Trump has undoubtedly put his arm around Kim and told him he considers him like a son. Not only would he have put him on The Apprentice, he wants to bring him into the family business, the Trump Organization. Especially with the development opportunities in a Trump-friendly North Korea.
He also undoubtedly told Kim that he was “special”, like he told McDougal and Stormy.
Remember what happened in Cuba with the revolution before you go turning North Korea into another rich man's paradise.
Sort of like FDR did with Stalin at Yalta, ignoring Churchill's warnings.
1
Let's face it, this was exactly like whenever Trump announced business deals. He admitted frequently lying (or, in his words, exaggerating) to make things sound better than they actually were. Of course, when his deals fell through nobody died. If he's lying about what we can expect from Kim, many will.
And you have love that euphemism he used for Kim: "tough." Ah, yes just like Hitler was tough.
Yes, I can believe he has a great rapport with Kim. They both are self-absorbed, cruel powermongers who put their reputations first and everyone else later. Why not. At first I saw this appeasement at Singapore, but Trump isn't Chamberlain. He's more like Hitler with his sidekick Mussolini.
Trump is smarter than Obama, though, in one way. Why work to put a detailed agreement into place, for people to take shots at, when you can issue the equivalent of a press release that by itself sounds pretty good. That is, if you're a Trump acolyte and you think that details, thought and analysis are just annoyances. Onto the next great victory!
3
We're grasping at straws here. The hallelujahs aren't for some meaningful diplomatic or disarmament achievement; people are simply relieved Trump didn't do more damage than he might have -- though the mid and long term price of Trump's desperate lunge for the Nobel Peace Prize may prove otherwise.
The bar was set so low with a total focus on optics that the only possible points of contention was the choice of fish or fowl for lunch.
Paul Krugman suggests in his column that Trump is a quisling (after Vidkan Quisling, a Nazi sympathizer who betrayed his own country Norway during WW2) who is making Russia great again by savaging the Western Alliance and destabilizing the global economy.
But yesterday it wasn't Trump as Quisling we saw; instead Trump channeled Neville Chamberlain who hailed "Peace in our time" by giving Hitler part of Czechoslovakia, which has come to be the definition of appeasement.
Hitler got Sudetenland and Chamberlain got Hitler's promise not to invade any other European nations.
Like Trump, Chamberlain was desperate to prop himself up politically at home and "Peace in our time" had a nice ring to it. Except Hitler soon afterwards blitzkrieged Poland and WW2 was on.
As every US administration has learned Kim Jung-un is expert at rope-a-dope diplomacy. He doesn't follow the Marquess of Queensberry rules.
He's a coiled viper in a corner who survives because of his venomous fangs. Trump may delude himself but he's no snake charmer.
2
Chamberlain thought he had a 'special bond' with Hitler.
We know how that turned out. "Peace in our time."
More recently, Kerry and Obama had a 'special bond' with Zarif. And Trump excoriated them for what they produced (The Iran Deal). Curious.
A 'special bond' is a euphemism for "I gave away the store".
1
Kim Jung Un is often described as a madman. We can assume this accusation is true if he abandons his nuclear weapons and leaves his country vulnerable to the kind of massacre and destruction the US imposed on Indochina, Iraq, Libya, etc.
2
I recall the brand new and shiny George W. Bush after meeting Mr. Putin for the first time saying he had looked into his eyes and he saw his soul. That worked out well, didn't it?
Successful diplomacy is a matter of precise wording and not feelings. Mr. Chamberlain said that he and Mr. Hitler had an understanding. Now we have a new phrase to worry about; "special bond".
1
Hair Führer -- the man with the signal IQ, we recall -- is number than a hammered thumb if he thinks his new best friend will dismantle anything-nuclear. His nuclear arsenal is the very thing that brought him into the company of one of the World's Big Boys (small though DJT is in numberless ways). Mr. Trump has a better chance of building condominiums on the North Korean coast than he has of Kim Jong Un's dismantled nuclear enterprise. As for a Peace Prize for doing what our president contends his inferior predecessors couldn't do, that'll happen sometime after Kim officiates at the opening of Pyongyang's Trump Tower.
Surely Assad is awaiting his turn to reinvent his criminal past with Donald's help. After watching Trump ignore the concentration camps full of North Koreans who crossed Kim, Assad must be thinking along the lines of a nice ice cream sandwich with Donald very soon.
2
We have reached the limits of Trump's hocus-pocus power and need to send him to the compost heap. This whole thing was a ridiculous charade following slapping our allies, including South Korea in the face.
1
Trump is delusional about so much, but nothing more than his own abilities. He is not a deal maker, has made no deals, none, since becoming president. The only deals he could make were on a scripted TV show.
1
Sure, nothing like calling each other infantile names to create a "special bond."
We must all remember that “our” country still remains the number 1 nuclear threat to every country on this planet. America’s history of using nuclear weapons in war and “ peacetime” as an overt threat on this planet and the current planning and continued development and upgrade of “the” arsenal encourages other countries to pursue these weapons. I believe our history of use will lead to belligerent aggression by another country unless “our” country denuclearize.
2
With both Iran and North Korea, nuclear weapons are just a sideshow. Important, certainly, but more important is the basic trade of peace for prosperity. We will pay a lot to make North Korea prosperous if it turns to peace. A peaceful North Korea, even with nuclear weapons, is the goal.
That's why the Iran deal was a bad one. We wanted peace. We didn't get it. Iran wanted prosperity. They didn't get it. The deal didn't work for either side. Nuclear weapons were addressed, but that didn't much matter. The more fundamental deal was never made.
What is said on paper when a deal is signed matters little. What matters more is what people do after the deal is signed. That's the key.
1
Bastardize Trump for approaching NOKO by actually discussing the options face-to-face. Never attempted before; failure or success a lesson learned.
2
And that lesson is . . . ? Can you be a bit more specific or do you have the same problem as Trump: the magical thinking of saying it's so, makes it so?
Mr Sanger concludes '...Whatever...[PT] gets, it will be judged by one standard: whether he has “solved” the N...K...problem, as he vowed he would, rather than passing it on to his successor.'
Is there not a question as to whether PT's base will accede to a moving of the goal posts as to what "solved" means.
Consider PT's early-declared confidence in his base's reaction to the film-in-progress, tentatively-titled "Alleged Murder in Broad Daylight on Fifth Avenue."
Consider too Evangelicals' having, reluctantly perhaps, given PT a "mulligan" for what might fairly be called his actions over some time now, inconsistent with certain fundamentals of Evangelism.
Suggest checking what professional odds-makers around the world are setting the betting line at.
"Consider too Evangelicals' having, reluctantly perhaps, given PT a "mulligan" for what might fairly be called his actions over some time now, inconsistent with certain fundamentals of Evangelism."
I think you are confusing evangelicals with Pharisees.
1
The Singapore summit meeting looked more like an engagement party, when two former people who detested each other now are prepared to loo tie the knot and promise each other ever-lasting love.
1
Obviously Trump has reached his own understanding of the common bond underlying consent to be governed. It is not the pursuit of happiness, it is the pursuit of graft.
1
"Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" means the verified and monitored complete dismantling and removal of nuclear capacity on the Korean Peninsula. There are three involved parties: North Korea, South Korea, and the USA. We have not heard commitments from South Korea and the USA that they are committed to the verification and future monitoring that their nuclear capacity on the peninsula is dismantled and removed. Could the NYT cover what is happening with these two parties?
his "special bond" is like the guy who stops in diner and says that waitress really likes him because she smiles a lot
Kim has "special bond" with anyone who can put him on world television, but whatever chinese tell him to do is what he'll do
2
The take away from these last few days - Canada should develop some nukes.
3
Canada should always build a wall at their southern border.
1
It's remarkable how this Trump fellow can so easily manipulate so many media types by setting the bar at a subterranean level, and then strolling over it. During the past 24 hours he's been largely heaped with praise, even by those who ought to know better, because he brought us back from the brink of nuclear war -- a possibility that was as avoidable as it was unnecessary and all of his own making. And for what -- stagecraft over statecraft? Sadly, the theater he gives us is more opera buffa than opera tragica.
4
One can also compare his stagecraft and behavior in the Oval to a Commedia dell'Arte, sans the Arte.
2
Trumps actions cozying up to Saudi, Russia, North Korea, et al. dictatorships, tyrants, autocrats shows he is paving the way to get his foot in the door to expand his personal 'empire' ; more Trump towers and golf courses and of course, let's not forget Kushner's property expansion and his daughter, Ivanka's clothing and jewelry line.
1
This narrative that we are "better off" with the two leaders "negotiating" than with the inflammatory nuclear war rhetoric that was being bandied about last year fails to recall that it was Trump -- the President of the U.S. -- who was engaging in that inflammatory language via Twitter. So it is disingenuous to laud him for correcting a dangerous situation that he actively created.
And, once Trump loses interest and moves on to the things that really interest him (like golf, criticizing Trudeau, DeNiro, etc.), and Kim and N. Korea marry their nukes and ballistic missiles and are capable of reaching U.S. cities, Trump will simply continue to blame Obama ad nauseam for his own failure.
3
Hard to imagine Trump has any real concern for the people of North or South Korea or for that matter, the rest of the world. His ulterior motive here, and elsewhere, is to institute a new oligarchic entity involving North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Russia, intentionally excluding the old European world order. He can't bring China into the fold as they have too much economic and military capability to sway. No, he cares little about making the world a safer, economically vital place, not to mention his utter despicable ignoring of the human rights atrocities of the aforementioned countries, he sees vast untapped economic opportunities for he and his cronies to take advantage of starting now and continuing when he leaves office - but the seeds are being sown now.
1
I'm going to out on a limb here and say that this entire enterprise was a ham handed attempt to justify the importance of a meeting that delivered everything that NK wanted and China demanded. We got nothing, and Trump doesn't care as long as in his delusional mind he is raising his profile on the world Authoritarian Stage. I would say based on this sham and the policies happening to isolate us from our Allies to help destabilize Western Democracies, he is succeeding.
I'm no genius, but even I can see where Trumps allegiance lies and it's not with the American people. It is his desire to destroy our democratic institutions and run our country like his own criminal enterprise.
It is on us to fight this battle and overcome the campaign to destroy our free elections. It's on us.
1
Since Trump feels he has a "special bond" with Kim and after the G7 fiasco, if there was any doubt whatsoever now among Americans and the world in general that the only leaders Trump relates to are authoritarian in nature, that doubt now has rather convincingly been put to rest.
When one looks at his behavior and Republican legislators silence during all of it, one has to fear for the future of America.
4
No surprise here. Since the beginning of his campaign, Trump's character and goals were clear. The real concern is the character of the GOP senators and congressmen and women and the voters who continue to support this dictator wannabe.
1
Can you imagine the hoots and hollers if President Obama returned from a N.Korean summit with what Trump got? Meanwhile, back in Mar a Lago land, health care and prescription drug costs are rising, some American companies are beginning to feel the pinch caused by steel and aluminum tariffs, farmers are beginning to wring their hands, and our traditional allies are digging in for trade wars. Time to play some golf at Trump National Golf Club Mar a Lago.
6
Special bond, that's exactly what Chamberlain thought he had with Hitler in 1938, it's called appeasement.
What I find most telling is that when the Republican's were so critical of President Obama and the Iranian Nuclear deal that was much more detailed, stringent on Iran and verifiable, they are applauding this dope that has given Jong Un the platform and concessions that he wanted from the United States without any cost to him.
8
Seems to me that the fact that missile tests and bomb detonations have stopped is encouraging. The temperature between the US and NK has dropped. These are good things. It’s possible that sanctions, Trump’s belligerent threats, China’s influence, the perception that Trump is a madman, S Korea’s Olympic Games gesture all contributed to a climate where a diplomatic meeting was possible. Diplomacy has got to be preferred over bombs and threats. Hopefully it will lead to a real peace.
That said, Trump scares me. He will get a nuclear safe bunker. I won’t. And he hasn’t done enough to get a Noble. But he has certainly made a start. Btw will the US protect S Korea if NK invades? NK would win that war without US protection. As we know, Trump has no respect for historical geopolitical alliances.
3
Nb ... on the limited point of "NK would win that war without US protection," most military assessments do not agree with you IF the assessment is that NK invades without the support of China or Russia, and we are considering a conventional war/invasion only.
The North Korean military is dreadfully equipped. The initial invasion would hurt South Korea very badly, but not get very far south, and then the complete lack of air-power and failing logistics would turn the North Korean army into something like the trapped Iraqis on the "Highway of Death."
Basically a pure North Korean invasion of South Korea (no allied support on either side) would be a bloodbath for both sides, likely destroy Seoul, also probably bring down the government of North Korea ... though no guarantees.
North Korea is toothless in any sustained conflict without massive Chinese support. It's a misnomer to call the "Korean war" by that name -- the North Korean Army ceased to exist. It should be called the "Chinese-American war" ... which is what it was.
Hmmm ... much was made of Kim’s abandonment of his nuclear test site. In truth, he abandoned it because it was no longer usable. He most assuredly has the construction of bombs pretty much perfected and can now do software tests while he builds more weapons. Trump has given him legitimacy on the world stage and more importantly, the time he needs to continue arming. He has a huge army and is, in truth, a significant threat.
The presumption of a conventional war is a tad naive. Proven nuclear capability and a leader who has nothing to lose by using them makes the game very unpredictable. Kim has overseen a brutal and repressive regime and his position as a divine figurehead establishes him as the leader of a nation wide cult. As we all know, cults have more than once gone suicidal.
Great that he has a "special bond" with a murderer. As the NYT has reported he's executed family members at will, and In 2016, the deputy premier for education, was killed in front of a firing squad after showing “disrespectful posture” in a meeting, and a general a the armed forces who fell asleep in a meeting was executed with an antiaircraft gun. This is Trump's kind of guy. I believe if Trump could get away with it he would execute people at will who disrespect him or don't agree with him.
3
If my young adult child came home from a date and told me that he had developed a "special bond" with his date, and was planning his future based on this "special bond," I would first laugh myself silly, then immediately take my child's temperature.
2
The bond that they have is that they view the national treasury as their own to loot.
The idea that Trump has a "special bond" with Kim Jong-un is either crazy, or terrifying to anyone who believes in democracy ... or both.
The likely outcome of this "talk" is that Kim wins exactly what he wants: the pressure on North Korea wanes, he gives up nothing.
1
Mr. Trump is talking about building ocean front condos in North Korea. How is this not a conflict of interest or a breach of the Emoluments Clause? Do Trump's supporters simply think he walks on water and care nothing of their own best interests or that of our country? Perhaps someone can explain it to me --...
1
He was joking. North Korea is unlikely to be a productive place to build condos within Trump's lifetime.
If the meeting was a baseball game, Trump never went to bat and slow threw every pitch.
3
Anything that stops insane authoritarian leaders from pushing the nuclear button is good. So it's good to see these two insane authoritarians sit down together. But from all the buildup I expected this to be the diplomatic equivalent of at least the World Cup. Instead we get a monumental anticlimax. Nothing to see here, folks, return to your homes.
4
Such confidence! It brings to mind the Dunning Kruger Effect, defined in Wikipedia as, "In the field of psychology, the Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people of low ability have illusory superiority and mistakenly assess their cognitive ability as greater than it is.
5
How educational for you! You might want to consider the article on psychological projection.
OMG, if this had been Obama brokering denuclearization with NK instead of Trump, the Times and the rest of the liberal elite media would have been fawning all over themselves with nothing but praise and optimism. But because it’s President Trumps historic moment, the liberals do nothing but shoot it down and look for the negativity. Absolutely disgraceful! Let me tell you, the public is getting fed up with the never ending Trump bashing.
2
No denuclearization has occurred. So far a murderous dictator who starves his people and murdered his half brother shook hands with a dictator wanna-be whose life is littered with two divorces, multiple affairs, fraud, thuggish behavior, vulgarity, multiple bankruptcies and inane tweets and treason.
There -- I fixed it for you. Trump has done nothing.
3
Not me. I'm not getting tired of it at all. Look at *your* president if you want an example of a person Constantly bashing everyone who disagrees with him or opposes him.
4
Obama would not have held a summit without consulting with advisors, without having a note taker and others present so there could be fact-checking, would not have agreed to stop 'war-games' without getting anything substantive in return, would not have turned it into an episode of the reality presidential show, would not have made a propaganda film which was a waste of my tax dollars....I could go on and on...and NO the public is not getting fed up. Calling him out on his failures is not bashing, it is reporting the facts. I realize that the Trump cultists don't care much for facts but the fact is that it is widely reported that this meeting was all flash and no substance. A photo op that he will try to spin as a success going into the midterms.
3
Two empty spoiled fascists trying to measure up to their monster fathers walk in an out of empty rooms and eat a piece of chicken in each one. Say that they will "look into making things better in the future." Declare that they have achieved "great things."
7
I have no idea why people choose politics as a playground for their oedipal issues.
Of course, the left will say that the historic summit between President Donald J. Trump and Chairman Kim Jung-un accomplished little or nothing. The left will never give President Trump credit for anything. It would poo-poo him for walking on water, which he can probably do as well. I heard Senator Chuck Schummer, the leader of the Senate opposition last night on TV, Fox News, of course, check off a list of so-called deficiencies in the agreement reached between Trump and Kim. Well, if Chuck and his liberal opposition can do better, why didn't they when they had the chance under their beloved Obama? Obama could have done this, perhaps more, but he chose patience, strategic patience to be exact, which is another way of saying "do nothing and hope for the best." President Trump is a man of action, deliberate action, and in this example, he took action with North Korea, set the stage for further negotiation. Who knows what the future holds, but this is a start. I support the President. I support Trump. He has triumphed, triumphed triumphantly, and he will continue to triumph through 2024. Thank you.
1
We'll see what happens.
2
What do you care? If you think Trump did such an amazing job then enjoy it. You will get nowhere with what you offer if you think negotiation of nuclear arms and "patience" are incompatible. "Man of Action" is for comic books.
For reality based America, it was a lot of Fried Air sold at a State Fair.
1
while jaw jaw is better than war war (churchill) the spectacle was just so much friction, for so little warmth. here's my take: showing kim joug-un that ridiculous tourism video to entice him into laying down his weapons may be taken as an insult above all else. it looked more like a promotional video for trump to pave the way for his greedy, unethical children to capitalize on future condos to grace those great beaches.
7
There's just one tiny niggle: Trump has NO deal-making skills. It's all narcissistic bluster, like everything else he says and does.
Ooops!...
8
So I guess I’m confused. DJT arrived at the G-7 late, acted like a petulant child, insulted our friends, allies and trading partners, left early, refused to sign anything and jetted off to Singapore to meet with one of the worst dictators in the world. And now he has “a special bond” with Kim Jong-un. If this had been Obama we can only imagine the fallout. When will the DJT nightmare end?
8
Frankly, if one knows anything about the history of Donald Trump, the confusion you mention shouldn't come as a surprise. It is quite clear he relates only to authoritarian figures like himself and no one else.
He is still only one individual, however, when one looks at Republican silence during all of this and the substantial percentage of individuals that blindly continue to support this "demagogue", one can't be optomistic about America going forward.
1
A rat in a corner, isolated and afraid, can be a very nasty character. A rat in a sack with other rats, becomes docile. Our favored past foreign policy has usually been one of embargo and isolation during times of disagreement. This has been driven in part, by an overwhelming fear of communism and it's containment, by capitalists. Notwithstanding the fact that communism has never demonstrated any economic viability in all it's iterations. Whereas, capitalism has democratized greed and self-interest and the by-products of goods and services, wealth and inequality.
2
Trump has a "special bond" with all despots. Its called "egomania".
8
Remember when Bush said he could see into Putin's soul and he was a good man?
5
"Mr. Trump even suggested that North Korea could become a major tourist destination, almost exactly one year after an American tourist, Otto Warmbier, died of what appeared to be torture endured while in North Korean custody"... Was that in "Art of the deal" or "Miracle Worker" If we're hoping our gamble paid off I'm reminded of our fearless leader's history with gambling. (and casino's) But the "special bond" he had w/Kim? Nobody is counting on that, not even our allies.
3
It’s so funny watching you leftists lose your minds over Mr. Trump. You just can’t stand the fact that you were wrong about him. It’s unbelievable to me that he has been this good, this soon, with all the forces that are allied against him. It really is unbelievable.
