crestfallen that Mr. Trump gave up those precious military exercises. Like those didn't contribute to North Korea going nuclear in the first place. Mr. Kristoff should stick to his expertise, obsessively agonizing over the world of sex work.
3
This is spot on. Trump is nothing more than an immature narcissist, and all he wants is for Kim to 'like' him. He's desperate for praise and pats on the back, like a child. He's a terrible negotiator and always has been. Trump is a dangerous combination of arrogance and ignorance. How he honestly thinks he can make any headway with North Korea, when people with actual intelligence and experience have been working on it for years, is just beyond ridiculous.
1
I wonder if Trump has any concept of how much most of us, and the leaders of the free world, detest him (putting it mildly) and think he is a bullying incompetent president?
1
Putting aside the need of the obsessed Liberal media to hit Trump on all matters large or small, this is hilarious. The worst deal which this country has ever negotiated, the Iran nuclear farce,courtesy of those 2 empty suits Obama and Kerry, was praised by this same Kristof and the rest of the Liberal MSM's roster of Trump haters as the greatest development since sliced bread.
2
"It's breathtaking to see an American president emerge as a spokesman for the dictator of North Korea." What is "breathtaking" is how stupid republicans are. Remember when W knew he could trust Putin because W had looked into Putin's eyes. Republicans live in a dream world where Reagan type cowboys and Nixonesque criminals are held in esteem. Republicans need to take a look at reality.
1
If this was Pres. Obama you would be asking the Vatican to beatify him. The MSM's bias against Pres. Trump is on full didplay
1
“Trump said “I like him” and added: “He’s smart, loves his people, he loves his country.”
Right, Kim loves his people so much he rounds them, puts them in work camps, and kills them at will. It’s Murder, INC North Korean style.
1
Donald Trump wants us to believe that he could sell water to fish. In reality, his best talent is convincing a lot of people, his critics included, that he actually can sell water to fish.
In reality, most of the time he is selling raw sewage to extremely stupid and gullible fish. Until the media stops thinking that his self styled image has any substance to it at all, the con will continue.
1
Trump is a pushover. Give him a few compliments and a few strokes of his ego, any despot leader can win him over. Putin has done it, Netanyahu does it, and I imagine the Syrian President would do it if he met Trump. Putin would give him pointers on how to win Trump over; tell Trump what a great man he is, what a sharp business man, blah, blah. Trump would say after all stroking that the Syrian President is misunderstood while Netanyahu would be going crazy because the Syrian President is in bed with the Iranians’, Israel’s sworn enemy.
Trump is an ignorant man totally unqualified for the job of president. He’s a grifter and a deadbeat but easily swayed by a few compliments. He is not the tough negotiator he paints himself to be. Those tax cuts he claims everyone got will now be eaten up by the tariffs that our trading partners will impose on our goods and services and the ones he places on our trading partners goods that we buy. He has no understanding of even basic economics or how government works. Companies are not hiring or investing their tax cuts they are buying back their stock in order to drive up the price of those stocks. I know this because I got one such offer a couple weeks ago. They want to buy back the shares I own at discounted rate in so that they can money of the resale of those stocks. Folks, we all got shafted on the so-called tax reform bill, you just haven’t received the final bill. Trump is a pushover, even, his fellow republicans recognize that.
5
Appeasement comes to mind and yet another flashback to attempts to placate another dictator also known as Hitler ( who did the unspeakable to his people and the world). While I applaud efforts to create peace the selling of the US so cheaply is disappointing. I think of those starving in North Korean gulags and in the rural areas, the state run press and execution as sport. How can we as a nation stand by and applaud.
1
Let's see if the Canadians are correct, and the the minute he gets on Air Force1 he starts tweeting about Kim Jong-un like he did Justin Trudeau, big tough guy the minute he's on the plane but otherwise an obsequious little tart in person.