1
Trump propaganda - truly bizarre - who produced this film? Trump is more like a dictator every day. Paranoia, rhetoric, demanding total loyalty, and vindictiveness . We”ll never know what was said in the private talks. Kin Jong Un never looked comfortable while Trump was the pushy upstart. Trump brushed off N Korea’s political oppression as not nice but admirable. A salesman out to buy beachfront property. Pompeo enabled him - like greenhorns prospecting for fools gold.
5
In the end, nothing really matters other than the cheering crowds and continuous praise from Republicans, who are too afraid to stand up to Trump.
Whether the deal actually amounts to something simply does not matter, its all show, all for the ego........
Substance is for Democrats.
Besides, if it does not work out, Obama can be blamed, just like it was his fault Russia invaded Crimea.....
5
Kim had to borrow a jet plane from China to fly to the summit. Could it be he is looking for a way out of this pridicament his grandfather got him in? Maybe he is tired of the Guns and No Butter they have been living under for almost 70 years Trump has the luxury of living in a country where the voters every four years can rate his performance.Kim lives in a country where the next person walking in his door might be his successor.Talking sure beats war in my book.
1
He could have changed that years ago as could his father or grandfather. Despotic Communist countries barely work unless the country has oil or will cut a deal to provide slave wage manufacturng. Look at Venezuela or Laos, China, Vietnam or Russia. NK was too paranoid to go the manufacturing route.
If there cameras weren't allow, there wouldn't have been a summit.
Trump will do just about anything for a photo op.
5
Before this meeting my anti-Trump friends and family repeatedly said Thump's temperament and impulsivity could get us into a war. Before the passage of his tax law these same people said the economy was now doomed. Neither prediction was right. Trump is making an effort to remove the nuclear threat and the economy is strong. It is absolutely true that the communique contained no further concessions, only platitudes, from North Korea. It was naive to think that the complex issue of denuclearization could be accomplished in days or weeks but,as the Chinese say, a long journey begins with the first step. Now our experts and theirs will, over time, try to work out mutual concessions to meet the goals that were set. The overarching achievement of the summit is that the two leaders met face to face and a new direction, toward peace, not just suspension of testing (by North Korea) and suspension of military exercises by us, has been set in motion. Can it all fail. You bet and the President acknowledged that but he is making the effort and I, for one, applaud that. I didn't vote for him incidentally. I voted for Chuck Schumer and was out of the booth in 10 seconds.
1
Thanks to the wonderful, beautiful tax cut, our federal deficit was 27% higher last month than the same month last year. This, during a period of healthy economic conditions when we should be paying down our debts, not adding to them.
The economy may be humming now, but we will be in a massive world of hurt and unprecedented debt and scary downward spiral when the next economic downturn comes — in a year or two — and we find have no spending stimulus options left. Running up the bill on the national credit card now is just irresponsible. But, hey, it temporarily gooses the Trump economy.
Much of that effort to get to this point was a
co-ordinated effort through America's allies. The problem is now that Trump claims he has a "special bond" with Kim, he has done it at the expense of everyone else.
Reports already coming in that North Korean state media, their version of Fox I suppose, is reporting that Kim got the United States to do bend to his will and do his bidding. They are also saying that North Korea is not required to begin denuclearizing until the United States does the same.
Also incredibly important that Chinese state media announced that the United States had bowed deeply to the North Korean communist dictator and had cancelled our training exercises BEFORE Donnie announced he was doing what China and North Korea wanted. Donnie was completely conned and is already using THEIR terminology for our military exercises instead of our own.
He says he did not get things in writing from Kim "because he has the best memory, believe me."
Heckuva Job, Dotard.
11
Why does Trump have a 'Special Bond' with dictators, but can't get along with presidents or prime ministers of democracies? Perhaps it's because he's always been a dictator and he views himself as America's version.
7
Trump really did pitch Kim to transform North Korea into a Trump-branded resort, but the Kim family has produced a nation of synchronous marchers who don't do much else.
4
Why do I keep hearing Neville Chamberlain's "Peace in our times" rattling about in my head?
2
It is worthwhile remembering Churchill's reproof of Chamberlain: “You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, and you will have war."
It needs be admitted that Trump did not give away South Korea to North Korea, so comparing this action of Trump's to Chamberlain's concession of the Sudetenland is a bit over the top.
But Trump surely paints himself as a pathetic appeaser of an ugly dictator.
It appears that there was more effort put into the fake movie trailer then there was put into the fake "agreement". Trump was played.
6
Trump has unilaterally walked from numerous deals. Trade, Iran, global warming and the latest, the recent G7 agreement. Credibility and trust counts in negotiations particularly when there is no uber body to enforce. Why in the world would Kim trade the only source of NK power, their nuclear arsenal, for anything offered up by Trump (unless it's something of value that can't be taken back)?
4
OK, so Paris climate and Iran nuclear deals need to be tossed, but the Kim agreement is just wonderful. Pretty clear that the major (only) criterion for Trump is whether he did it. Sad.
8
When is Kim meeting with Assad? Have they invited 45 to join them? Sprinkle in Putin for a “wish you were here” postcard to Canada -sad!
2
“but I’ll find some kind of an excuse.”
i stopped reading after that.
this is trump in a nutshell.
and to think anyone believes he knows what he is doing is ridiculous.
10
I just caught Rep Tim Ryan ( D_ Ohio) on Morning Joe. His view - Trump was wildly successful as usual in directing media attention to himself.
We are ceding influence - political, militarily and economic - in Europe to Russia; and in the rest of the world to China. Ryan pointed out that, when it comes to trade alliances:
" China has a 100 year plan, while Trump has a 24 hour plan."
China's plan is for the country; Trump's, for himself. (And first advisor IvankaTrump + Kushner)
Special bond with KiM??? Approved by Ji Jinping. We take a thorn out of the Chinese paw, but unlike the lion in the fable, they feel no gratitude towards the US. They just see opportunity where the US is pulling back.
3
The Winners: Donald Trump, China, and North Korea.
NK deal greatly enhances Trump's chances of reelection.
American military presence is removed from the Chinese Southern border. More importantly, the danger of a nuclear conflict is avoided. Chinese-led economic integration in Asia gets a boost.
North Korea's economic blockade will be phased out and GDP and income growth will increase. The North Korean people's welfare will go up; they are the real big-time winners.
3
Before a heart attack sidelined him, Larry Kudlow explained to the world that Trump’s pugnacious behavior towards our allies at the G7 meeting was intentional. Trump wanted KJU to see that the President was one tough dude so he’d better watch out.
So, when the greatest meeting in history finally happened in steamy Singapore, Trump played the groveling fool to KJU’s smiling stone face.
Which of these two Trump’s is the real one — the true Trump? Or is there a third Trump, the petulant child who is so insecure in his own skin that he is constantly trying to hide the fact that he will never measure up to his domineering father? Deal maker? Or a man in dread of himself?
19
Trump dwells inside a time horizon ten minutes wide.
2
Delusional Donny strikes again. Words that fall out of his mouth have no connection with reality.
So, Trump would like us to believe that he has a "terrific relationship” and “very special bond” Kim Jong-Un? To have a relationship or bond with another person requires that you can recognize that this person exists and can show respect for him/her. Trump has never had a relationship or bond with anyone in his entire life. He is mentally incapable of doing that, because for him, everything is only and always about himself.
18
Both these guys chase "little people" around as if they were ants to vaporize with a magnifying glass on a sunny day. That is a bond.
2
Kim must feel that he has reached the pinnacle of con-artistry himself.
2
So in other words, Kim gets U.S. investment. Some U.S. companies — particularly ones Trump can profit from — will make a killing. Kim will bring more prosperity to his wretched people. But no meaningful concessions will be made by NK. This was just a business foray by a Reality TV “businessman” who has made his mark in the real reality by loosing bets.
Oh yes, and maybe NK will relent with the America-is-Satan propaganda. Which is a sort of plus.
9
Look for a Trump hotel in North Korea, and a Jared sponsored condo development in prime beach front locations coming to you soon soon, with an bonus, all of the rejected Ivanka fashion line products in the US to be available. Yes folks, Trump is making America great again.
14
Needed to suspend war games to pay for the "Parade".
13
"I looked into his eyes and saw his soul". - GW Bush on Vladimir Putin
11
A Canadian columnist wrote, "Applying diplomacy to North Korea, like waking up in the morning, is better than the alternative." Indeed.
However, diplomacy means holding your seat and negotiating from strength; it doesn't mean capitulation and sending your adversary home victorious while spreading confusion and dismay in your own camp.
The problem I see is that in the next round Trump will feel he has to play tough guy again, to make up for his perceived weakness in round 1. Poor South Koreans: they probably don't know who to be more afraid of--their enemy or their so-called friend.
8
The negativity is overwhelming..... please remove the "all the news that is fit to print" from the front page..... try recognizing the stride that has been taken and what it will mean as it comes to fruition...
1
It is easy to avoid conflict temporarily if you give a dictator everything they want.
It did buy a few months following Munich in 1938, after all.
3
WHEN it comes to fruition. I hope you and I like the fruit.
2
I know what you mean - but having seen similar "understandings" come to in the past with NK, people have a right to their pessimism. Just because Trump thinks Kim is a Special Friend doesn't mean anything is actually going to happen. We all hope it does, and I'm ready to sing Trump's praises when it does, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. So far, Kim has been the big winner.
1
The NYT and many commenters are over-analyzing this. Trump is proceeding as an individual would when initiating discussions with another party for a possible complex transaction or agreement. He has personalized this, he is behaving as if this was his own transaction rather his country’s transaction. This is not surprising, it is the format he is most comfortable with, he has done this many times in his private life. First, he meets the person and gets a feel for him/her, gets a sense of who he is dealing with. Then he sells the deal a bit to gauge the enthusiasm of the response and the interest level, identify the bigger issues and concerns early. If the situation looks promising he confirms that in very broad terms with no legal commitments, it being understood there is much that must be agreed upon and the thing won’t happen unless and until it is. Then underlings work forward on the detail, going from the general to the specific, and he steps in when necessary to solve problems, keep things on track, or to call it off if appropriate. There are no guarantees. If it doesn’t happen, so be it, move on to the next deal.
2
With his business track record do you really believe be has capacity to act the way you write. I think you are giving him too much credit.
2
I mean simply to explain what I think he is doing, not to give him credit or judge his capacity. He is the President, he will handle it the way he sees fit.
Personally i like his approach, it is much different than all of the other failed attempts to solve the NK problem which have been undertaken by the US in the past. I think it has a reasonable chance of success, and not much to lose if it does not succeed, given the entire situation was going nowhere but down until Trump came along.
This huge gamble is based on the assumption that the Kim family share a vision of growth, wealth and ultimately freedom for their own country. While the Swiss-educated Jong-Un, his millennial sister and wife probably have seen enough of the world to realize the horrible dystopia that their country has become, I doubt they have the means or the power to change things so radically and so quickly as Trump would wish.
The current generation of Kims has inherited a huge state terror and propaganda machine that brainwashes its citizens and relies on massive military power. I think that the Kims realize that the machine would chew them up and destroy them if they attempted to change its course. They are not safe from the monstrosity that their fathers and grandfathers created. Arguably many in the upper echelons of the regime are brainwashed themselves, to the point that they believe the rhetoric about their untouchable god-like status and would probably kill anyone who tried to seriously challenge the status quo.
I can’t tell if Kim-Jong-Un is himself a prisoner of the system, or a brainwashed sociopath happy to inflict misery on millions to maintain power. One thing is for sure, we can’t expect a “North Korean spring” any time soon, no matter how genuine Kim’s good intentions might be.
6
The comments from the left encapsulate everything that is wrong with politics. These are the same people who cheered the disaster of a deal with North Korea negotiated by Bill Clinton. This deal that was supposedly great for America allowed North Korea to get billions of dollars and STILL develop nuclear weapons. The hypocrisy knows no bounds.
1
North Korea did denuclearized as the result of that Clinton"disaster." He had the intelligence to have means of verifying their activity in writing.
They did not restart their nuclear program until Bush inexplicably lumped them into his "axis of evil," which not coincidentally was the impetus for Iran to start it's nuclear weapons program.
2
First, one immediate and predictable consequence of the meeting was that defense stocks plummeted. This is only one reason why so many powerful interests — including this newspaper— have worked 24-7 to sabotage any possibility of a settlement. Second, it was hard to tell whether Bolton or Schumer’s little group was doing more to deep six the talks. Both parties are war parties. Finally, I detest Trump but not enough to oppose a possible peace between the two Koreas that he might realize for his own egomaniacal reasons.
Does a possible peace between the two Koreas mean that Kim gets to be dictator of the whole peninsula or is he expected to step aside and let the South run the show?
1
Personal relationships between leaders of nations matter, but they do not define the relationships between nations. It is one thing to say, "I trust him." It is another entirely to say, "The United States of America trusts North Korea." I'm not sure our president gets the difference.
6
"Our president". That stings.
1
A few weeks ago, Trump said he had a "terrific relationship" and "very special bond" with Macron and Trudeau
We'll be back to Rocket Man soon
9
Kim and N. Korea will hold Trump to the ending of military operations between the U.S. and S. Korea, as if it were written in stone. If Trump goes back on it, Kim and N. Korea will return to the incendiary rhetoric, and Trump will lose his "special bond" and beautiful PR win. Meanwhile, whatever happens, Kim will quietly continue marrying their nukes with their ballistic missiles.
4
It's all about what the Chinese will be giving the trump family.
This histrionic was not about NK nuclear ambitions, it's about getting the US out of the Asia- Pacific region long enough so that China can alter the geopolitical landscape in that region.
This misadventure is only serving to imperil Japan, leading to precipitous conflicts.
But, trump will then pivot to Japan and attempt to extort "protection" money from them. It's all a racket.
4
We finally have some sort of dialogue that could possibly result in the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the pundits can find nothing good. How has the policy over the last thirty years worked out? One problem is people are not open to change and this president is trying a different angle. We could restart military maneuvers tomorrow if we wanted so what did we really give up?It would be nice to see all the so called experts shut up and see how this thing plays out.
2
The problem is that MSM does not get a lot of details. Why? They do not have access to the President. Why? Because they attack him at every opportunity. Why would one tell anything if whatever you say can be used in the court of public opinion against you. Is it so hard to get?
1
Confidence and competence are different things.
3
How can Trump form a special bond with anyone with his consistent morally bankrupt behavior. What a joke and say there is no guarantees in the peace deal. The news showed the SK peoples cheering. If Trump wasn't involved I would have something to cheer about. What he did to our longtime allies last week was treasonous and making the world an unstable place . Tariffs do not work the GOP found that out in 1932 by bringing the Smoot and Hawley against our allies. They were kicked out of office the next year.
1
it seems more that the American mainstream society (including media like NYT, WP) is resisting a changing world order. perhaps this summit might be a curtain call for ending the unilateral America-led world system.
Given that NYT coverage over T-K summit, Americans always care about 'winning', without any concessions. (they always describe North Korea negotiation as 'gave-without-any concession' but frankly speaking, the United States also didn't give a special concession either) that ironically indicates that America is already losing over the world. many scholars and critics and media have lamented that the winner of this summit is North Korea, and sadly it proved true. America power is apparently retreating. that does not automatically mean that now Russia or China is the king of the world. that means we need a new imagination as opposed to the past 100 years.
America-winning-opportunity may not be that much in the future, too. Americans rather need to abandon the obsession to intervene all over the world, but let its allies do more autonomously. American allies are not children. they have their own strategy. that does not mean that allies would refuse the United States. Really, South Korea and Japan are capable of dealing with human rights issues in North Korea.
Trump is not that good president, of course. but it is also true that Trump has changed the reality. at least in East Asia.
In reply to Myung hyun Jung
You make some good points, and if you are actually living in South Korea, you are someone with direct personal experience of what is happening in Korea.
US allies all other the world, rely on one thing and that is American military power. The countries of Europe, Asia and the Americas seek protection from Russia, China and any other hostile neighbors. Would you rather live in the Ukraine and be invaded by Russian para-military forces? Since the end of the Korean War, the US has protected South Korea. Approximately 25,000 US troops are stationed in South Korea. South Korea is an economic power because it has been protected.
What one hears constantly if you live in the US, is how American power is on the decline. I disagree with that thesis.
In the late 1970's all we heard was how the Japanese owned Rockefeller Plaza in New York, how the top five biggest banks in the world were all Japanese, how Japanese management was superior to American management, how the Japanese were taking over the world and how American power was waning.
Then came Reagan.
unfortunately, Not all East Asians welcomed the American presence with blessing. representatively, so many Okinawans (southwestern islands of Japan) are still protesting against the US military base stationed in their land. (this is not reported by US media very much)
and in Jeju island, southern island of South Korea, there are still voices that are demanding recognitioin of the US government that US military backed the genocide at the island during 1948~1954. (US army is also known to have slaughtered hundreds of South Koreans during the Korean War at No-geun ri. it was confirmed by a NYT report but still not that popular)
Russian or Chinese authoritarianism? of course, it's very dangerous and there is no disagreement between us on that we have to try to keep them in check. but before that, the United States may have to admit that their leadership in East Asia has been established by dismissing and even repressing some voices of local protests.
If Trump's agreement may be equated with that earlier piece of paper waved in the air by Neville Chamberlain, where is our Churchill? After the latest verbal smear campaign committed by our President, where will our allies be when we need them?
The Rubicon may have been crossed and it is we who are being sold down that river.
3
My take on this is Trump doesn't care a whit about the specifics of any nuclear "deal" that comes out of this, nor does he care about compliance with that deal. His comment about building condos on the "beautiful beaches" says where he is really coming from. As with Putin, he is ingratiating himself big time with the leader who will approve his future real estate projects in their country.
5
Trump promised riches aka, he bribed him. That’s the special relationship.
Childish attacks on a sitting president, lawfully elected, will only increase Republican turnout in November of this year. Everyone who voted for President Trump in 2016 knows what is at stake. The man is doing his level best. Who hasn't had a difficult time when beginning a new job? He makes mistakes as everyone does. Fair-minded Americans understand this.
President Trump has negotiated a historic diplomatic breakthrough with one of the poorest, politically isolated and most dangerous countries in the world. It now seems likely that the Korean War will soon be ended and North Korea will receive massive economic aid from South Korea, China and the USA.
He deserves credit for this.
did you give president obama the same level of credit for his efforts?
1
In reply to me here
I voted for President Obama in 2012. I voted for him because he killed Osama bin Laden. Some people say that it was Navy Seals that killed bin Laden, but I say that the killer instinct came from the Top. President Obama achieved in 18 months what President Bush and Vice President Cheney could not achieve in 8 years.
"“I don’t know that I’ll ever admit that,” he added, “but I’ll find some kind of an excuse.” So, it's already out there that even if this "deal" trump "negotiates" with North Korea, is worthless or several steps backwards, trump will still insist that he was a successful negotiator based on his terrific personality. I think Kim is much smarter than the stable genius. Given trump caving in already on the military exercises with South Korea, how much more will he give away on behalf of the US? The only saving grace is that the next legitimate President will be able to reverse the North Korea deal, much like this illegitimate president did with Iran.
2
So after all these years, the only thing we accomplished was showing thay we and our allies are weak. North Korea stood strong, and continues to do what it has in the past. As for 45, he's one step closer to building a hotel/golf course in North Korea. Someone from Trump Inc. be heading there shortly.
5
I have to keep reminding myself that there is no low when it comes the Trump's public utterances, but the reference to Oscar Warmer's (sic?) parents as good friends of the President, and the deal as a tribute to a young man mercilessly beaten to death in a North Korean jail was a leap down several miles of the bottomless tunnel. This callous and shameless statement was revolting.
1
It was the first meeting, I hope the world wasn't expecting all these problems to go away, in any case, it was far better than Obama or any of his predecessors have done so give the guy some credit.....
1
No. It was not better. It gave North Korea an equal position and status with the United States, and publicly conceded to them all the things they wanted most.
And for neophytes to public policy, first meetings should always be handled by low level staffers. When dealing with something like this, the lower the better. They meet, set up frameworks, then their superiors work on specifics, and the heads of state only get involved at the END of the process.
Kim got what he wanted. He has zero incentive to do anything different now, and North Korean state media is already reporting that North Korea got an agreement that says they do not need to start denuclearizing until the USA does the same.
This was an epic fail. Pretending otherwise does not make you "patriotic," it makes you foolish.
The – in Trump’s words “comprehensive” – agreement he signed with Kim yesterday reminds me of the Munich Agreement Britain’s prime minister Neville Chamberlain signed with Adolf Hitler.
Although the context is totally different today, it’s Trump’s optimism – rightly or not – that draws the parallel. Only time can tell whether history will repeat itself – in form of bad judgement.
Chamberlain was determined to avert another war. His policy of appeasement towards Hitler culminated in the 1938 Munich Agreement in which Britain and France accepted that the Czech region of the Sudetenland should be ceded to Germany.
Chamberlain left Munich believing that by appeasing Hitler he had assured “peace for our time”. However, in 1939 Hitler annexed the rest of the Czech lands of Bohemia and Moravia, with Slovakia becoming a German puppet state. In September 1939 Hitler's forces invaded Poland. Chamberlain responded with a declaration of war on Germany.
5
North Korea has nothing to lose while we have stature, security and integrity to lose. Mr. Trump is an expert at negotiations with unequals, but only where he holds the upper hand. We need to play this hand until our opponent has more "skin in the game". A quick resolution will not be in our favor. The prize needs to be free, unencumbered access to North Korea's populace. Once exposed to the benefits of Western economic and democratic success, ie South Korea, Japan, US, UK, Germany, etc. Mr. Kim will no longer have a tyrant's ability to act unilaterally.
4
I fear that, after the disgraceful performance in Québec by our president, that any claim to stature and integrity may have already been lost. What happens with regard to security remains to be seen.
1
The President's behavior notwithstanding, our nation has great stature in the world. We need to remember the miracle of modern day Germany. Living side by side and BEING EXPOSED to West Germany's success the suffering people of East Germany were able to throw off the yoke of tyranny. We need to insist on the removal of the bamboo blinds that Kim's regime has drawn down on the people of North Korea.
I am staggered ... haven't gotten over the shock yet. That video that Trump showed Kim Jong-un is completely sick. It comes from a sick mind. The whole context, when you add up the disaster in Canada, the inappropriateness of Trump's fawning flattery, the non-deal in which he gave Kim everything he wanted and received nothing in return, and finally this film — the whole context is hair-raisingly deranged. The film is full of megalomania. Trump shares this illness with Kim Jong-un. And it's completely out of place in diplomacy. Diplomacy is REAL WORLD, and Trump brings a film fantasy. That the National Security Agency made this film scares the daylights out of me. It's worse than a cheap propaganda film, it's like the NSA made Trump a Mickey Mouse cartoon to take to take to a nuclear disarmament meeting. And what's equally scarey ... almost no one says anything about it, or if they do, they critique it as if it were any other film. It's as if, in becoming habituated to Trump's insanity, the whole country is going out of relationship with reality. And the NSA has already gone out of its collective mind. At least the NYT shows us the film. Please look at it everyone.
23
I agree entirely with your analysis. The Trump phenomenon is contagious. We think, feel and behave like him.
For you peace of mind better not be aware.
Well we are aware. Choices drugs, alcohol or emigration. I choose the latter.
The world is way over populated. It needs to be pruned. And this explains what is about to happen.
1
Never mind who gave away what...the two protagonists are the most mendacious people alive, so their declarations are worthless, and reversible in any case.
What I find truly terrifying is that Trump might actually trust Kim. Given how blithely the Deplorable in Chief treats sensitive intel (while chatting up the Russians in the Oval Office, for example), I can easily imagine him on a chummy phone call with his new BFF, letting slip some choice nugget, with dire consequences for our allies - and our troops in the ROK.
14
Peace in our time.
And they have incredible beaches!
We all know that if Obama came away with a worthless piece of paper Fox and the right wing imbecile choir would be apoplectic.
Thank your Republican representatives this November for making us this imbecile traitor our president. And don't forget: they knew all about Trump - who he was, what he was up to, making them pretty much traitors too.
18
This is what happened, see it as a metaphor to a human relationship. Its a formula! Trump picks a nasty fight, a serious spat, then makes a big, dramatic deal of making up, and gives a big gift to make peace and say he's sorry (I am guessing he is well versed in these actions). Instead of fighting with one of his wives/girlfriends, its North Korea, instead of a gift of jewels or money to a wife (or a promise to appear on The Apprentice to a girlfriend) its giving up military training excersises. Its an easy equation, people.
8
Trump leadership is classic symbol of how many light years humanity has travelled away from religious morality .
His presidency is the culmination of great moral decline of America.
"Jesus declared “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
The role of leaders is not to serve themselves but to serve those whom they lead. This is because their role is to enable the people they lead to fulfill their potential. In the Kingdom, this means to be the people that God calls them to be in their service of him. Leadership in the Kingdom is a position of humility not power and status".
"Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues." - Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita 3.21
Renunciation – the ultimate leadership challenge. The eighteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita culminates with an important lesson for effective leadership; this lesson is about leadership renunciation. The Gita defines renunciation as abstaining from selfish acts and detaching from the results of an action.
Great leadership is a position of humility not power, status and renunciation, abstaining from selfish acts and detaching from the results of an action.
Little imagination is needed to judge the moral bankruptcy of Trump leadership!
9
A "special bond"? What if Trump dies? Silly question I guess. That won't happen.
1
But, we can dream.
1
face it... it took a fool to do what Bill Clinton should have done.
2
Bill Clinton should have befriended and legitimized a murderous dictator while getting nothing in return? I think not.
1
Bill Clinton did it and it failed then as it will fail now
This is such a surreal moment: Trump’s cocky and brash “negotiating” style as the Kim Jong Un-whisperer, the strange coincidence of two overfed, oddly-coifed enemies in opposite dress, facing off and realizing that hey, maybe they just need to be friends (with a luxury beach resort in the offing). I’m not sure if I’m watching a spaghetti western, an after school special, or a remake of Dr. Strangelove. So weird. So weird.
11
I give it two weeks until Trump starts calling Kim "Little Rocket Man" again. He will probably add "Weak" to it, to indicate his own strength, or maybe "dishonest" to shine a light on his own candor. It was an easy homework for Kim; "just flatter him, say something nice about his golf swing and he'll eat out of your hand".
So, within two weeks Trump will realize Kim and Xi are laughing at him.
7
Assuming Trump will be inspired by his new blossoming friendship with a man who routinely slaughters those in government who disappoint him, Jeff Sessions may want to consider moving somewhere more conducive to his wellbeing and popularity. El Salvador, perhaps.
8
I cannot say I am disappointed. I expected nothing to come from this meeting. Of course it adds to the mountain of nonsense from Trump. Watching one of the cable news channels with half a dozen anchors talk about nothing except how these two shook hands and touched one another. Not much happening there either. This meeting was not even a lost/missed opportunity. A photo op, no more.
7
As with most "policies" and pronouncements, the devil is in the details, tweets irrelevant, special bonds but for a day.
Meanwhile, Americans and our media, in trying to understand the implications of the Singapore Summit, are asking about Kim, "Can someone change so quickly?"
Perhaps what is changing is not Kim but the way he is being presented to the American people by our government and media. Perhaps what he appears to be now is precisely who he has been all along. It is extremely unlikely that an essentially absolute ruler who is the incompetent buffoon portrayed over the years by our government and media would have been able to successfully organize and preside over a nuke and missile program that many countries with greater financial and material resources can only dream about.
Perhaps we are so surprised because we have been kidding ourselves all along. Perhaps we may be where we are today precisely because the government came to believe its own spin on North Korean reality. Self-delusion rarely works out well.
I do not know how this all started, whether successive administrations chose to believe analyses from a self-aggrandizing intelligence community that no President has chosen to hold accountable, or that good intelligence was superseded by political myopia and self-delusion, or something else. In any case, it is imperative that our government and media consider the possibility that, like it or not, Kim may have been a very capable and savvy leader all along.
5
I say give the man his due. No one knows the future. Obama invited Cuba back to the world stage, Reagan opened the doors for Germany and Eastern Europe. Nixon paved the way for China to become a superpower. Clinton and Bush gabe India a fro t seat at the table. If this can become a turning moment for the Korean Peninsula, I'm all for it. We lose nothing by encouraging peace. And guess what, NK is already nuclear. There is no turning back the clock on that. They're not going to give them up anymore than Israel or India or Pakistan would. So let them sit at the table of mutual deterrence, rather than mutual destruction. To be so mealy mouthed and petty about it says a lot ones own character. You don't have to like the man. He has his faults for sure. But who among us does not have flaws. If it's good for America and the American people and he is able to help ring advancement to those people, why the resentment? I don't get it. Now I'd like to see him turn his attention to South America and Africa. As in, let's end the exploitation of those lands.
3
"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."
former president George W. Bush on Putin
10
Kim repeats the same lie over and over.
Trump lies about everything.
And we should be surprised Trump feels a "special bond" with Kim?
9
Whatever happens you can be sure that he will claim victory or alternatively any failure the fault of someone else.
8
I have a hard time believing Trump wanted more than an opportunity to sell Kim on the idea of a luxury hotel (named Trump of course) or two. Maybe a casino, too. And with all that slave labor he has to make some money, although they are starved and have parasites - might be hard to get a lot of work out of them. Regarding nuclear weapons in North Korea, not a big deal, get over it. Regarding American troops at demilitarized border, someone else can do it, we're not interested any more. Regarding human rights violations, the less said the better. It's like ethics, if you don't mention it, it will go away.
7
With all the insults they have hurled at each other in the last year! I shall believe it when I see it.
1
Trump’s “diplomacy” bounces from one stunt to another.
In March he bragged about sandbagging Trudeau with fake figures on the trade deficit. And now he whines about being stabbed in the back because Trudeau is refusing to be suckered again by Trump.
Now he has a phony baloney meeting with Kim and the only thing that comes out of it is a PR video which even the most benighted fan of “ Reality TV” recognizes as flim flam.
He walks around proud as a a peacock, and his pathetic supporters pretend that he is doing important things, while the rest of the people in the rational world see him as a man of no substance.
When will Ryan and McConnell stop this game of “make believe” and remove him from office?
10
When your only need is to appear a ‘winner’ (& getting a Noble Prize for doing so) turning the tin-pot dictator of a tiny, isolated, penniless country into an existential threat to world peace and U.S. security isn’t difficult. Talk up the handful of missiles & nukes he’s got, fly halfway around the world to meet him in a dog-and-pony show environment, claim to have formed a ‘special bond’ with him, and then sign a meaningless agreement in which the ‘enemy’ agrees to nothing. In the meanwhile start an economic war with your erstwhile closest allies too!
6
The Appeaser-in-chief. Chamberlain would be proud of him.
3
That video is one of the creepiest things I have ever seen.
6
It is a crime against human rights of the biggest order for the leader of the free world to greet a dictator who kills and tortures hundreds of thousands of his own people on the world stage as an equal and thus legitimizing his crimes against humanity. Without even asking for any change in policies in return.
8
This was a total PR and grifter stunt by Trump.
First, the thing that capped it off for me was Trump's ridiculous film with him in it.
Second, the one page document that both leaders signed was absurd and had no substance, as has been the case for decades.
Third, Trump gave away our recurring war exercises held since the 50s in that area to maintain the US presence with nothing in return.
Fourth, Trump exposed the real purpose of his visit when he admitted that NK's coast with beaches would look great with fine hotels lining it. Now what does one think of with that remark. It's our grifter President working out his private arrangement to build more Trump hotels and recreation facilities there in NK.
In conclusion, he gave NK, Russia and China exactly what they want in that area of the world. The ultimate demise of the US ships, air and ground forces footprint there.
So NK can flex its muscles without US pause. China can continue to increase its military presence on the contested islands, and no war games near Russia's sea front border.
This renders US powerless in that area. Can one imagine, any of the three of them mutually accommodating the US likewise? Never!
The true purpose was for Trump's private business. Russia and its oligarchs interfered with our elections and elected Trump, and financed Trump projects. China just gave Ivanka Trump 7 trademarks in China. And Trump will cut a deal to build Kim's beach fronts. And nothing for the USA!!!
6
Trump is always boasting about his wonderful, special relationships with world leaders until, if they are leaders of democracies, he stabs them in the back. However, he does seem to remain enamoured by dictators like Kim, Xi, & Putin.
1
Allies under the bus! Yep, he’s a deal maker alright.
This "special bond" is fantasy. The whole world knows that Trump's connections to anyone last as long as a lighted match, thrown away with contempt.
Let's hope this farce isn't followed by tragedy.
The hardest part will begin after the meeting. In Asia, you sign an accord containing the points agreed on during the meeting, but after the parties concerned have signed it, all of the points are yet to be negotiated, time lines shifted, conditions discussed. There is no such thing as a quick agreement. The President mentioned a number of meetings which are to take place - he should not try to rush things, but to watch his co-negotiator carefully as the negotiator is watching him, and to be careful with his praise of the North Korean ruler, as that will be seen as a sign of accepted inferiority. I fear he may be way out of his depth here.
2
Despite my general dislike of Donald Trump, I hope that his purported "special bond" with Kim (whatever that "special bond" is; God only knows), allows for denuclearization to happen on the Korean Peninsula, and, leads to, eventually, reunification of the two Koreas. In Trump-like words: "That would be truly wonderful!" But I would caution that whatever is going on, it is likely that we (or any western country) and North Korea (or just about any East Asian country) will never understand things in the same way. The authoritarian Confucianist ideology that undergirds Chinese, Korean, and Japanese culture is probably never going to be reconciled with the individualist secular Protestant ideology that undergirds most western cultures. Confucianism (and Sino-centrism), with its order-, face-saving-, and filial-piety-preserving habits/obsessions, come into direct conflict with western notions of democracy (often perceived as disorder and chaotic in East Asian cultures), freedom (even at the expense of causing offense to others), and challenge of parental authority. Even meeting with one's counterpart in private (in the West perceived as the place where more "honest" discussions occur; in the East perceived as the place where more "face-saving" and thus "dishonest" discussions occur) is fraught with dangers for misunderstanding.
2
Good to know you'll sleep better if NK denounces its nuclear weapons, then you can watch Netflix 24/7 without any worrisome thoughts about reality.
One sentence to describe about his rules and his need so far. He does not regard what old or future US policy will dictate his presidency, he want his own policy to be mark and and more historical. Ally and other success US policy is not his concerned to upheld. He want his legacy supercede all presidents.
If this leads to the reunification of the Koreas then my most fervent hope is that President Trump would then turn his attention on an attempt to reunify Virginia and West Virginia, two states also created by the sundering forces of a war fought long ago.
2
how 'bout North and South Dakota
to Cynthia Collins
Well, you can ask him to try, but the Dakota Territory only became two states when they were admitted into the Union. They weren't split by war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enabling_Act_of_1889
Whereas Virginia and West Virginia, like Korea, used to be all one big state called Virginia until the Civil War split 'em in two. While I think it's a good idea, the only problem that I would have with reunification would be on a map it would be one of the ugliest lookin' states in the whole USA, sorta like a deformed turnip. As it is now Virginia on a map looks like a mountain, and I half imagine this may turn out to be President Trump's chief argument for not reunifying the two states. "It would be too ugly lookin' on a map, no way." he might say.
Didja know that North and South Carolina used to be called 'Albemarle' and 'Clarendon' respectively? I sure as heck didn't know this.
It is not business where most of time both parties are under pressure to handle fast.
Trump is under such a pressure two reasons: His career pan as a president ia at most 6,6 more years and he is over 70 years old.
Kim is under a much lower time pressure: He does not have to be reelected and he can discard his political opponents. All he needs is to give a perspective that part of his country elite will follow.
4
Oh my, this whole issue is so very complicated, and certainly beyond the capabilities of DJT to fully understand, but I must give him credit for arranging this face-to-face dialogue, which in itself is perhaps even brave, a first-step on a very long journey. For the sake of ourselves and future generations everywhere, let's hope there is more than a chance that North Korea wants to dramatically change and become a part of today's world.
3
Apparently it takes only three generations to burn submission into to the likes of Trump's and Kim's subjects for generations to come.
Trump the master deal maker achieved unprecedented success in his deal with the dictator of N Korea. No more than four nuclear missiles may be launched against the US in any one month.
19
The emperor has no clothes and as Stormy can allegedly confirm it is not a pretty sight.
12
Will Trump now turn to Cuba, drop the hostilities and re-open relations? Why all the sympathy towards North Korea and not to Cuba? Cuba poses no nuclear or military threat to the US. The Cuban regime is softer, less dictatorial, more market oriented than that of North Korea. Perhaps we need a Moon Jae-in in Miami to open up the way. Marco Rubio is not that historical figure. By the way, what is he saying about opening relations with Communist North Korea?
11
“Cuba poses no nuclear or military threat to the US”. With this statement, You answered your own question. NK needs urgent attention and is getting it. My congratulations to your president.
Because "success" in China's backyard makes the other SE Pacific nations--the ones being pushed around by China's island building and sea border extensions--take a longer look at the US as a regional player. It rocks China's control of the region.
Seems pretty clear to me that Trump cut a deal that will have Kim in line from now until 2020 so Trump can try to shore up re-election with this foreign policy feather in his cap. After the 2020s, Trump won't care if Kim scuttles the deal or invades Seoul. Kim will get at least a temporary relaxation of financial sanctions so he can go on lining his pockets while he imprisons and butchers citizens. The world loses, again, at the hands of these money- and power-hungry thugs.
I have to admit, I see why tyrants don't give up power. I know he has murdered and threatened to bomb my country, but seeing Kim smile and really so vulnerable while Trump stands next to him and answer questions from the press in a language he barely understands, I actually feel for him. He was born into this regime, it is what he was taught was good. I don't know, but I do not see how he and his family survive this transition without special protection. Protection from his own people will likely become an issue.
2
I see congressional Republicans growing nervous (alarmed?) over President Trump's flirtatious courtship of murderous, torturing President (for life) Kim Jong-un of North Korea. Coming soon: Republican panic, followed by Republican despair.
4
Republicans, so called, from the old party are being drummed out, as Congressman Sanford was last night. Just like the Democrats are drumming out white men over thirty. By 2020, the Republican Party elite will have seen a considerable change, and by the end of Mr. Trump's second term, they will be closely aligned with him.
1
If this deal fails, and, let’s face it, the potential for failure exceeds the potential for success given the mercurial nature of both of the main players, Korea, Asia, and the world in general might be plunged into conflagration: fire and fury indeed. It is appalling to consider that the survival of our children is bonded to an admitted sexual deviant with an apparent taste for treachery and deceit and a fratricidal tyrant with a taste for brutality and repression. It’s a surreal situation from all angles.
Unfortunately, a new Axis of Evil may be forming: Russia, North Korea, and, I hate to type it, the USA. America has done nothing to be proud of for decades now. It has set the Middle East ablaze, along with its willing accomplices, in a fabricated ploy that has slaughtered millions. It has destroyed any reins of restraint on the corporate/financial sector, permitting the wholesale plunder of the middle and working classes. It has elected a series of Republican reprobates, Trump the latest atrocity, who have decimated much good in the US and accentuated all that is bad. The list goes on.
For God’s sake, America, wake up to yourself before your slumber becomes a perpetual coma. The world follows your lead; lead it back to the light.
19
Mr. Trump must have been suffering from some confusion due to jet lag, having flown from Quebec straight on to Singapore. Surely the “very special bond” was not intended to describe his feeling about North Korea’s brutal dictator but was rather scribbled in some advisor’s notes for speaking about the Prime Minister of Canada.
11
There is a long tradition of the US getting rid of Canadian prime ministers it finds objectionable. Taft with Laurier ... Kennedy with Diefenbaker ... Trudeau's up for election next year and the Liberals just got pulverized in Ontario ...
Vague on details. Well of course Trump's vague. It's his middle name.
DD
Manhattan
3
Great deal! When is the groundbreaking ceremony for Trump Hotel in Pyongyang?
6
That's no joke--he was rhapsodizing about the potential for condos on the sea in NK.
So is it true that Putin suggested months ago that the US withdraw its military from the Korean Peninsula?
And as Putin says, he talks often with Trump.
And now Trump has offered to withdraw troops. And he said this without consulting the Pentagon and military leaders.
Ergo, Trump is taking orders from Putin.
18
So, he's betting everything on what he knows is a "terrific relationship", which sounds familiar, doesn't it? That's what he said about his relationship with Trudeau and the G6? And what deal making skills are being referenced, the ones he told you he has?