1
Con Don is infatuated with Obama. Rather than doing what is good for our nation, his only goal is to destroy everything Obama accomplished during his administration. Look at Obamacare, relationship with Cuba, Iran deal, protecting the environment and the list goes on. His personal hatred towards Obama has no limits. Of course, it illustrates con Don’s xenophobia and his division mongering style He started the game by floating Obama’s birth place and unfortunately, the Republicans supported it from the beginning of this insane claim. So, Obama got the Nobel prize- now he wants that well. So by hook or crook, like a pathetic child bully, the “me” President will try to get that as well. It does not matter that it takes lot of preparation to make a meaningful treaty to save us from nuclear war. Con Don treats everything like buying a real estate property by mafia style work. The man with zero governance skills proved again that he is the most incompetent leader in the world by giving up too much.He was there to meet North Korea leader without any prep. He savages our partner, neighbor Trudeau one day and then he praises one of the world’s worst tyrrants next day. It is a shame and travesty that we have such an incompetent person in the White House.
5
NOT a surprise the useful idiot made another encore performance. This is the man who happily reported Putin "said he didn't do it". Trump has probably already cleared shelf space for his Nobel Peace Prize. Showtime's "Our Cartoon President" version of Trump seems no more ridiculous than the actual version.
1
I can only imagine what Kristof would have written if the President had been Obama.
2
Every small autocrat and dictator in the world now has a choice, does he want to be the next Saddam Hussein/Muammar Gaddafi or does he want his country to be the next Pakistan/North Korea. Build or buy a few Nukes and you're a player build or buy an army and you're dead.
"constituted a “rough situation,” but quickly added that “it’s rough in a lot of places, by the way.”
Indeed, similar to Russia, China, Philippines, other Trump favorites.
That statement also echoes the logic of, 'Some of them are good people.' when describing the Neo-Nazi rabble in Charlottesville, no?
So, the new paradigm; NK great friend. Canada new enemy.
In just 24 hours!
2
He got played like a violin.
Point 1: having a summit was not an accomplishment. Any U.S. President could have gotten this meeting at any point in the last 25 years by just asking. North Korea would have done anything to make this happen. On this point, North Korea got everything they wanted and we got... nothing.
Point 2: we have, in the course of 40 minutes, gone from guaranteeing the protection of our allies to guaranteeing the protection of a nuclear-armed foe. This is literally dumbfounding. We have guaranteed North Korea's safety, and agreed to stop our military exercises with the south. Kim never could have even dreamed this would happen. And again, we got... nothing.
Point 3: Trump has now walked away from TPP (to the benefit of China) in exchange for... nothing. And basically agreed to remove our military protections for South Korea for... nothing.
There is no strategy here. I'm sorry to say it, but this man is a complete moron.
1
So this is all you can say about this historic meeting that our President was out foxed!!!
Please keep in mind that he walked away from the talks and that asked him to comeback
Second , you recall the 3 freed captives? I guess you forgot it
Third The military exercises that was just completed are not scheduled to restart in 2 month A flick of the switch and they are back on
Pleas, Give him a chance fore you cut his legs off
2
And another way of looking at the North Korea 'deal' - which Trump should understand: Imagine Kim Jong un is a penniless street-thug who wants one of Trump's apartments. He's threatened to bring the building down and incinerate the occupants if he doesn't get it. Trump thinks: 'Well it's only one apartment' I'll give him what he wants and the problem goes away.' Brilliant - except for the fact he just appeased a brutal street thug who has murdered his own relatives, who tortures, beats and cheats to get his way. Meet your new neighbor folks...
2
It's very clear, and we know it from the outset. Trump has never done anything right, and he will never do anything right. No matter what is happening, we know, it's a disaster. No surprise in all those opinion articles. They all want to show clearly that the writer is so much smarter, perspicacious, and far-seeing than dumb Trump. Quelle rigolade!
I think it is time to put "Trump the negotiator" to rest. He was made a fool of by Kim because he is a fool.
1
As Gomer Pyle used to say, Surprise, surprise, surprise!
Trump "likes" the guy who is running the most totalitarian state in world, who does allow any freedom of speech at all and who has assassinated his opponents?