5
It must be destiny, truly like a great romance. Any minute the music from Dr. Zhivago will begin playing. Or maybe it really is, since Putin definitely wanted to halt the military exercises that threaten its neighbor and ally. If Trump wants an exclusive club for dictators, North Korea may be the best place for his future golf resort. It can be staffed by Ivanka and Jarod as managers who just survived roughing it by working at the White House for a year making a mere $82 million.
I cannot take this "diplomacy" seriously when no outcomes were decided, there is no nuclear diplomacy, no nuclear experts from the US are involved, and there are zero ways to verify any vague words waved around.
At one time, there was a famous photo of George W. Bush holding the hand of the Saudi king. Now we have Trump and Kim with their arms around each other's shoulders, two dictators striding into their destiny.
12
In the meantime, the North Korean propaganda mill claims that Kim demanded that IQ45 cease the war games, and that IQ45 complied.
Great read. What’s going to fly off the table the next time he tries to sell Kim on the idea of building luxury condos on his beautiful beaches?
12
Just like Bush when he met Putin: "I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. “
9
Robert De Niro had it right.
22
It is really sad to see a U.S president bowing before a punk dictator, who should have been ignored and eventually destroyed. How low can Trump go??
23
Lower, much lower.
7
Obviously, there is no bottom!
3
We've seen him go pretty low.
1
This joke of a meeting is made even more embarrassing by the media, putting out false hopes for some kind of reconciliation (let alone peace deal). What the entire meeting of these two autocrats proves conclusively is that our USA political process is lost, and that people like Kim Jong-un and Putin win, who are obviously much more savvy than #45 and his "advisers." . Glad I'm an old Vietnam grunt, and know how to deal with these traitors in a much more fundamental way....
13
The GOP vaguely watches, waiting for the next SC nominee or tax cut. They never were much for anything like government. Remember back when they called themselves the moral majority?
State dept. run by amateurs. WH run by amateurs. Know what they call the US now?
Let's wait. Kim may cross Trump at any moment and the volatile US president may call the vague "agreement" that both signed off. I'm glad they are talking and they decided to mount this joint TV spectacle, but they are both very immature people and politicians to have any credibility whatsoever. No gravitas.
8
Vague on Details. Sounds familiar. The president's laughable assertion that Big Pharma would lower prescription drug prices after he signed the "Right to Try Act" was vague on details, too. Turns out that "the guys" in the pharmaceutical industry had no idea what he was talking about. Now our ally, South Korea, and our own military establishment have no idea what he is talking about. Neither does the president. He's a pathological liar. He can't help himself. He tells outrageous lies on a daily basis and makes outrageous claims about his abilities and accomplishments. It's all a sideshow to take our attention away from "the Russia thing".
16
GOP Congressmen and Senators: Is there no level of Trump's shameful and disgraceful behavior you will not tolerate? Will you continue to stand by silently in the corner while he embraces bloody dictators and murderers, destroys our national institutions, betrays and insults our allies and divides our nation with increasingly erratic and autocratic behavior? Your silence speaks volumes about the hypocrisy of your "values" and character of each of you. Your moral failure at a critical moment in this country's history will be long remembered.
16
Kim Jong-un lives in a dangerous world of power relationships within his family, his government, and his near neighbors, Japan, South Korea and, especially, China. He seems to have an intelligent yet brutal character, having been raised by a dictator father and grandfather who were completely amoral regarding anything and anyone except their own power. Chairman Kim isn't crazy, irrational or stupid. He is a vicious dictator who appears to use his intelligence and education (school in Switzerland as well as training by his father in regime politics) with great rationality and care in being able to determine the outcomes of his policies and positions.
I contrast Chairman Kim with the alleged "smarts" of President Trump who is said to have a real ideology behind all the bluster and whining. He lives in a unstable world of family wealth and business relationships where all has not always gone well. He too was trained by a rigid and dictatorial father. It's my belief (as well as others) that Trump is partly delusional, deeply narcissistic, and frequently irrational with sudden outbursts that sound rational but then decline just as suddenly into the opposite. In short, we are caught between the brutal but rational and amoral North Korean dictator and the not very intelligent but sly, irrational, amoral "democratically elected" American president. How can any of this summitry end well? How can the USA endure under this barnyard president?
14
If it is not a “terrific relationship” then I suppose it is an adverse relationship on the brink of nuclear war. "Special bond" can be understood in many ways; not all of them are good to people living in neighboring countries. Mr. Trump is rather different from other politicians in character but is just as good in making hollow statements in his own way.
3
RE: It is a huge gamble, and the deal-making skills in which he has supreme confidence will make all the difference.
Ridiculous. It's not a gamble at all. There is only the possible upside.
Mm-hmm. . . a few minutes ago, North Korea announced that the U.S. will lift the sanctions against N. Korea.
Upside, upside!
3
He alone can fix it, well not quite. While hyperbole might have some use in the Condo business. In State craft less so, winging it might not be the Plan when conducting Diplomacy. Was this a fool on a fool's errand, I hope not, but there is a sinking feeling. We apparently have a president making it up as he goes along, I cannot see this ending in a victory for president and the American People. Will the president's capabilities,skill and discernment or lack there of cost the country, time will sort it out. This not a one off, this portend new challenges ahead as long as Donald trump is conducting personal diplomacy.
4
Apparently the junior senator for Florida, Marco Rubio, is very distressed at the unfair treatment Trump is getting from, well, everyone except possibly Fox and the every true believers on right wing radio. Rubio doesn't want to read that Trump went to Singapore and came home with only a handshake. Rubio doesn't want to remember that Kim Jong-un is the ruthless dictator of a country that imprisons, starves and kills its citizens to preserve the power of one family. Rubio certainly doesn't want anyone to suspect he agrees with Trump's critics that Kim was the big winner in Singapore, not Trump.
Many of us who live where Canadians own second homes or spend vacations during the winter months thought that Sen. Rubio ought to make a statement apologizing to Canadians for Trump's recent temper tantrum and insults. Jobs and local economies depend on Canadians visiting and spending money in Florida.
Instead of protecting the jobs of his constituents, Rubio wants to be sure Trump knows he has a firm defender in the junior senator who is willing to buy into Trump's view that he dazzled the world with his brilliant negotiation skills.
11
The video Trump shared with Kim is patronizing, cartoonish, and demeaning to a person who perceives themselves as a world leader and an equal.
Believing that Trump just might pull off peace in this region is akin to believing a fusion reaction can occur in a test tube and provide free energy to power the world.
15
Trump is looking a lot like Neville Chamberlain right now.
7
The stable genius is clearly doing what Putin wants in cancelling the military exercises. He had not informed South Korea, the Pentagon or anyone else- he blind-sided his own side. Why did Trump give away the shop with nothing back from NK? If you think
Putin doesn't have something very heavy on him can I sell you a used car?
16
The military exercise are nothing as price to get Kim to the bargaining table to eliminate nuclear threats. Complaining about the exercises is being penny wise and pound foolish.
1
Trump looks like a "Manchurian candidate" figure. He behaved according to orders in the G-7 summit and now with Kim too.
4
Putin probably does have something on him, and/or is dangling Trump Moscow in front of him.
What we saw was no different than the meeting with D's and R's on DACA. “I think my positions are going to be what the people in this room come up with,” he said at the Cabinet Room meeting. “I’ll take the heat off both the Democrats and the Republicans,” he said at the time. He asked for a "bill of love." How did that end up?
Or after the meeting with the kids from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, he called for comprehensive gun control, even calling some Republicans "petrified" of the national gun lobby. Saying while the N.R.A. has “great power over you people, they have less power over me.” Only to soon abandon gun control after an Oval Office meeting with NRA officials.
Or remember the budget meeting with Schumer and Pelosi?
He's just a typical con artist. They like having the power not just to hurt people but to make people happy, even if by means of fantasy. Our reality star president has shown great difficulty in distinguishing reality from fiction.
Deep down, I suspect the world breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't start World War III by going off on a crazy, paranoid tirade while over there. Like he did after G7. It's a low bar, but given Trump's temperament and knowledge base, you really can't expect much more than this vague agreement he got.
He had the potential to do a lot more harm.
2
This "special bond" method of trying to coax leaders of other countries into doing it "Trump's" or "America's" way is one of the worst ways to approach both US and non-US adversaries. They see right through the pseudo-love and the associated "bonding" and end up feeling they have been treated like potential buyers are treated by many real estate brokers... and many other brokers as well. In the end it's neither credible nor effective and brings down the image and credibility of America and it's people... and effective treaties become no more than useless documents.... rooted in foolish love notes.
5
What is it that prevents so many Americans from seeing Trump for what he is: a lover of autocratic tyrants, the more murderous the better. Dutarte, Putin, Kim, for starters. Joseph McCarthy,Roy Cohn, John Bolton ... migod.
What has happened to our people? Or were we really always this way -- ready to go with the strongman? Are Americans really that spineless? Is the GOP really that desperate?
15
I understand that the NYT is trying to be neutral and report the facts, I can respect that.
But it seems that you are sugar-coating Trump and not holding him to the fire.
Since and before he became President, Trump is full of hot air and nothing he says means anything because he can take an about face in a minute.
The only clear things is that he is a racist, except, in the case of Kanye, the black guy is into money, photos and fake news as much as Trump is. Trump just cares about more money for Trump and maintaining power like any dictator.
Please don't paint anymore into Trump's empty, bombastic words than what they are, hot air. He and Kim both know, words mean nothing, weapons mean everything and who cares about human life, just throw the masses what they want to hear.
So we are dealing with a heartless, dictator, don't give Mr. Trump any more accolades, he deserves none.
17
These two guys were made for each other!
8
Trump's a lot like the guy who doesn't know how to swim but jumps into the deep with the self-comforting thought - 'How hard can it be?'
8
That's how many a people were taught to swim by throwing them in the water.
And 'how many' drowned?
and later fished out, sputtering and choking.
Kim made no specific promises, no timetables, while Trump promised to withdraw protection from our allies. He compliments and empowers dictators while threatening our allies. Art of the Worst Deals Possible. I am ashamed and afraid of the man we call President.
18
As a decorated combat veteran this country is no longer worthy of my patriotism!!! I’m looking for another country to call home!!
12
Don't do that. Trump could only be president another 7 years if he were to win another election. At his age and with the signs of aging that he has been showing, he might not make it that long.
He might go to prison or flee the country.
But don't let cadet bone-spurs chase you away. Trump is not your country just some apprentice in the White House.
4
Hang in there, Aaron. Trump has done a lot of crazy things, but we need to advance the Korean armistice situation and his gambit might work, I don't know, but its better than being on the brink of a new Korean war of a few months ago. Please have patience with an experiment for peace. We get a chance to boot Trump in 2 years, but we want to keep you and all of our vets.
fascism is already here.
2
This author sees a lot of trees but misses the forest. Reductionism can be dangerous -- this is a complex situation that should not be treated as a simple one. But it is helpful to step back and see what each side wants.
Donald Trump wants peace, and he's willing to pay a lot for it. Sure, he talks about getting rid of nuclear weapons. But that's really a side issue. A North Korea that calms down and stops provoking its neighbors, and even us, can keep its nuclear weapons if it wants them. Pakistan, India, China, and Russia all have them, and we live with them. North Korea can keep them too, as long as it's peaceful.
What does Kim Jong Un want? It's hard to tell. Maybe he just did want a summit with the president of the United States, and now he'll go back to his belligerent ways. Or just stall and negotiate endlessly. Or do something else.
But I'll bet he wants to develop his country's economy. I'll bet he's tired of living in a backward country that looks dark and vacant at night when South Korea is glowing with light. That has a GDP of $38 billion compared to South Korea's $1.4 trillion. That has roads so bad he's ashamed to have South Korea's president travel on them.
So I see a deal happening. Not right away. Not even soon. But I see us getting what we want -- peace -- and North Korea getting what it wants -- prosperity. Peace for prosperity. Win, win. What's not to like about that?
4
We could see it a lot easier if there had been the slightest bit of transparency and accountability, but we are left to accept the words of the two most dishonest and corrupt regimes the world has ever seen.
5
PAkistan, India, and Russia dont routinely threaten to nuke Guam.
2
Trump only has special bonds with brutal dictators. What's up with that?
15
Donald has a history of making great deals. Just ask Stormy. But having apparently signed this one, I wonder why he did. I doubt there was any real prospect of a military exchange at any time in the last twelve months. Instead, I reckon Kim and Donald spent those months hurling theatrical insults back and forwards as a pretext to the main game - a summit whose professed aim was to bring world peace and save millions of lives, but in reality was about Donald presenting himself as a saviour and dealmaker, and Kim extracting concessions from the US. To that end it was a great success. Donald gets to feed his political base. And Kim gets to extract a series of strategic long term advantages. Another great deal by Donald. More please. More.
5
Remember when W "looked into Putin's soul"? This little bit of self-delusion will work out just as well.
9
Trump admires a murderer and a slaveowner. I guess that could be expected from someone who supports white supremacists . A special bond between Kim, Putin, and Trump.
7
These guys have apparently bonded over their shared contempt for everyone else. They will scratch each other's backs to generate propaganda to bamboozle their respective subjects.
11
Am I mistaken or did Donald Trump just give Kim Jong Un everything that he wanted without having to give up anything in return? Is this the Art Of The Deal: Denigrating and insulting our Western democratic allies while praising and championing the homicidal autocratic dictators of the world?
6
It was supposed to be a spectacle made for TV consumption and that's what it was. The cameras were there. The press was there. The endless cable news channels with their talking heads were there. So the summit was a success. Substance? We don't need no stinkin substance. This is showbiz!
8
Well Trump may have painted himself into a corner...North Korea television has already praised him for getting rid of the military exercise with South Korea and the US and just within the last hour they have stated that Trump will lift sanctions. Do you think the North Korean's are going to be happy if he doesn't follow through.
1
This is simple. The buffoon-in-chief just gave a junior dictator the legitimacy of "negotiating" with the world's (former) top power. He granted Kim, in addition to legitimacy, plenty of fodder for Kim's propaganda campaign to his people, some great photo ops, and the suspension of military exercises in South Korea. He spit in the faces of President Moon Jae-in, and our closest allies, Justin Trudeau, Angela Merkel, and the others in the G-7. He is the worst possible danger that we have ever encountered. The US is being governed by a petulant bully, an arrogant egomaniacal dolt, a self-serving narcissist. I could go on. . . .
25
Too soon to hang the “Mission Accomplished” banner?
10
Not at all. We can hang it on the wall that Mexico paid for:)
4
In 1938, Neville Chamberlain flew to meet Hitler at his private mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden. Following that meeting, Chamberlain declared "peace in our time" based on a vague and unverifiable agreement with Hitler that Germany would not invade or annex Czechoslovakia.
Eighty ears later, Donald Trump flew to meet Kim at an exclusive island retreat in Singapore. Following that meeting, Trump declared that peace with North Korea was at hand based on even more vague assurances.
The main difference (besides swapping an island resort for a mountain one) is that Trump capitulated (with nothing in return) to Kim's demand that the U.S. cancel military exercises with South Korea, thereby weakening America's and the Republic of Korea's ability to stay prepared for any eventuality.
Just as the Trump administration has led countless Americans to look back at the George W. Bush presidency much more fondly, President Trump appears well on the road to rehabilitating Neville Chamberlain.
12
Equating Kim Jong Un and Adolf Hitler is silly. Adolf Hitler was poised to launch a formidable army to conquer Europe. He had built up Germany from a weakened loser to perhaps the strongest nation in the world.
Kim Jong Un is the dictator of a small, impoverished, weak nation. Yes, he has a big army with lots of conventional weapons and a nuclear arsenal. But he's not poised to conquer anything. The GDP of his entire country is about 1/30 that of South Korea. If he tried to attack anyone, he would be met with fire and fury and death.
There's no big drama here. Donald Trump knows who he is dealing with. He's no Neville Chamberlain who faced an uncertain future with a dangerous foe. The two situations are nowhere near the same.
4
"In 1938, Neville Chamberlain flew to meet Hitler at his private mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden. "
Chamberlain never went to Berchtesgaden. The meeting you speak of was famously in Munich.
In my (perhaps faulty) recollection, the Munich agreement was the result of a process involving three separate meetings (plus countless other communications). The first face-to-face Chamberlain-Hitler meeting of the series took place on September 15 in Berchtesgaden. The second was in Godesberg on September 22. The concluding meeting was in Munich on September 28 - 29.
At 4:54pm today, Trump signed the cartoon document while reaffirming his “terrific relationship and very special bond with honorable and amazing Chairman Kim!”
At 5:00pm today, Trump tweeted that “this short And fat so-called FAKE dictator plus low IQ Most over-rated Actor ever Robert Di Niro (don’t watch Anymore!) were even meeeker and milder than liars Justin and Crooked Hillary” and “now to save entire Planet from coming nuclular disaster I have cancelled Korea agreement. World is now safe but Rocket man is psycho loser! Sad!”
6
Trump looked deep in the eyes of Kim Jong Un. It’s not what he saw that matters, but what he didn’t see - the fixated glass eyes of a murderer and sociopath. That’s not surprising. He also didn’t see it in Duterte.
10
The only thing trump can see is what's in the mirror. And he likes it. A lot.
6
Trump is a model for the classic authoritarian personality. He despises democratically elected politicians, who he sees as weak and not manly like him and believes do not measure up, while feeling right at home with murderous tyrants like Kim Jong-un. Consequently, he doesn't need briefings and experts, he has himself. He has his touch, his feel, and his gut. That is all that is required. But more problematic, his advisers are generally sycophants, telling him what he wants to hear. This includes Mike Pampaeo, a careerist of the worst sort. This will not end well for us or our allies.
18
It is unfortunate that the emphasis is on denuclearization instead of disarmament of the Korean penninsula. Take away the nukes and the North can still overwhelm the South.
The goal should be to reunify Korea and make it neutral - the Switzerland of the Far East.
Our buffoon of a leader has been played for the fool he is.
8
Well, I hope the President of South Korea, Mr. Moon, got what he wanted.
He was so all fired anxious to make this happen, to be the great peacemaker here.
Did he forsee this? No more joint military exercises?
Well Mr. Moon, let me tell you, when you deal with Donald Trump you never know what you're going to get.
But you know that now, don't you?
15
Remember the JCPOA (iran deal)? It was not ratified by the Senate (67 votes required). Trump opted out leaving the EU countries and Iran in a pickle. If Trump (alone) makes "a deal" with Kim Jong-Un, that agreement can be canceled by the next president. Fahgettaboudit (New York slang)
2
Manchurian president. Otherwise nothing that has happened during the past six days makes sense.
12
Trump is coming close to running BENEDICT ARNOLD a close second. He never included South Korea or our own military on his giveaway. This man must be FIRED!
7
Where and what is the deal? Ony one word is enough to define Trump: unpredictable.
1
Trump talked about the beautiful beaches in North Korea. It sounds like he is going to get an exclusive deal to open a Trump hotel there built with slave labor and a special torture suite.
3
"slave labor and a special torture suite."
That should attract Dems. Eric Schneidermann may enquire about long-term rates.
After the G6+1 meeting in Canada, who would want a "special bond" with Trump?
9
Funny Trump finds bonds - like Kim, Putin, Dueterte, Sisi, Prince Ahmed of Saudi Arabia. While he breaks all bonds with our real allies like Germany, France, U.K., Japan, Canada Mexico. How much stranger can it get!
9
W said the same thing about Putin and we see how well that went. Maybe we'll have a Kim Jong Un puppet in the White House pretty soon to follow up on Putin's current one.
1
Trump is a Narcissist . They don't have "Special bonds".
They are all about " Whats in if for me". A hotel. Putin gets a Pipeline, some deal with a loan sark...come on ..really..?
2
Exactly right. Diplomacy as real estate development. Beach resorts, baby, and casinos, and Gucci and Prada. And cheap financing by the government of North Korea.
Remembering that trump is a property developer, and a thuggish one, explains everything he does and is.
2
Perhaps Mr Trump will next meet up with the Ayatollah in Iran. More fun to come.
1
Even the little that was accomplished at this meeting, it is still a far greater progress toward eliminating the danger of open war than was made by the previous several POTUS combined.
2
No, it’s not. We’ve been here many times before.
“terrific relationship” and “very special bond” with an abhorrent dictator who tortures his own society on a whim.
Trump admires and honours dictatorship. He idolises these people and wishes to emulate them. All his domestic policies seek to undermine democratic processes embedded in the great American Democracy. No good can ever come of this presidency.
This could be expected from a scion of big business. Remember that big businesses are autocracies. How could anyone expect different behaviour once you elect someone like this?
Do people who vote for him also prefer to live under a police state dictatorship as Trump so blatantly admires and wishes for? I prefer to think they were hoodwinked by his big lying talk.
2
Up until two weeks ago, the United States had "a very special relationship" with the United Kingdom.
Up until four days ago, Donald Trump had "a very good feeling" about Justin Trudeau.
What are Donald Trump's emotions worth in practice? What is his word worth on paper?
By promising to remove US troops, Donald Trump just gave away South Korea to Russia.
There is no incentive for Kim Jong-Un to negotiate with Donald Trump, because Trump's word changes within minutes. And he didn't have to.
Congratulations, America, you just lost the Korean War and abandoned Asia, all for a pretty hotel and a nice dinner in Singapore.
10
Promise to remove troops....
That never happened. He only stopped an easily restartable joint exercise
But it was a *very* nice hotel, so ...
Trump condemned the Iran deal not only because he thought it didn't go far enough in constraining iran's nuclear ambitions, but because of their continued undermining of peace with its neighbors and Iran's seeking influence in the area. Any deal with North Korea must deal with both things or it will not meet the standards he has set for a deal. But perhaps it doesn't matter because the real reason for Trump's trashing of the deal with Iran was his malicious trashing of anything Obama accomplished no matter the consequences.
6
Why are we making deals with dictators? Or communists? They are everything the USA is not and they hate everything about us, our democracy, our free press and our emphasis on human rights. There is no “rule of law” in their universes. It’s all about them. Preserving their image and their power. They murder. They imprison. And now Kim bullies the USA bully and they win an agreement to not conduct war games off their coast. And for what? An agreement by Kim to plan on working on some of the stuff we want? Give me a break. We just got duped. By Trump for creating an illusion that he accomplished something and by the North Koreans for actually accomplishing something. After alienating our allies Trump went to the only person who would talk to him anymore and put on a dog and pony show for his ego. Again, I emphasize again that we should not bargain with people like Kim.
4
"They are everything the USA is not and they hate everything about us, our democracy, our free press and our emphasis on human rights. There is no “rule of law” in their universes. It’s all about them. Preserving their image and their power."
You sure you're not talking about Trump?
1
Good comment. It conjures an image of Kim in his first class compartment on the way home, feet up, smoking a (Cuban) cigar, sipping Dom Perignon, and giggling uncontrollably while his aides shine his shoes, filet the Dover sole, and pay up on their bets.
1
There's no reason to believe Kim hates the US. He mainly wants to stay in power. He was educated in wealthy Switzerland. He knows far more about the West than Drumpf knows about North Korea. If Kim could hold power while his country became wealthy (like for example Saudi Arabia) he would prefer that. Whether that's possible we don't know.
Trump's most genius move was the "concession" to pause military drills with S.Korea.
Does a pause in some drills affect our military might or capability in the Korean peninsula? Obviously not.
But the S. Koreans have sure perked up :) Trump has been complaining for a long time that S.Koreans don't pay enough for our troops stationed there, not to mention our treaty obligation to defend them and our nuclear umbrella.
Genius move by Trump to force them to pony up several more billion dollars to us. If every government official were so fiscally focused, we'd be running a trillion dollar surplus.
3
George W Bush thought he had the same thing when he had his first summit with Putin. Let hope that Trump is a better judge of character. then Bush. Judging by the people he put in place in the government, he is NOT.
1
In order to think this meeting has any great significance other than the puffery, you have to believe that war was likely or even possible between the US and North Korea. I don't. War would have been wholly irrational whichever side chose to start it. But, as people do, the public bought the subterfuge which elevated this nothingburger into prime rib. It's just another reality show folks. Change the channel.
7
It would be good not to spend huge sums to defend South Korea because of decisions made in the Truman administration.
Correct. Phony crisis. The public, ignorant of history and science as they are, can be forgiven for buying into it. The press, however, cannot.
That Trump should choose to treat tiny, isolated, destitute North Korea as a major threat to world peace & the U.S. is farcical. I suppose when he has no idea of how to solve large world problems it satisfies Trump’s ego to talk a relatively small nuisance into a ‘large problem’ and then put on a dog-and-pony show of ‘solving’ it.
7
This analysis notes the Trump-Kim meeting was "vague on details". But actually solving conflict was not the intent.
These fellows are two global pariahs in a pod, each desperately needing a big photo shoot attempting to absolve themselves of being the stark raving maniacs that each has proven to be.
Slobbering on each other looks better than bloviating about "biggest buttons", never mind killing millions.
No substance was ever intended.
This gives each of them an excuse to run out the clock and claim "peace in our time", perhaps about the best we can hope for.
Maybe both nations will eventually conclude that dictatorship is not in their best interest and make no mistake, Trump and Kim are both dictators when each can launch nuclear missiles without consultation from the people or their representatives.
9
It goes without saying that Kim, being the "smart cookie" that he is will have noticed how Trump treats his closest allies and will know exactly how far Trump can be trusted should his tiny ego be bruised or be perceived to be bruised. The G7-1 are living proof of the fickle nature of the man and his resistance to any ideas that are contrary to his own.
16
Kim played it like a wise old man negotiating with a six year old.
4
A Trump Tower in North Korea. That's what this was about and all it's about!
18
recall if you will the day g.w. bush met putin and reported on looking into the man's eyes with the same level of effusiveness and naivete. he even called him "pooty-poot".
3
It’s not that Trump is the first president who managed to get a “meeting" with the North Korean leader. Rather, he’s the first who was shortsighted and self-interested enough to let such an event happen. It does nothing for us now and has no realistic potential to benefit the U.S. And it significantly empowers Kim. Americans are entitled to a president who brings intelligence, planning and perspective to bear in an effort to represent our national interests. That includes the Americans who insist that this globally broadcast quickie was a demonstration of capability and a harbinger of success. Actually, it sometimes seems that, even for proponents, such feel-good blather has substance only to the degree that it can be used as a bludgeon against “liberals." One commenter here even wrote, “liberals must be defeated not convinced.” That reveals tribal anxiety, not reason. To the extent that worldview is expressed on ballots on November 6, the country will be worse off.
10
If Donald Trump wanted to wow Mr. Kim with a video, he should have gone with Rick and Morty. It's sarcastic and profane, but unlike the president's script, it's actually smart and entertaining. We may go to blank (apparently I was flagged here when I originally posted this comment) for watching it, but it would be worth it. I see a lot of 'Jerry' in Donald Trump.
3
Trump and his “magical thinking” about Kim goes hand in hand with “I will have the best people working for me”. Shows what a poor judge of character he is.
We have an unstable narcissistic president who trashes our allies and venerates a brutal dictator. Trump doesn’t belong in the White House he belongs in the nut house.
43
I propose that it's not magical thinking but the worst kind of cavalier, self-interested lying.
"Mr. Trump says he spent time studying past negotiations.” A lie.
He revealed himself, inadvertently, with this:
"I think, honestly, I think he’s going to do these things. I may be wrong. I mean, I may stand before you in six months and say, 'Hey, I was wrong.’ I don’t know that I’ll ever admit that, but I’ll find some kind of an excuse.”
The whole thing is a scam. It’s a pure crookedness that, when taking to its extreme - which is to say, in Trump’s standard usage - becomes this stomach-turning monstrosity: "If I have to say I’m sitting on a stage with Chairman Kim and that gets us to save 30 million lives — it could be more than that — I’m willing to sit on the stage. I’m willing to travel to Singapore."
He is a man without conscience. This meeting was a trophy experience and he undertook it for that reason only, and with the assumption that he could formulate some patter to sell this gift to himself and to Kim Jong-un as a gift to his minions. “I’ll find some kind of an excuse.” Despicable.
8
Since we all recognize that these two men are both mentally incompetent, it's true they share a special bond. Special, indeed.
12
No, only one of them is mentally incompetent. And it's not Kim.
1
Point well taken. I was relying on what our government says, so perhaps I need a check up!?!
It seems it's a typical seat of the pants, off the cuff approach. An all out lights and mirrors show.
Trump feels this high octane meeting is a big win for him, irrespective of the fact that the signed document says nothing new.
And if he can get the remains of 5000 US troops ( in exchange for sanctions relief ), that would be huge.
In typical Trump fashion nothing matters except what's in it for him ...
And if an interim deal happens, even just ending the state of war, it gets him a Nobel ( even Arafat got one ).
That's his win.
6
Who is kidding whom? There's no business like show business—especially if it's Reality TV Business. The look of The Summit [style over substance], the feel of The Summit [style over substance], the cheers of the crowd and the smell of the rancid popcorn... Our Popcorn President thinks he can pull the style-over-substance wool over our eyes and the world will fall at his smelly feet and give him a Nobel Prize for—for what exactly? No-Thing. Realty TV does not a negotiated settlement make. It only makes for another chapter of the Naked Emperor and, more to the point, The Emperor with nothing but self-serving visions to speak of. This two-dimensional president only has the smell of the grease paint, the roar of the crowd, and his spiritually bankrupt reptilian brain. Pity the poor future of the Western World...
13
This idiocy, reminds me of Bush's glimpse into Putin’s soul.
Only worse!
8
It appears that Mr. Kim has a few good behavioral psychologist advisors. Not that it takes a PhD to figure out how to play Trump. The Saudis and the Russians do it well, too.
18
Does this sound familiar?
A huckster lures somebody with limited financial resources to a “Free 2-Day Stay At A Luxury Resort” in exchange for sitting through a sales presentation for an afternoon. There’s lots of flattery, talk of “finally attaining the amazing lifestyle you’ve always deserved”, and a glossy video to boot.
That’s right! Kim Jong-un got snookered into showing up to what was really a TIME SHARE SALES PITCH!!! Just goes to show you can take the boy out of the real estate sales office, but you can’t take the real estate sales office out of the boy.
36
"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 on Vladimir Putin, 2001.
The more things change, the more they change for the worse.
13
Regrettably, the more things change, the more they stay the same. And, since 1982 and especially after the pseudo-actor/politician Raygun (much less the dillusional Nixon), they have gotten decidedly worse. Thanks for the comment, Vise!
It is in America's interest to defuse the terrible situation with North Korea shooting off rockets and making threats to the US and others, and therefore for us to go in a more positive direction seeking a peaceful resolution to this conflict.
Rather than the current president throwing out the thoughtfully considered former administration's Iranian deal, that was verifiable, as well as clearly reducing the nuclear threat from Iran it could have instead been used as the model of how to do a responsible negotiation. Instead we have two hot-headed leaders meeting partly in secret behind closed doors, where America has received no concessions, and the meetings have so far raised more questions than have been answered.
We have the unprepared president forging ahead and agreeing to not have war games with South Korea (to their surprise), sending an indirect message to China to reduce their sanctions against North Korea, and the US showing the North Koreans a propaganda video that shows the ruthless dictator Kim as a leader, raising his status on the world stage, and ignoring that North Korea has a terrible human rights record, extensive poverty, and has been internationally isolated since North Korea has been mismanaged for many years by Kim, his father, and his grandfather.
7
A "special bond" between two people who are notorious for not keeping their word? Even if the communique had any substance, the whole expensive drill underwritten by Singapore is sound and fury signifying nothing.
Good to know that for today, at least, we won't be blown off the face of the earth. That's about it.
6
The reason Trump can get away with things Obama never could is this: A President viewed as dovish, i.e.-Obama, Carter, etc. doesn’t have the option of meeting dictators without major political blowback.
Nixon, Reagan, and now Trump, all were viewed as hawks which gives them leeway to do these meetings. Obama had major trouble over his Cuba policy. Not Trump, were he to have done it.
Liberals are upset at this but, sorry that’s cold the reality.
2
Well, that and persistent obstruction from the right. Sure.
1
trump signed a pre-agreement to agree on something in the future. Trump made promises to stop South Korea military exercise and Kim gave up nothing in return.
What a dealmaker!!
We liberals are just laughing.
If you’re perceived as tough and someone who is willing to use military force, it creates the space to meet with any leader. That simply wasn’t the case with the last administration.
1
Anyone remember George W. Bush and his comment about Vladimir Putin?
"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."
It’s deja vu all over again, except DJT is far easier to roll than GWB. And that is a low bar to cross.
4
If anyone likes the odds that this summit will end up being remotely constructive, I have a bathtub of Bitcoin to wager it won't.
4
Kim was correct about one thing, the summit was akin to a science fiction movie. Both loved the attention. They are grandstanders, narcissists, showboaters, call them both what you will. Seems like Trump was had, but ever the showman, he spun his way back to Washington with his celebrity orange glow telling the world he has a new best friend in North Korea"s leader. The art of the deal, a new interpretation of the ancient Roman circus.
6
I just cannot square this "deal" with a coherent approach to our nation's foreign policy. Mr. Trump's acceptance of a materially hollow agreement couples its propagandism about the prosperity now available to North Korea such that China can't possibly ignore this signal to destroy U.S. economic sanctions--which nonetheless the agreement supposedly retains.
How, then, can any rational nation or statecraft on earth ignore this screaming dissonance with an absurd effort to tighten and enforce economic sanctions of Iran for not violating a much tougher agreement than Kim signed in Singapore? If this agreement produces any serious positive result for the peace of the world it will only do so by flying through a howling jet-stream of irrationality and blow-hard self-promotion by both rulers. And yet, as somebody else said in the NYT picks, Trump is for the moment winning by division and confusion, his two most effective traits.
2
Special bond? This presidency is unhinged. He needs to be removed from office under either the 25th amendment or via impeachment. This non reality show has played out and the country and the world are worse off.
18
Either most of you are not that smart at all, or many of these comments are fake. Let's see if this comment even makes it to the board.
1
Let's not fall for this... and let's shame the people who do. Never forget which party gave us Trump and who's responsible for this nightmare. Never.
7
Take two short-tempered thin-skinned nuclear-armed serial-lying psychopaths making lavish promises to each other on the world’s largest public stage.
What could go wrong?
15
So Trump is going to mentor the Korean dictator on real estate and the “Art of the Deal”. The way the president gushed over Kim Jong-un during today’s press conference was enough to make one wonder if little Rocket Man is the son Trump’s always wanted. Smart! Funny! Tough! Loves his people - but tough! A great negotiator! And all that beachfront just begging to be developed by a savvy developer (with cheap labour from all those Koreans in forced labour camps)! Here come the Trump hotels and golf courses. Just. Unbelievable.
14
TRUMP for the Nobel Peace Prize!
2
To the millions of people who voted for Trump and the 26 million in North Korea who are dirt poor this photo op and the document that they signed is nothing but a worthless document.
5
I still can't get over the shame that my president left a meeting of leaders of great countries early, and flew around the world to ingratiate himself to a murderous dictator of a poor country about the size of Mississippi. Make America Great Again? That will be the task of the next president who will not scrape and bow to little men in little countries with a few dirty bombs and big mouths. BTW America was already great before January 20, 2017. It was great when over 169,000 American soldiers were killed, injured, captured or went missing to defend South Korea and stop the spread of communism on the Korean peninsula. Maybe you should have paid a small tribute to them while you were lavishing praise on Kim.
16
"I still can't get over the shame that my president left a meeting of leaders of great countries..."
Great countries maybe, but not with great leaders. Take Canada for example. Canadians do like to mock their neighbor to the south, but in choosing Justin Trudeau they elected a prime minister who is probably the dumbest "leader" in western civilization. I've never seen such transparent pandering in my life. Canada elected the guy for the profound reasons of his being kind of hip and decent looking.
2
Snookered!
3
Kim came out as the winner!
He got everything he wanted AND an American-made propaganda film about how great he is.
And all he gave up was the same tired old mumbo jumbo about working toward denuclearization. NO details.
Congratulations Kim. You played the player.
11
Trump, a player? Ahahahahahaha! They are both nuts. Xi knows it, Macron and May know it. Mr. Moon Jea-in knows it. Trudeau knows it. Abe knows it. Ms. Merkel certainly knows it. And you and I know it. That's nine ....
2
Ah, those special bonds that develop between men of destiny - Ulysses and Abraham, Winston and Franklin, and now Donald and Kim. The first saved the Union, the second saved the world, and the third...wait, what exactly will the third accomplish? Oh, I know...MAGA. I feel better already.
2
" Oh, I know...MAGA. I feel better already. "
And deals; great, huge, beautiful deals. Feel even better?
No, not really.
Hitler promised peace
6
Yes and what Trump did is classic appeasement- something that Chamberlain is mocked for to this day.
7
Didn't GWB look Putin in the eyes and immediately trust him?
1
Too bad a US republican president can’t have a special bond with Merle, Trudeau, Abe, May, Macron. ( he likes Italy because of its new populism)
4
South Korea, who brokered this meeting, is the only party that is truely interested in peaceful reunification. Kim and Trump are clearly playing this out for its propagandistic value. I suspect that Trump, being the more bombastic of the two, will completely blow it at some point.
2
One thing that Trump has accomplished is that the media now gives him credit for what "could happen". This meeting was on it's own a catastrophe. But the argument seems to be , maybe it will lead to something good". That is the lowest bar I can think of, maybe anything anywhere will lead to some great good. Maybe 500 years from now we will see the Iraq war as the greatest thing that has ever happened in human history. Frankly, unlike these journalists I can't tell the future. I simply hope we all recall 6/12/18 and that the Times archives what is on here. I do think the judgment of those who switched to this argument after the actual results were released need to be subject to evaluation.
1
This is no deal, it is a smoke screen, it wass an expensive photo op.
Sigh.....the late, once great, United States of America. Thanks, it was awesome.
10
Trump lives in a fantasy world.
6
"Trump is confident," states the article's title. Sorry, but there is absolutely no evidence one way or the other that he is confidant or not. Inasmuch as Trump frequently reverses himself, often multiple times, any conclusion about how he feels, or even what he thinks, should be tentative at most.
I very much doubt that David Sanger wrote the title for his article. His journalism is generally of high quality, not given to unsupported claims. Unfortunately, I have found in the past couple years greater and greater discontinuity between articles and their titles across the board within this paper. I'd be inclined to consider it an affirmative decision regarding political spin except for the fact that I have found the same phenomenon with science and health articles. More likely it is due to the substantial cutback in editors.
1
As a former journalist I can confirm that reporters don’t write their own headlines. Maybe for a tiny town paper, but never for an outfit as big as the Times.
5
If only we could forget some of the ridiculous statements of our Presidents, such as "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...." President Bush in 2001.
Putin is still in power and it is our third President since and now he is also making similar statements about another Dictator. Would we never learn?
However I do wish Trump luck and do pray that he is able to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula as a down payment to denuclearizing the world.
1
Hey, it's all about the latest foodie trend: Korean nothingburgers.
2
I can't imagine that there's anyone in this country who doesn't want the people of North Korea to be lifted from abject poverty and enforced starvation, or wouldn't want all of those families released from those inhuman labor camps. But to suppose that the man who's responsible for this misery will have a sudden change of heart just because Trump says, "he loves his country and his people" is sheer insanity. If Kim was ever going to be a good man, and lift his country up he would've done it by now. These two men were making a business deal yesterday, and I'm pretty sure they're going to be the only ones who'll benefit.
9
It took me months to develop a "special bond" with my wife, yet we're supposed to believe that two men who don't even speak the same language developed one in a few hours. Please stop with the silly marketing mimes.
21
True delusion conquers all. Resorts in North Korea? Oh yes I want the tour of the repressive regime.
3
Yes, I agree. my first thoughts ... five hours? Was it really a full five hours? And even so, that is what constitutes a relationship? Well that explains Melania's absence and his marriage to her. Also explains his persistent peccadillos with his other women, just more of his good relationships. Can he hear himself?
1
Personally I believe the Singapore meeting was a total sham to win votes for Trumpites. The so-called deal is one sided and favors North Korea. Will they take down their Nukes? No Way. Come off it. We were scammed and so Korea can only be scared.