Does Trump at all understand how idiotic he sounds?
2
All trump ever does is pose and show off, he is shallow, and trite. I will be a miracle if he doesn't create more and more death and destruction all over the world. Everything he brags about, has a flip side that contradicts it, he says we will save money not doing military exercises. Yet he just raised military spending higher than ever. He is a complete MORON. To call the G7 countries off base, and insult our allies then treat this dictator like his fresh prince, its sad and disgusting. And even worse is the television news media, playing his propoganda and his false claims and declarations over and over and actually enabling this man. Thank your for this honest article, if only the mass television media that the average american consumes daily would be half as intelligent and forthright, because there is no hope that the people will start in mass, reading again. I wish there was, but they are using the destruction of american school to take care of that. We are all on our own it seems and need to READ and find the facts, Kristof is the best place to start reading.
2
What a shocker...the ‘art of the deal” maestro played like a cheap fiddle. Of course Trump gave away everything and is in a bromance with yet another dictator. What a disgrace. Any noises from the republicans? Nope...thought not.
3
Trump, once again, thinks he's acting as president of the Trump Organization, not as POTUS.
He thinks he's negotiating new hotel properties, not nuclear disarming of a potentially dangerous country.
Millions of lives could be at stake and instead he does the standard Trump.
"What's in it for me?"
A really futile and stupid gesture.
1
Is Kim Jung Un laughing at Trump behind his back?
4
If Trump came up with a cure for cancer, the left would enthusiastically root for malignancy.
2
Trump IS the cancer.
We wouldn’t be but the snake oil he would be selling laughing all the way to bank while your lived ones lay dying
It is a matter of trust
Anyone that trusts thus con artist /grifter deserves what they get
I complement you for being the first columnist to notice this. Today, we will hear a battalion of journalists who can't find the the DPRK on the map speak of how "historic" this is, it is a good thing to get out in front of such blather. What I can't understand is that less than a week ago you referred to a Democratic statement against this fake process as "childish". It was prescient then and I can't see why you didn't what you describe here was going going to happen.
Trump supporters and the GOP will buy every bit of this and be calling for a Nobel prize for their dear leader.
2
All Kim needs to do is allow Trump to build a hotel or golf course in North Korea and then he'll know his little tyranny is safe from the USA.
1
This “summit”— the briefest, most lightweight in history if Trump wants to make his usual “greatest” claim — was never more than a photo opp and fodder for Fox News. What you’d call...fake news.
9
One look at the photo of our flags together across that stage and of course Trump was out foxed. But then given reports on our former Secretary of State's opinion that Trump is a moron, I would of been surprised if he actually achieved anything other that a meet and greet.
2
Lighten up Nick. Trump gave up nothing of significance and kept the door open to the possibility of a real agreement. Give it some time before acting like this was some huge breakdown or loss. Geez Nick, is it any wonder that you and others at the NYT are labeled as being biased? The more you blabber about nothing, the more credibility you lend to the crazy "fake news" claims.
In the course of the President's "strong leader" self-grooming on the way to meet with Kim in Singapore, he had to appear powerful. Powerful enough to attack our most important international allies.
The quality most supporters of our Beloved Leader like the best is his strength. I can think of a number of other strong leaders who have savaged their own people and the world. Hitler, Mussolini, Putin, Duterte, and Kim come to mind.
A strong leader who promotes racism, division and greed is a leader who should should be tamed, controlled and retired.
3
You nailed it Mr. Kristof. After savaging one of our closet allies in an online tantrum, Trump has been Nevilled.
4
Trump is right!! He didn't need to prepare. Garbage in .. garbage out, QED.
3
This is an extremely disappointing column from someone whose opinion I typically respect even when I disagree.
I strongly urge Mr. Kristof to read his own recent column (DEMOCRATS CHILDISHLY RESIST TRUMP'S NORTH KOREA EFFORTS). Unless Mr. Kristof has information no one else is reporting regarding the details of the agreement, he can't have a basis other than bias for this criticism.