8
Once again, trump grants something for (near) nothing for America in return. Sure, he said, “make America great again” But he didn’t say for whom! Certainly not for the vast majority of American citizens or the world, and most especially not for those of us who are not already pulling in (literally) $80-182 million like his precious daughter and son in law recently did (with little or no job creation for others)!
trump seems to have an affinity for women from the former Soviet Union, for a former KGB officer-turn-authoritarian Russian “leader”, for the war criminal son of communist and Soviet Union/Russia friendly North Korea — all the while seriously harming and alienating America’s tried-true Real allies who maintain their real-deal democracies. The GOP used to be stalwart in their vigilance and opposition to Soviet-hewed leaders and governments. Countless American lives were sacrificed to keep them from our shores. Now GOP & other trumpians are welcoming them into American halls of power. All of our brave & honorable Cold Warriors are rolling in their graves and calling back to you “For shame, for shame. For this I gave up my family, my future, my life?!” If trump et al aren’t intentionally devolving our bond with Western Europe & real-deal democracies in Asia - all to the advantage of Russia (& perhaps China) - then they deserve the next Tony award, because it sure seems that way. How can you look your children or your grandfolk in the eye? How can you sleep at night?
4
Peace, yes; sell out South Korea and other real-deal democracy allies by leaving them vulnerable, no! Our American grandfolks and founding fathers would be so very ashamed of us
11
I respectfully disagree harshly.
Dear God.
Please bring on nuclear war.
We are not fit to live on this planet
4
"... passing it on to his successor." I'm sure trump will heap praise on his successor - his next in line - yet another trump.
"deal-making skills" - what deal making skills? Where's the beef,,where's the deal?
What is not vague are the terms of US surrender to Kim by halting of military exercises. Will that extend to Europe as well? Will war games in NATO locations and within our own borders be ended too because they are "too expensive"? Is this the end of military preparedness? This is way beyond what even Putin dreams of - as he calls any military drills by America "provocative" and trump complies quickly.
The force of his personality? It is so forceful it ended our leadership with the G7 and the free world.
North Korea with nukes and inhuman conditions for most of its population is OK, but Cuba? Why are they treated worse?
13
From one dictator to another: I understand you.
7
Meaningless! Trump makes a deal he has no intention of following through on just to get a few days reprieve from the Russian investigation. He'll blather on and on and on endlessly about what a great statesman he is and his mindless drone followers will lap it up like fried dough with sorghum.
6
First of all the picture looks like Goldfinger walking with Oddjob on the golf course.
Second, Who is kidding who? we all know that Trump will turn on you in an instant. Just look at what is happening in the Canadian Prime Minister.
Oh, and by the way for all those culturally sensitive people out there, Wiki lists Oddjob as one of the most popular characters in the Bond series.
3
"Trump Is Betting on ‘Special Bond’ With Kim to Deliver Deal"
Remember how Fox "News" and the GOP constantly called Obama naïve? Anyone who thinks they can bond in a few hours with a third generation dictator who controls a starving, brainwashed population, who executed his own uncle and many more besides, is really, truly, breathtakingly naïve.
12
President Trump.
The.Next.Nobel.Peace.Prize.Medal.Winner.
3
If trump is given the Nobel Peace prize it will render that prize completely meaningless for eons.
3
Oh, for god’s sake, what is it with such disconnect to reality?
There was no peace brokered here. Instead, Don gave NK exactly what it wants: a weakened US in that part of the world.
And what did we get? Absolutely nothing, unless you count angered allies who we may need again someday. Don, on the other hand, got to preen for five minutes on the world stage. Whoop de do.
How does that reality so easily escape a person? How does any of that translate into a peace prize?
3
Trump's "skills" couldn't keep his baby - Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts Corporation - from filing Chapter 11 Bankruptcy... more than once! I'll believe anything at all actually happened today when our next President provides the proof.
4
Tramp is a man! Respect for him
Trump sorry
either works
What Happened? Photo opps on both sides?
3
Trump struts and frets his hour upon the Singapore Stage.
It is a tale told by an idiot signifying nothing.
My apologies to MacBeth.
9
There's a 'special place in hell' for Justin because his country charges a 270% tariff on dairy but Kim is a creative, wonderful man because he has executed his own people and relatives!
"on the next episode of the Apprentice- President version, watch Trump host a historic summit with Assad....."
10
Kim wanted the legitimacy that comes with meeting the President of the USA. Trump wanted to glamour of doing top-level diplomacy. Both got what they wanted. The rest of us got a TV show.
10
How do we say :"You're Fired." ?!
2
It seems Trump will take credit for Kim’s decision to capitulate the same way Reagan took credit for Gorbachev’s glasnost. I suppose strong rhetoric played a part in both cases, but no doubt both Presidents were in the right place at the right time. But that’s been the chess game of the ages, has it not? No respect for tyrants.
4
Kim has not capitulated. He made far fewer promises and commitments than the North Koreans have ever done in any negotiation; and those former agreements were reneged on in every case. Trump made his deal. He took a cotton candy stick of an agreement in order to have photos and videos of himself being “historic”! The best deal maker ever! Wonder DJT! For DJT, this is a “yuge” win. For Kim, this is not only a huge win, it is much more serious and consequential win than silly DJT and his wanna-be advisors have any idea.
1
I do not like DT one bit, but I think people need to calm down and see where this is going.
We can always go back to threats of nuclear war with the usual war games. This even seems like the path of least resistance after 60+ years of similar attitudes.
And if NK is finally open and people become free, I think both leaders will deserve the Nobel.
2
Nope. Traitors and tyrants get nothing.
4
I agree (as I reach for the Gaviscon). If Trump actually turns out to be the guy that re-unifies the Korean Peninsula, relives the tension of war, and helps to improve the lives of the North Korean people give that man a Nobel.
(Hopefully he'll be able to keep muzzles on the galaxy on GOP nitwits orbiting him. )
Whereas presidents who perpetuate war in Afghanistan, make war in Libya, and inadvertently promote terrorist groups like ISIS get the nobel prize. NY Times reader thinking in a nutshell.
"very Trumpian assumption that the force of his personality, and the deal-making skills in which he has supreme confidence, will make all the difference."
actually if a deal gets done it will be despite the confidence and grandiosity of trump.
trump is doing nothing but moving along within the vortex of energy created by china, nk and sc to change things on the peninsula; it's a perfect storm for change and a u.s. president is a bit player beyond the pomp and circumstance that comes with the office.
9
I think it would be great if Trump gave Kim-Jong-un Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas for nothing in return but some Uncle Ben's Wild Rice (microwaveable).
'Special Bond' - We'll Meet Again (Mr. un) Don't Know Where, Don't Know When, But I Know We'll Again Some Sunny Day...
11
What could possibly convince Chairman Kim to make friends with President Trump? Trump is working a real estate deal on undeveloped beach front property which will be HUGE and profitable for both. Also, Trump will add a "sweetener" for the Chairman: Trumps little "Black Book" with the names and numbers of all his past conquests.
This is not diplomacy, this is a "transaction" for Trump. So sad to disrespect our ally, Canada, in public as Trump did. Despicable behavior and so embarrassing to me as an American citizen.
20
Congratulations dear leader, The Great Donald J Trump. With magnificent stability and genius you have turned Little Rocket Man into Giant Rocket Man. I like the way you made your own trailer and with tremendous nuance managed to forgive Kim for his own trailer depicting nuclear attacks on the USA. Donald has a novel stance on what is "honourable". Kim's uncanny ability to run multiple gulags would I imagine, make him very susceptible to swathes of transparent flattery.
20
Trump's theme song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4GLAKEjU4w
3
funny
We just might be Winning again!
Will you still hate trump if it works? If North Korea gives up there nukes, does it matter that Trump did it? Be skeptical that he can do it, but why root against it?
2
Not rooting against it.
And will still despise the man if IT succeeds.
Let us know how you felt about the Iran deal, and Trump shredding it up.
So we can contrast your 'honest' feelings
1
Yes, I will still hate the traitor if by some ludicrous stroke of nonsense "it" works.
I don't wish failure on the North Korea issue, that would be silly. However, I am skeptical and will remain skeptical until there is more than Trump's touchy-feely good gut feelings about their awesome relationship. Until the smart people get involved the scientists and inspectors have something in writing that establishes actual guidelines to work off of.
Oh yes, and I will still despise the despicable Trump for his attacks on the environment, racial justice, his corporate tax breaks, tearing down the media, his childish rhetoric to anyone who disagrees with him, his lack of knowledge of history, for attacking our friends while embracing our enemies. I could go on, but, you get the picture.
1
Let's see how that "special bond" with Putin works out for him. What-a-clown!
8
I have no words to describe how screwed up it is that someone wants a “special bond” and brags about a “terrific relationship” with a brutal dictator. The current “dictator” (Fox News’ words) of the United States is a pathetic man who is desperate to be liked but actually repulses real world leaders. He is the laughing stock of the world and is not held in respect by the leaders of the free world. He is now scraping the bottom of the barrel. I only hope that when we begin to vote them all out in November the free world understands that he will be gone in 2.5 years and understands that the majority of Americans are not with him. We are against him.
26
2.5 years if you are lucky. He speaks half jokingly of being president for life. Don't think he might not attempt it. Democracies are in decline. Democracy has to be fiercely protected. Donald has a lot of answers to provide if he does leave office that he is desperately trying to avoid. It is hard to believe all those female accusers are lying- every single (or married) last one of them. As he said on Hollywood Access that he moved on a married woman like a ..... sorry I can't use a word about married women that Trump, the POTUS has famously used. The times we now live in...
1
a special bond ---- wow - one isolated butcher and one who would like to be an isolated butcher.
yes - it would be great if agreement could be reached that would truly change things for the better, but i'm glad trump didn't negotiate on my behalf when i bought my house. i would have to cook in the basement and everybody else could drive across my lawn.
although it's obvious that there is no continuity from prior administrations, and the united states has lost credibility with (former?) allies, i still find it difficult to believe that his antics are accepted by so many people and condoned by his party in congress. even encouraged. certainly not discouraged.
i could stretch and suggest that some of his ideas have a solid basis, but i can't find a way to agree with his methods.
do we really need a "terrific relationship" with the thugs he so admires? (he doesn't seem to realize that the word for terrific is terror - and means fill with fear)
i am already frightened. what's next? the second coming of SMERSH?
12
Trump would have no way of knowing whether the meeting went well. He probably thinks Canada went well, too. More tacky pomp for the base - “wanna see my limo?” - and absolutely nothing of substance. As per Obama, the man is a cartoon.
12
That said, maybe the NK despot is as bad, or worse. Maybe it takes one to know one and this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Thing is - that means the only political leader/friend Trump has is a serial murderer/torturer. Is this what MAGA comes down to?
8
The whole thing was a dog and pony show. Nothing happened. This is quintessential Trump.
It reminds me of the time he stacked up a bunch of papers on a small table and held a press conference to say the papers meant he was giving up personal control of his companies. People took pictures, and Fox news acted as though it was significant, but it did not mean squat. He certainly was not divesting himself from Trump inc. He was still profiting from it, but while pointing at a stack of blank paper and assuring us there was no more conflict of interest.
This "summit" is the same. Just calling this a summit is giving Kim a PR win. Trump and Kim acted out their parts as though this was a "summit" meeting, but they did not sign a meaningful compact. They signed a blank piece of paper and promised to make a contract, which is not the same thing at all, and is as good as meaningless when one takes into account that neither of these men has ever been truthful about, well, anything.
Trump just wasted our money on an empty PR stunt so he could feel important. And, nobody is calling him out on it. Even the NYT is calling this historic. Historic? This is the very definition of fake news! Fake meeting. Fake agreement. Fake leaders. Fake news.
28
The "in a world" scientology-style movie trailer was just plain weird.
7
Why make a deal with Trump? He'll be gone in 2 years, Kim will still be there for a long time. The whole summit thing is ridiculous.
20
It was a very expensive reality show. Our money funded that multi million dollar trip all so Trump could continue duping himself (not the rest of the world) that he is competent to lead our nation. He is the most incompetent individual in our nation's history and the the most psychotic.
23
Sour Grapes are the fruit of the day here in the comments column. As John Lennon sang 40 years ago, "All we are saying is give Peace a chance"
8
Hush, here we only savor fine vintage whine. Give it a little more time to breathe.
5
Republicans screeched nonstop when President Obama tried to broker diplomatic ties with Un.
Why weren’t those shrieks “sour grapes”?
Why the shameless double standard?
7
Really??
A totally unprepared President who thinks he can gauge a leader in one minute signs an agreement which on face value gives up a lot for more vague promises from N Korea
Any other president would have been ripped to shreds if they had agreed to this
8
Is this News Analysis, as labeled, or op-ed? Hear me out. I'm asking as a lifelong progressive and Trump-averse liberal. The analysis lacks imagination and seems one-sided to the point of having an ideological bent.
The analysis confidently states that Trump is "is betting everything on the 'terrific relationship' and 'very special bond' that he said he developed with the 34-year-old dictator." That's a bold and nearly omniscient assertion to make; how in the world does the writer know with such certainty.
Here's one alternate reading: maybe, just maybe Trump isn't "betting everything" on the 'terrific relationship' and 'very special bond' that Sanger (sarcastically?) calls out in quotes. Maybe Trump recognizes a big ego when he sees one, is content to inflate and ingratiate that ego so long as it costs America nothing tangible, but is simultaneously developing Plan B through Plan Z with the Pentagon, the CIA, and America's various other covert and lethal organizations.
It is unimaginable that Trump, the NSA, the CIA, and other agencies are "betting everything" on Trump's dealmaking: a big part of their job is thinking about contingencies.
3
It's not at all unimaginable that Trump is "betting everything" on his "dealmaking." He brags about this himself.
As for the NSA and the CIA, they don't seem to have much to do with this - it's Trump's show.
1
I can see the path of negotiations going forward:
NK: There are so many people you say you need to oversee de-nuclearization... but we don't have a suitable hotel...
US: Well... We will just have to build one...
NK: Great. When that's done we can begin to process all those people into our country... But these people are expected to be long term residents and will need a place for rest & relaxation so we'll have to build a resort - because we have nothing suitable for western guests...
US: O.K. We'll do that
NK: Terrific. When that's built we can then start with inspections... But, we will need a railway to get the inspectors from their hotel in Pyongyang to the resort on the coast... But we don't have the technology nor the funds... We'll get China to build it but you will have to pay for it...
US: Sure. No worries...
NK: Oh... We will also need a hospital and some health clinics since we have none suitable for western guests...
US: We can build great hospitals...
NK: So let's see... It will take about 3 years to find a hotel site, get a design done, and get it built. Then we need to begin work on the resort which will take another three years and we'll follow that with the build out of the new dedicated rail line which will take another couple years or so... And the hospital and clinics can follow all that... So we should be able to start the inspection process in about 2020...
US: And the resort and hotel will be Trump sites?
NK: As we discussed
11
Trump seems to think that North Korea will eventually yield because, in his view, money can buy everything.
It can't. This has been proven in the past. For example, very early in the Vietnam War President Johnson offerred to spend billions in South Vietnam, and to give billions to his antagonists in North Vietnam, if they would bend to his imperialistic will. He was refused.
It is good to know that some people have pride and taste and are not peons running after pennies thrown on the ground. [I am not contending that I admire North Korea -- if I listed all the mitigating circumstances (For starters, did you know that Teddy Roosevelt, in mediating an end to the Russo Japanese War, agreed that Japan would be free to dominate and persecute Korea}, I would probably be besieged with hate mail.]
The Singapore summit, or should I say photo op, was devoid of concrete, specific agreements on denuclearization. This will probably all unravel as the details are debated without resolution. They haven't even agreed if this encompasses America revoking its nuclear umbrella over South Korea and Japan. But Trump will be praised, and the people in the vast moronic midwest know nothing.
As Metternich said at the Congress of Vienna, which rollbacked the advances of the French Revolution and the Napoleanic Wars, "The Masses Are Inert."
11
Negotiations like this are a little like a chess match. You can prepare all you want, but you never know what moves the other side is going to make. So you have to be prepared to respond quickly and decisively as the game develops.
Donald Trump knows this. Like me, he has spent a career doing deals. He knows that you have take risks and endure setbacks. Things will not unfold according to plan. You can't get too cocky and you can't be too hesitant (faint heart never won fairlady.)
Unlike chess, though, in doing a deal both sides need to win. No deal will survive otherwise. (Take the Iran deal as an example.) You can't expect to defeat the person you face. A good deal is win-win. You can't get everything you want. You need to give up what you can to get what you need.
Donald Trump's critics don't seem to see that. Or maybe they are right and it's my practiced eye that is misjudging the situation. Has Donald Trump blown it already? Or did he set the stage for good things to come?
No one knows. No one can know. We'll see what happens.
3
It's Trump who doesn't get that "a good deal is win-win." His idea of a deal is: it's my way or the highway. I win and you lose.
And when he can't win? He just reneges on the deal. He declares bankruptcy, refuses to pay his contractors, vendors, investors, and employees.
He got away with those tactics for a long time - until he didn't. No one in NY or NJ would do business with him anymore, or finance him. That's when he turned to Russia.
Apparently, he thinks that world leaders are willing to play his game. He doesn't understand that he's dealing with people who are much smarter, better-informed, and more ruthless than he is.
He's just been played by a monstrous, murderous dictator. He blew it when he agreed to fly halfway around the world for a very costly PR stunt - in which he made a major concession to Kim for nothing but vague promises in return. Some deal-maker!
2
Kim looks quite alarmed, lost and baffled in most of the footage I’ve seen - almost like a frightened child (though obviously not like that in his homeland). It must be quite bizarre to emerge from tightly-controlled North Korea and be hit with the full spectacle of hundreds of flashbulbs, mic booms and cameras at every angle, jokes being lost in translation, the theatre of flags, pens, posing for photos and joint-signing of the fabled document. At times he almost seemed to be watching Trump for a cue. But what was that quasi trailer for a schlock B-Movie meant to achieve? “Destiny Pictures”?
A very, very weird day.
8
This was the vague dealings of two people known for not keeping their word, settling a self-manufactured global crisis of distraction on the public stage, under the close supervision and direction of their best buddy Putin.
Of course they met privately for 45 minutes, without American witnesses. This was no place for reliable witnesses.
Trump ripped up the Iran nuclear nonproliferation accord, despite the fact that by all accounts Iran had complied with the agreement as verified.
Trump imposed tariffs on our closest western allies citing "national security concerns," in direct violation of the World Trade Organization rules and the very meaning of words themselves.
The Special Prosecutor noted that during the 2016 election the Kremlin successfully dredged up divisive wedge issues and spread misinformation using a system of "trolls and bots."
The former were housed in a building in St. Petersburg, and the latter were an automated amplification of troll comments that were delivered with the help of companies like Cambridge Analytics, that stole private information from Facebook to make psychographic profiles of voters.
This stunt was Kremlin caliber. There were no verifiable agreements to end nuclear weapons, no agreements to improve human rights in exchange for open trading.
Just another stunt by a man who has pulled off one after another for self-enrichment.
What he gave away in the 45 minutes of unchecked discussion we will only know in time.
16
As usual, lots of hand wringing and attempting to analyze some vague action or statement coming from Donald Trump.
But a first year media/PR student could cut through the fog. Trump has the same playbook for all stunts: bold visual images, grand word salad proclamations, everything played out on a big stage.
Details are never nailed down or released. Timelines and accountability? Not a hint.
Its been said many times... the Trump "rule" is just a show. One that is barely scripted.
In TV we used to say "content" came first and you built around that. Now personality comes first and you add pictures to get attention. Amazing how many people will now accept no content at all.
8
Let the big boys talk......They will come up with some deal.. And that's better than listening to all the advice in this world. Here in the west we have more pain than N.korea.To really ruin Mr. Kim ., give him our ideas on bureaucracy and debt.No gun has threatened society as much.. we in the west enjoy punishing ourselves. Just give it away.
1
Okay. Let me get this straight. Canada bad, North Korea good.
23
You're not watching Fox and Hannity enough...
Canadians are part of the sinister deep state and Obama...or something...
8
Kim "loves his people". Does that include the folks in the gulags where multiple generations are made to suffer in unbearable conditions for the "sins" of their forefathers?
14
As long as Trump gets a deal to build hotels on the beautiful shores of North Korea, he'll be happy.
14
The only way this deal might work is if Trump hotels are built the whole length and width of NoKo, with several in Pyongyang. Then Trump will never push the launch button to wage a nuclear war.
My main takeaway from the meeting between Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump is that they are kindred spirits: self-promoting, concerned with optics and how this will play back home, and admiring of dictators. But with one major difference: Kim undoubtably came to the meeting very well prepared and informed, with an accurate psychological profile of Mr. Trump, and with a cadre of nuclear experts and skilled and informed negotiators. Mr. Trump, not so much.
I am not encouraged that our great deal maker, apparently on the spur of the moment, declared a stop to the war games between the US and S. Korea. I am even less encouraged that he cited N. Korea's reasons for doing so (too provocative), and that he left S. Korea, our friend and ally, blindsided by this declaration.
Nor do I give Mr. Trump credit for defusing a volatile situation between the two countries when he was the one who fueled the rising tensions.
I will hold my breath and hope for the best, but worry that the prospect of a peace prize will lead trump to agree to a bad deal, which would be worse than no deal at all.
7
Wonder if Obama is saying: "Worst deal - ever!" If he isn't, our supposed allies, Park and Abe are feeling it. The four-time bankrupt king boasting again about his negotiating skills.
10
Trump undermines the relationships of NATO while initiating a trade war with our EU allies.
He killed TPP, which was a US strategic plan to constrain the economy of China, to slow their ability to spend on their military, which is projected to be greater than ours in 10 years. Trump companies are immediately rewarded by China with trademark approvals and investments.
The NK vassal of China escalates a drama that ends in a Singapore love fest - with the immediate mention of cancelling of military maneuvers, and future withdrawal of troops from the theater.
Putin gives Xi Jingping Russia's highest state award....
7
"Trump is confident," states the article's title. Sorry, but there is absolutely no evidence one way or the other that he is confidant or not. Inasmuch as Trump frequently reverses himself, often multiple times, any conclusion about how he feels, or even what he thinks, should be tentative at most.
I very much doubt that David Sanger wrote the title for his article. His journalism is generally of high quality, not given to unsupported claims. Unfortunately, I have found in the past couple years greater and greater discontinuity between articles and their titles across the board within this paper. I'd be inclined to consider it an affirmative decision regarding political spin except for the fact that I have found the same phenomenon with science and health articles. More likely it is due to the substantial cutback in editors.
2
Very likely it’s those darned Bots, I hear they’re everywhere now, even worse than Trolls under bridges, except for Iceland where they’re still outnumbered by Pixies.
1
I’m not sure which would have been a better headline, “Trump looks into Kim’s Eyes and Sees His Soul”, or “Trump Makes Deal With Kim, Declares He Has Achieved Peace In Our Time”
4
For someone with such a fantastic memory, why did Donald have to keep referring to his 1-page agreement, when all it consisted of were 4 bullet points?
14
Do not despair. There is hope. TDS (Trump derangement syndrome) can be treated, cured..
2
President Donald Trump awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Love it.
2
Regressives have no patience.
What has he done? Met once with a vicious dictator for life? A "peace" prize for that?
More like The Appeasement Price, if anything.
6
I wonder if Donald thought to ask about slave labor for some of the real estate ideas.
"We can save a tremendous amount of money" was his idea about getting our military out of South Korea.
10
Bluster, shiny objects, smoke in mirrors, showboating and ultimately flashy signatures on vacuous documents. Where's the proof and verification? What a joke, this served Kim far more than it did the United States.
8
"Trumpery" is a real though archaic term- it basically means shiny worthless objects. Ironic huh? The word is used in Shakespeare e.g. The Winters Tale.
1
Has Kim committed crimes against humanity, or not? If the answer is yes, is the world prepared to simply sweep that aside, and embrace him with open arms? Trump promised him lavish golf courses and resorts, in return for opening his nation. Does that undo all of what he has done to date? Is that his 'mulligan?'
Mind you, none of this inquiry matters, because Kim is *NOT* going to give up his weapons. Refresh my memory, what is he getting out of this deal again? Hmm, so the guy who has been ruthlessly defending his nation's right to sovereignty and to arm itself to the teeth, is supposedly willing to juts giev it all up, because of Trump's enormous personality - do I have that right? As the saying goes, what the heck have you all been smoking? Not happening, not going to happen.
Regardless, once again I pose the original hypothetical: even if he did 'de-nuke' (which he won't), would the rest of the world be expected - actually, no doubt *demanded* by Trump - to greet him with open arms? The man who has tortured and starved many millions, and only he knows (actually, he probably lost count a long time ago) how many executed for lack of adequate worship? What message, exactly, is that supposed to send to other authoritarian states?
For that matter, what message does it send to nations we are ostensiby trying to coax *out* of developing nuclear weapons, when Kim may perhaps be greatly rewarded for doing so? How is it that Iran is not to be trusted, but Kim is? So very wrong.
4
The "special bond" between Donald Trump and Kim Jong un is through Vladimir Putin.
7
If it was the Democrats that gave up the yearly military exercise with S. Korea for nothing, the GOP would have gone absolutely ballistic in their assault. But they will praise Trump for making a deal with someone that Stalin would proud of…
19
Trump knows exactly how to reach Kim, for he is the same man looking for attention and legitimacy. And, no matter the outcome of the meeting, it will be GREAT for both sides, and of course, world.
However, Kim already won just by playing to Trump’s narcissism and creating a historic event of which Trump can basque.
6
You know what's a great security plan? Making enemies with the countries that physically border yours and then making "friends" with a dictator from the other side of the planet.
15
Trump's capacity for self-delusion is unparalleled. When 100 people with even a passing awareness of the history of North Korea's behaviour as well as previous American attempts to cajole it into rejoining the family of nations and abandoning their nuclear program look at the "deal" he signed, 95 of them see nothing in it that should provide anyone with any confidence that it will lead anywhere good.
This deal has all the hallmarks of an outline for a high school book report that was charitably returned to the student who wrote it so that he had a chance to rewrite it before he got the failing grade he so richly deserved.
This summit, in a similar fashion, is a classic example of an epic fail: the more epic for Trump's efforts to hype and extol it as some sort of game-changer. He may have fooled himself and his cronies, but he hasn't fooled Kim or any of the few remaining sane Americans.
10
Let's face it we are dealing with an idiot president who can only think about his ratings and image. He has successfully alienated our allies and embraced the dictators of the world. Can anyone stop him? Is congress proud of itself for enabling the destruction of our country? Elections will tell it all except if they are honest that I now strongly doubt. Say good-bye to a country that had tremendous hope for the future. America, I once knew you now I am not sure who or what we stand for. And as for that statute that sits in NY harbor, what's that about?
12
What an ignorant bum.
Worse are the republican elected officials who won't defend democracy from this madman and purse their lips all the way to the bank.
8
Well, this buddy situation should be expected. rump and lil Kim are very much alike.
5
What is it with Republican Presidents and their delusions about seeing into the souls of tyrants? W thought he and Putin had a special bond as well. How'd that work out?
13
And didn't some idiot look into Putin's eyes and "see his soul"?
10
Trump was played. It was embarrassing to watch. Trump did everything but kiss Kim on the mouth.
8
Trump probably envies Kim. If anyone gainsays a Kim order, or irritates him, they are shot.
6
I hope everyone has gotten a good look at the pictures of a president of the United States, smiling and shaking hands with the modern day equivalent of Adolph Hitler. To see his flag, side by side with ours, is an image I will never forget. Kim Jong Un's regime isn't "rough", Mr. Trump, it is murderous and inhuman, and you have just legitimized it before the entire world. And for this you'll want the Nobel Prize. I can't bear it.
41
There is the real, practical world and there is the fact averse alternate reality inhabited by delusional radical leftists with nothing to contribute except apoplectic anger/hatred. Fortunately for America, our beloved president inhabits the former. Thank you and good bye..
2
Just like Neville Chamberlain, eh, Screenwritethis?
"beloved president"? That's really.. odd language to use.
Let's see ....
North Korea continues to keep the USS Pueblo which they highjacked in international waters, killing one crew member and torturing the remainder for one year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pueblo_(AGER-2)
The following year North Korea shot down an US Navy aircraft in international waters with the death of 31 servicemen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_EC-121_shootdown_incident
Presidents Johnson and Nixon did nothing.
As a Navy veteran from those years ... I'm waiting for justice.
2
It is amazing to see that Kim has gotten everything that he could have wished for, without having to give anything.
Compare this nothing-burger to the Iran deal that Trumps so detests. The Iran deal is far far better than this piece of empty rhetoric.
17
So Trump cut his G-7 appearance short to pitch the prospect of Trump Hotels along the Korean Peninsula and show a gaudy 4 minute Propaganda movie trailer; sounds about right for the man.
15
I recall Mr. Trump's very special bond with Xi Jinping at Mar a Lago shortly after his election. And what has come of that ?
6
"They have great beaches, you can see them when they are exploding their cannons"
What is going on???? DJT normalizes a dictator. DJT has brought into the nuclear nations a new member. This is unbelievable.
This is absurd.
29
The two biggest egos on the planet meet for the biggest photo opportunity they have ever had. That's what happened. Nothing else.
12
Kim got legitmatcy and the war games to stop. Trump got to scout beaches for hotel sites. The USA got nothing.
14
It may be that this time will be different. Maybe it's true that Kim wants better relations with the world and, now that he has nuclear weapons, feels secure enough to make some changes.
That makes it very unlikely that he will agree to denuclearization as I would define the term.
Trump's attitude is more than annoying; it's infuriating. Let's not allow that to distort our understanding of what is happening. No, it won't be the result of a "special bond" between Trump and Kim if it turns out that the situation on the Korean peninsula can be improved.
At this point, what Trump has done is hardly different from what his predecessors did. If he would just keep his mouth shut, I could be mildly optimistic that something might be negotiated.
Then the big challenge would be to get it approved so future presidents can't toss the agreement in the garbage can. What are the odds of getting a treaty ratified in the politics of the USA?
2
Trump betting on a 'Special Bond", what does that mean? He looked into Kim's soul and saw a kind and loyal kindred spirit? What does he think matters in international affairs? Buddies doing buddies favors? Trump is kind of confused about what he expects of nation states. At one time, he asserts that states must follow their own interests, but with this statement, he asserts that leaders of states will act according to personal relationships with other national leaders. Which is it?
4
An agreement is meaningless unless there is a meeting of the minds. So that "Special Bond" is much more important than expensive political stunts orchestrated for the camera by past Presidents including Obama and Clinton.
Of course, Trump is confident. He always is. He was confident that Obama was born in Kenya and that Obama had "wiretapped" him. He's certain that he won the popular vote, had the largest crowd in inauguration history and that there were thousands of Muslims in New Jersey cheering after 911. He's sure Mueller's investigation is just a witch hunt. So lack of confidence will never be a problem In fact, if confidence were orange hair dye, he'd never have to buy another gallon.
32
It's sad that in the current era I consider it a "success" that I was not awoken last night by a bomb incinerating Seattle as a response to Trump's conduct in the summit.
Seriously, how do people feel safe with a man who acts like a petulant five-year old presiding in the Oval Office?
5
Is this like the time that Bush looked deep into Putin's eyes and saw the good soul there? Or is it a Trump bid to make this meeting seem as good as possible, or is it a promising start. Who knows?
1
I realize this sounds ludicrous, but reliable sources report Kim has been seduced by Western commercialism, e.g., a lifetime pass to Disneyland, Costco membership, Nutrisystem membership, plus a private weekend retreat with Marie Osmond. But wait.. there's more..
2
It is not surprising that Trump can only have "Special Bonds" with dictators, despots, and gangsters, and is intent on destroying anyone who tries to act reasonably, namely our most steadfast allies. Trump shows he's dangerously unstable and endangers all Americans when gleefully and repeatedly attacking a democratic Canada, with which we share a 3,987 mile border, (excluding Alaska), which has been demilitarized for 200 years. What is the opposite of a Nobel Peace Prize? Perhaps a Trump Discord, Conflict, and Warmongering Prize should be created. (It is telling that Trump would love this). Thanks to Trump at this point the only thing preventing hostilities with are northern neighbor is Canada's restraint in the face of constant vilification by Trump. The Times needs to stop promoting the false narrative of Trump is a great negotiator. The only thing Trump is successful at is running cons, stealing things, and destroying things. Trump is a serial failure who used bankruptcy on six different occasions to get out of the messes he created. He's nothing but a manufactured image of a great negotiator and a success, created by a reality show with scripts which made his failure impossible. Trump doesn't actually know how to negotiate or create anything; a con man steals things from other people, and then just pretends he’s actually made something.
6
So here we are back at the political dart board with the Times and their anti Trump writers and supporters ready to scorer points on the resist score cards. Mr. Trump, regardless of his methods actually met with Mr. Un. I don't recall recent former Presidents being able to accomplish that. I also know that you all are eager for failure, anything to discredit this President. This may be a long process and this is just the beginning. Try, I know it is hard, to give the President some credit.
Let's take a step back and try to analyze what is actually taking place here. The fighting in Korea stopped in the mid 1950's without a victory or an end to the conflict. Just a suspension of military activity. American soldiers died over there and some are still listed as MIA. Perhaps someone in your family was one of them. Don't you think we owe it to them to try and solve this? Does it really matter which President accomplishes this or to what party he represents? It doesn't to me.
There are times when I am really disappointed in this news paper. I understand the Democrats, they are consumed with hate but the NY Times? Really?
It would be great to resolve the unresolved, never-ended Korean War.
But Trump has not accomplished this - or anything else with this meaningless PR stunt. All he's done is elevate Kim's status on the world stage and make a major concession in return for meaningless promises.
Obviously, it means a great deal to you to believe Trump has actually accomplished something here - so much so that you see "accomplishments" where there are none.
If there were, you could name them - but you don't.
This has nothing to do with "hate" - just facts.
4
It seems as if Trump studied Peter Ustinov playing Nero in the movie Quo Vadis. Sheer narcissism guides his every thought, his every move. Nero wanted to remake Rome in his image, Trump seems to want to remake America in his image. Trump should look in the mirror before he calls anyone weak. It seems to me that Trump did his best imitation of Neville Chamberlain giving away the Sudetenland.
4
I doubt Trump has ever heard of Neville Chamberlain or the Sudentenland - and that's the trouble. He's actually more ignorant than Bush Jr., and that's saying something.
1
I have a special bond with my cat but I can't get her to stop catching birds, frogs, lizards, moles and chipmunks, which I also love. I have learned that special bonds with animals doesn't mean they stop being animals to please us. Maybe President Trump never had a relationship with a cat.
13
“I may be wrong. I mean, I may stand before you in six months and say, ‘Hey, I was wrong.’” He paused a moment, realizing how out of character that would be. “I don’t know that I’ll ever admit that,” he added, “but I’ll find some kind of an excuse.”
Wow! The first honest, introspective statement from Trump, and it is to acknowledge his lack of honesty and introspection.
6
Sorry, Times, but I am having difficulty focusing on your article.
Republicans’ collective, ear-shattering outcry over President Obama’s attempts to meet with Un are still so deafening, it’s hard to concentrate.
I wonder why, according to Republicans, it was wrong for Obama then but okay for Trump now.
15
This is about as interesting and useful as a festival of retired strippers.
Of either gender. Seriously.
5
It seems obvious that this farce was just an opportunity for two huge egos to try to convince us that they are "world leaders". What a laugh.
9
Trump's statement that he would know everything he needed to know about Kim in the first minute after meeting him sounded insane.
7
Note from NZ radio news - our radio news just reported that in North Korea there was mention of Mr Kim visiting Singapore but no mention of the Summit or him meeting the USA President.
To correct this maybe release balloons into North Korea with videos that show Mr Kim in Singapore and any videos you can send with the messages. Needs to be done immediately - maybe airplane pamphlet drops and/or those sticks you stick into your computer to download information.
Very strange to not mention to historical event if the nation is serious about the Summit and the contracts signed.
7
Everyone in this wilful exercise of self deception over NK from Trump on down (or rather up) even including respected journalists are working so hard not call out this game of three card monte game for what it is. Somerset Maugham liked to say: go ahead and lie to others when not to is inconvenient - all the best people do it. It's when you begin lying to yourself you know the game is finally over and you lost.
2
Seems like a long run for a short slide.
8
The only way Trump wins here, and remember he plays a zero-sum game, is if NK destroys all of its nuclear weapons. Anything less is just like the Iran deal, something Trump castigated.
This isn’t going to help the GOP come November, given their blind allegiance to the orange one. He’s dissing democratic allies and cuddling up with vile dictators.
Americans still maintain a sense of honor for human rights. It’s dangerous for Trump to appear to side with monsters (Kim, Duterte, Putin, Erdogan) while insulting the leader of our strongest ally, among others.
Blue wave coming, methinks.
2
What I find horrifying is that our American president admired Kim for his “ talent” at being a tough guy in how he handles taking over the government.
I sincerely believe that if Trump had his way , he would be a brutal dictator just like his other despot pals .
With Republicans cowering in some corner , it’s all horrific .
12
I don't understand why *anyone* thinks Trump cares about anything but himself, based on everything we've seen from him since he took office. I'd look up how many documented lies he's told as president, but that count ticks off like the odometer on a cross-country trip, so not wasting my time - safe to say considerably more than any other president, perhaps more than all of them combined - and we're not even to half-time yet. He treats our supposed allies like dirt, but shows a penchant for dictators. He likes 'strong men' and publicity, end of story. Now consider Kim, a man who has had close family members eliminated for daring to question the 'dear leader.' Seriously, is this someone you would trust, based on a supposed chnge of heart? Ridiculous! He is just as mean-spirited and thin-skinned as Trump. After calling each other childish names and threats of nuclear annihilation, who out there really thinks *either* of them is willing to forgive and forget, let alone establish any sort of "terrific relationship" with the other? I sure don't, and fail to see how anyone with any experience with, you know, humans, could possibly expect anything positive to spring from this. It defies sensibility, not just to a degree of being unlikely, but to the point of being ludicrous to even consider. Not that there's anything funny about what's going on, not funny ha-ha anyway; there's certainly something funny/fishy about the whole thing. It stinks of more lies. Go figure.
11
I'll ask the question of the GOP I've asked many times but never get an answer to.
Don's cutting personal business deals with RED China. (While he's your president, by the way.)
Putin's his BFF.
And this new North Korea guy's his "soulmate".
Watching all this happen in the blink of an eye, what do you think Reagan would be thinking right about now?
And more importantly, what would Reagan be doing besides throwing up?
How can you keep supporting this maniac? Isn't it obvious to you that the whole country --- the whole world --- is paying the price for whatever the Kremlin's holding over Don's head?
Come on. Think about it.
Whether there's a tape or there isn't a tape doesn't even matter. This man is literally dismantling the free world and handing the pieces over to the COMMIES.
How do you reconcile that?
13
Trump was also confident that Obama wasn't born in the US.
18
"It doesn’t take a psychic to predict what the future is likely to look like here. Trump will come home thumping his chest having 'accomplished what no president has before,' a meeting with a North Korean leader. He’ll never mention and his base won’t care that the reason such a meeting has never taken place is past presidents wanted the North Koreans to change at least a few facts on the ground in exchange for such a meeting."
https://medium.com/@craig.axford/an-unprecedented-summit-with-high-ratin...
1
I figured, as did probably many, that an immediate maneuver by Trump would be to suspend joint military exercises with South Korea — because that’s easy window dressing.
And, of course, we expect the “terrific relationship” and “very special bond” meaningless jabber from Trump.
1
Trump is in the worst possible position to negotiate - he is weak because he needs a "win" for his ego and nothing else matters. Of course Kim knows this, it's right out of the 48 Laws of Power.
Law 33: Discover each man’s thumbscrew.
http://www.deconstructingexcellence.com/the-48-laws-of-power-summary/
4
It's astonishing that there is no mention of Human Rights issues in the "Agreement". Kim has murdered millions, slaughtered his own family and beheaded some of his staff for not "falling in line". Does the USA ignore this? I guess Trump is more interested in the potential opportunities for real estate development in NK than anything else. He actually said, at the press conference , "look at it from a real estate perspective"...condo's, hotels overlooking the sea. He is creating a new alliance...North Korea, Russia, USA (China???). Dictators and Socialists are banding together. Watch out America!
4
The plan is vague because the GOP made a lot of promises to the NK they won't keep. President Obama and the allies together came up with a plan everyone can live with except our war monger Republicans. They are going to make NK rich Trump said why not start with us in America and raise the minimum raise to a living minimum wage. I would not trust a handshake from Trump anytime because of his crooked past history.
4
Seems to me that Mr. Trump's primary motivation in his dealings with North Korea is to secure a deal to build a golf resort on all that prime beach front property. . .
7
"Special bond" indeed. It is a bond between two autocratic, narcissistic megalomaniacs who are playing games with each other.
2
Memo to current USA head of state: Iran can hear you.
What's your point, about how to get best and worst deals "ever" ?
1
What America got out of this meeting was zip, nada, zero. Trump thinks he's still in a television ratings chase.
1
Imagine if President Obama had flown half way across the world to give Kim a world stage for what amounts to nothing more than a Kumbaya moment?
7
Lil' Rocket Man & Comrade Trump conduct a meeting of equals.
To define their "summit" as pathologically dangerous is an understatement.
Comrade Trump is simply looking to "brand" his name on those imaginary beach condos. He thinks Lil' Rocket Man is a fool, but that is not the case.
9
A "Terrific Relationship" in a few hours is typically accomplished at the no-tell-motel.
6
Followed by a payment of $130,000 from Michael Cohen’s account.
5
Trump has phantom deal making skills and dotard having a terrific relationship with rocketman is a fairy tale. Now what.
8
"Trump is confident" states the article's title. Sorry, but there is absolutely no evidence one way or the other that he is confidant or not. Inasmuch as Trump frequently reverses himself, often multiple times, any conclusion about how he feels, or even what he thinks, should be tentative at most.
I very much doubt that David Sanger wrote the title for his article. His journalism is generally of high quality, not given to unsupported claims.
Unfortunately, I have found in the past couple years greater and greater discontinuity between articles and their titles across the board within this paper. I'd be inclined to consider it an affirmative decision regarding political spin except for the fact that I have found the same phenomenon with science and health articles. More likely it is due to the substantial cutback in editors.
2
Thank you! I've noticed the same thing. Often the article completely belies the tabloid-style headline.
1
Believe it when see it...am not going to hold breath.
2
"Trump is Confident."
How about that?!
The Con Man was confident.
6
Mr. Trump is clearly delusional.
Congressional Republicans:
We cannot have a delusional president, irrespective of politics and agenda. Do your oath-of-office and constitutional job, and relieve this country of the blight of Trump.
[I know the temptation is great to get the gittin' while the gittin's good. But your country!]
11
The meeting left everyone guessing just like everyone guesses what is in the President's tax returns.
He says he is a billionaire and such and such, but is he really, and regardless, where is all the money coming from ?
The people he represents (all Americans) deserve to be let in on everything and deserve absolute transparency.
9
North Korea is essentially bankrupt, but has a leader who lives large at his people's expense.
Trump has experienced the same financial failure on a smaller scale many times, and is now attempting to up the ante by leading the Unites States down the same catastrophic path. And boy, does he live large on our dime.
I suppose it's nice for them that they have common interests and goals.
1
I'll take vague and decisive action that results in returned hostages, closed nuclear site, and promises to actually get rid of their nuclear program over overly analyzed months'long negotiations at arms' length that result in our giving Billions of dollars of cash to people who regular orchestrate chants of "death to America" on the premise that we can delay their nuclear program for 10 years - which is like nothing in big scheme of things - any day of the week. If it doesn't work, we can go back to threatening to take out the regime again with nothing lost and plenty gained.
Hostages were returned under previous administrations, too - without having our President travel halfway around the world and without having to make a major concession - cancelling joint military exercises with South Korea - in return.
The Iran deal WAS working - and verified. That's much more important than chants. Reneging on that deal shows the entire world that U.S. agreements mean nothing and we cannot be trusted. Why would any other nation enter into an agreement with us?
Nothing has been gained from NK. Kim has gained status on the world stage, while our President comes away with worthless vague promises, looking like the fool he is.
2
If by "working" you mean that it would end after 10 years after which Iran would be free to build nuclear weapons, then yes it was "working." And North Korea released hostages and destroyed his test site BEFORE Trump went to the meeting, not after delivery of a billion dollars of cash as was the case in the Iran deal. And Trump intends to negotiate a treaty to be submitted to and approved by the Senate, not a unilateral, non-binding, extra-constitutional executive decision as was the case with Obama's Iran deal. Yes, the jury is still out with respect to North Korea, but the fact that Kim appeared on TV publicly signing a document conveying his intent to get rid of his nukes is something - and may be the beginning of something real. If I remember correctly, the Imams orchestrated chants of "death to America" after the Iran deal was signed, so how was that working out?
How about betting on the fact that, as was the case with the former Soviet Union, they have just come to the conclusion that their ideal whatever is unsustainable?
So, not a single object was achieved (or even planned). The only things we have here are Trump's subjective "feelings" for Kim. No treaty for the Senate to approve, no objectives, no goals, no nothing but "feelings." This sounds more like a religious experience to me.
4
Years ago, during the Vietnam War, Senator George Aiken of Vermont recommended that we declare victory and come home. I suspect that is what Trump will do. He and Kim will reach an agreement, Kim will claim to give up his nukes, Trump will accept it and tell you what a great job he did. The reality that Kim doesn't really get rid of his nukes gets buried on page 17, and Trump parades as a deal maker and a hero. His audience buys it, and Trump marches on.
To those who think folks are to critical of this "Historic Moment":
Please understand that every US president has been extended the opportunity to strut on the world's stage with the North Korean leadership. None accepted--neither democrat nor republican-- because they stood for something bigger than their individual presidency. They understood that democracy is not a one-day-free-trial, but an experiment over 200 years in the making; a flawed but critical test to see if an educated populace could govern itself, through a commitment to the rule of law, an ever-developing struggle for human rights, and leaders who represent us, both at home and when they speak on the world stage. It is not unpatriotic to say that when Trump felt a "special bond" with a man who executed his own relative with anti-aircraft weapons, he was not speaking for me. It is a patriotism rooted in something deeper than showmanship which turns a blind eye to cruelty and corruption. It is a faith, or at least a hope, in democracy itself. That is the only 'special bond' we as a nation should commit ourselves to. Every action which detracts from that should be turned over, examined, and seen for what it is.
1
If his deal making skills were really any good he wouldn't have had so many bankruptcies.
President Trump rationalized tariffs against Canada and the yuuuuge spending bill as being in `National Security' interests.
President Trump rationalized the cancellation of military exercises with South Korea as being in `cost' interests.
Rational people must be shaking their heads.
7
Kim's practices toward his own people--and in particular, Trump's distinct disinterest in focusing on those atrocities--should raise alarm bells, both abroad and at home, especially coming hot on the heels of trying to get Putin back into the G7.
Never before has an American president so insulted our allies and so embraced dictators across the globe. Amid his wild swings on this policy or that, the allure of the dictator has remained constant. Speak up now America or, perhaps, forever wish you had...
2
Trump is a deal breaker, not a deal maker (see TPP, Iran accord, Paris Climate, etc.) He couldn't even close a deal on milk with our neighbor and closest ally.
Why should Americans trust his judgment that Kim can be trusted? Look at all the bad hires he's made since he was elected.
Personally I found it repulsive watching Trump grovel to that monster. Trump gave Kim so much with nothing in return but the same vague promises that North Korea has offered in the past.
The only win yesterday was Trump will hold off on military strikes on the peninsula for now.
1
I knew Democrats would be disappointed that this meeting went well. But you can always make it LOOK bad by talking about everything it did not achieve, and about how Trump is so naive as to believe Kim's promises.
Kim knows perfectly well that Trump has nuclear weapons and might be more willing than another president to use them should the need arise.
When you borrow money from Al Capone, he does not need a promissory note. He and you know what will happen to your kneecaps if you do not repay.
Trump's similarity with Capone will stand Trump, and the world, in good stead.
But it is funny. Most people weep at funerals. We leave it to Democrats to weep at a wedding (and secretly hope that the marriage will fail).
1
This was theater.
A one page "vague on details" deal. No mention of human rights in the most controlled country on the face of the earth.
"if it doesnt work out I'll lie" about it said Trump.
Everyone is glad to lessen nuclear war. But don't be naive that it is democrats alone who think this was just a show between two notorious liars. Even the Pentagon was left out.
5
Exactly what is the "success" here? All I see is smoke and mirrors - a big show by Trump, and the only party that has gained anything out of this is Kim.
And your Al Capone analogy just doesn't work on the world stage, with nuclear weapons. With nukes, it isn't only one guy who gets hurt - an entire region and millions of human beings go up in flames - and the fallout blows around the world.
3
Children and grandchildren begin with an engagement ring. Too bad you cannot see the future in a present gesture.
The man has been thrice married, with two divorced and by appearance sale, a third may be brewing. (Is there not an old adage that when your wife will not hold your hand, you may have a marital problem?)
He claims a special connection to Abe, Trudeau, May and Macron, but that does not seem to be working out.
He trashes Sessions, the first senator senator to endorse him and who worked tirelessly for him. He hired Scaramucci, supposedly his pal, and fired him.
Say what you will, I do not think this man is good at relationships. I truly hope for the best with Kim, but I must be forgiven my doubts.
Leslie Stahl was talking on 60 Minutes, Sunday about NK’s brazen attempt to flaunt its nuclear capabilities and even painting the roof of the huge building that housed all the centrifuges a bright blue so it stood out in satellite images. Maybe the only real detail to negotiate is the color of that roof so it’s less obvious and then all minds can rest easy. With all the many real threats the world has to face, belaboring this one seems like irresponsible avoidance. Not that we can do much about those other ones though, so maybe we should just to indulge ourselves and act like we have some kind of control.
2
"He flew halfway around the world to meet the leader of one of the world’s most repressive nations on the theory that if he could win over the country’s leader with a vision of future wealth, North Korea will determine that it no longer needs its nuclear weapons... a huge gamble, based on the very Trumpian assumption that the force of his personality... will make all the difference."
Exactly this. Trump believes himself to be some god-like saviour who can magically do what others cannot. As he would say, I guess "We'll see" how those superpowers work out.
One trouble is, Kim does not need future wealth - he just needs to ensure that his position of power is maintained. I think Donald is dangling the wrong carrot.
Until the next election we really can't do much besides watch the spectacle that is Trump, so it's in our best interest to hope it all works out.
The sobering truth that has dawned on me is that until something terrible happens that is felt at home, such as war started by botched diplomacy or some sort of total economic collapse... I don't think Trump's supporters will concede that anything is wrong with this guy. Furthermore, they will just continue to soak up the new whack-ball entertainment of his politics.
Even the hint or suggestion that North Korea's violations of human rights are now somehow being whitewashed is beyond disturbing. Yet, in the World of Trump, it doesn't seem to be such a big deal. So, just as we've gone downhill in our standards of how we treat woman, allies, colleagues... the list goes on and on... we can now add how we treat murderous dictators to this list. (Then again, how Trump treats Russia should have been a good clue)
Back to my opening statement. For humanity's sake, I hope everything Trump is doing somehow works out, but I then always wonder why I can't shake the gut feeling that we're headed in a brick wall at 150 mph. Trump is using his gut feeling towards North Korea, but I and many others also have our gut feelings too. Godspeed.
7
Diplomacy is perhaps beyond Trump's grasp. The better place we are rests on hard work by President Moon and Kim warming to those overtures. Kim voluntarily halted testing of warheads and missiles in November. If an Iran type deal materializes let him worm his way into declaring victory.
Giving up the war games more of irritant for Kim and of little value going forward. To say he got nothing in return ignores the need to ratchet down the fever to bomb Kim into the stone age and kill a few million in the process.
Pompeo is now Kerry without the restraint of having other nations participating in the talks and Netanyahu snipping at the deal. He has the luxury of the South Koreans working to broker an agreement. Japan also has a voice in the transaction. A sober thinker is now in charge. The showman will hog the credit but that is okay. Best to let the diplomats and technical experts take the helm to do the hard work ahead.
Trump said he would go by "just my touch and my feel. That's what I do."
1
Yeah, we also heard about that on the "Access Hollywood" tape...
2
Cue the haters on bashing his efforts before a final outcome has been rendered. They were the same ones that mocked his candidacy before the votes were counted.
Once upon a time, all Americans would support their President making progress on matters of war and peace, but libs seem to prefer nuclear war over Trump securing any sort of win. Good thing they are not the voters that matter.
2
There will probably be some court developments regarding Messrs. Manafort and Cohen later this week. What will the current President roll out to divert our attention?
Hoping lots of folks are registering to vote this November.
The facts are in favor of trump, and if he has talent for this at all he should be in the driver's seat. The US can help NK prosper, and needs to accept that NK will not COMPLETELY give up its weapons for a long, long time....
It's intriguing.... as much as I dislike trump and his loathsome style, this particular situation may turn out OK.... We shall see...
1
You don’t understand how North Korea works. Very few will prosper no matter how “prosperous” North Korea becomes. The highest government personnel will do fairly well and NK’s military will expand. Think bigger and better nukes.
1
Trump creates the conflict and Kim Jong-un was happy to play along. They both have a special relationship with Russia after all.
They attempt to scare the world with reckless comments in the post nuclear age.
Then, right on cue, Putin offers to intermediate and Trump and Kim Jong-un meet with great ceremony and write a paper without substance or verification.
Trump creates a crisis, his pal in Russia helps him defuse a crisis, and they issue a worthless statement with no expert advice, no witnesses, no verification.
This all sets the stage to move South Korea closer to North Korea, and unification, all to the benefit of Russia and China.
At the G-7 Trump no longer hides the fact he is working for Putin. Not even a little bit.
He ignores the unanimous declaration of sanctions on Russia by Congress, and instead puts tariffs on our closest western democratic allies in violation of the WTO.
The co-equal branches of government, and the Special Prosecutor, and the state attorney's general, and the people of the United States, must stop Trump before he starts to shoot people on Fifth Avenue in broad daylight with impunity as he once boasted.
The November election must be an indictment of Russia's interference in the democratic elections of the United States, and the brazen corruption by Trump and his family, and his cabinet.
6
What will happen first? The great Trump depression or WWIII?
5
I fear that we will have both at once. If anyone can pull that off it's Trump.
If I might coin a phrase, this whole affair is sound and fury signifying nothing.
Can you imagine, just for a moment, what the reaction from the talking heads on Fox News would be if Obama had done this EXACT same thing? Met with Kim and said good things about him. Gave up concessions without getting any in return. How would that have went over at Fox? Would they be gushing over Obama like they are Trump today by any chance?
7
Some deal maker: he gave the house away. Or the exercises with the ships.
2
Right now Trump has got nothing! He has given away a military alliance with South Korea. I imagine that right now, Japan is worrying quite a bit about North Korea. Of course, I suspect that China played a major roll in getting North Korea and Trump together, largely because the US is a major market for China's manufacturing. A nuclear war that destroys any part of the US and the subsequent retaliation would not be good for China's progress as the world's major producer of goods.
All Trump got was a photo-op! We will only know what he "accomplished" after several years. But knowing Trump and his penchant for lying and embellishing, I would trust any great progress reports coming out of the White House.
It's hard for me to imagine a turnaround in NK's practices and politics that is based on the force of Trump's 'personality'. At least he got the dictator to leave home even if he had to bring his own toilet.
I can imagine Kim Jong-un being lured by the idea of riches beyond his dreams but only by forsaking his country. Perhaps another Mar al Lago or a looming Trump Tower where the dictator collects all the profits. Or specialty stores of Ivanka's brand populating the NK landscape.
I'm all for any progress but Trump dreams big and promises big but lacks details and strategy.
Trump's skills as a deal maker are questionable but his hyperbole is a brand.
And maybe Kim the dictator is ready for a life less burdened that the one he has. Isn't that the stuff of 'special bonds'.
Thing is Trump seems to think he seduces everyone before he throws them under the bus. He will need to show some consistency of belief in order to win this one I suspect.
And NK needs to show commitment that can be verified.
2
Trump is not a team player. That’s why he can’t get along with our allies. He alienates them because unless he’s the big bully boss , he can’t be part of a unified front .
And he stands for absolutely nothing while the Republicans sit idly by.
Democrats MUST take at least the House to save our country.
6
I wonder if Mr. Kushner will be appointed the head negotiator to come up with the steps making North Korea does get rid of nuclear weapons and systems to manufacture said weapons? He can do this will working on the Trump Tower In Pyongyang. Since Mrs. Ivanka Kushner is such a champion of women's rights she can fix the gulag system to make sure the prisoners are wearing her latest fashions.
5
I am sure it will work out fine in the end, just like Trump Vodka, Trump Steaks, Trump Air, Trump University, the Taj Mahal, etc...what could go wrong?
7
The Presidential charade continues. A modern day PT Barnum and that's all. Some great photo ops for him to keep around the house when he's out in 2020.
1
Ummm,
so in exchange for elevating Kim to the world stage as a legitimate nice guy, we get a promise that if we leave S Korea, N Korea has to hide their weapons.
Heckofa deal!
6
Perhaps Canada could buy the North Korean missiles and nuclear bombs, ship them over to various sites across the country, and so get Mr. Trump to be nice to Mr. Trudeau? The Korean peninsula would be denuclearized, the American forces could be rushed home to secure the 49th parallel, and the prime minister and the president could dash off to some lovely island resort and write up a nice little communique -- in both French and English, of course. But wait, with the trade war against Canada, there will be no funds for the missiles and bombs, never mind the shipping fees. Pity.
1
Trump gave Kim what he craved: attention on the international stage. In return, Trump will get nothing of substance. He'll probably end up blaming Obama for his failure to de-nuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
7
Behold Trump's new very best friend in the entire universe.
Who, like all the previous ones, isn't one bit impressed.
Putin may be doing us a favor by ordering Trump to remove our troops from South Korea. Let's just hope the 28,000 military personnel are sent home in time to march in Trump's Parade. Otherwise, they'll have to be sent to Afghanistan.
Complexity of the situation is irrelevant here. It's all about the optics. Besides, Kim just got vast amounts of money from Russia and China to stay put.
So our "great deal maker" gets snookered into traveling all the way to Singapore to meet one-on-one - with no pre-conditions - with Kim.
That this is something no other President has done before is nothing to brag about. A meeting with our POTUS - supposedly the leader of the free world - is something a two-bit murderous dictator like Kim should have to EARN by making significant concessions upfront.
Instead, Trump in his arrogance just blunders in with no preparation or pre-conditions - giving North Korea and Kim status as a leading world power equal to the U.S. Even while Trump has relinquished U.S. power among our allies in Europe and Asia.
What's Trump accomplished here? Nothing but big wins for Kim. Who even got our gullible "leader" to cancel our joint military exercises with South Korea!! In exchange for... what? Vague "promises."
Decades of being strung along by Kim, his father, and his grandfather before him should be a clue by now that such promises mean as much as Trump contracts or the promises made to Trump University "students."
As for the "special relationship" Trump claims to have forged with Kim? Yeah, that's "special" alright. Much like Kim's "relationships" with his uncle, his brother, and the North Korean people.
Don the Con has been out-conned - big time. His arrogance and vanity makes it easy.
10
Trump, the confidence man, is confident! There’s a “special bond” he tells us.
Do. Not. Believe. This. Duo!
Trump got nothing but a photo opportunity. President Moon got his joint exercises cancelled ... surprise! ... but Moon has been getting on with Kim so well that it shouldn't be a problem...
Japan will be wondering how their alliance with the US is going to fare in the future.
On the other side North Korea agreed to nothing concrete and Kim will be the triumphant strong man when he returns home.
China can't believe its luck ... the long strategy of moving the US out of the Western Pacific is finally beginning to work.
Trump's only interest in NK is self-interest: Gleaming, gaudy, chrome-encrusted Trump condos hogging up its shoreline. And that, folks, is it.
4
The North Koreans have disappointed all those who have tried to negotiate with them. It will also happen to Trump, but he will declare victory regardless of outcome.
2
Sounds very much like republican thinking
And the base will believe it.
"Instead, he is betting everything on the 'terrific relationship' and 'very special bond' that he said he developed with the 34 year old dictator, and Mr. Trump's seeming certainty that they now view the future elimination of North Korea's arsenal of atomic weapons the same way."
"My Trump may year prove that this time is different."
Is this Satire, or is the author as delusional as Mr. Trump is?
Is there some action that can be taken to have him declared legally incompetent, which he clearly is, in order to get him out of office ?
4
Trump has the ability to form special bonds with dictators- it's just democratic leaders that he has a problem with.
Our democracy is being eroded and wevare watching this helplessly.
You almost wonder if Donald Trump like his predecessor "looked into Kim Jong-un's eyes and saw a kindred soul." Of course, the shared darkness, the cruelty, the narcissism, and the lack of trust were the "'special bond"' he found. Mr. Kim made no concrete promises and Mr. Trump did not "deliver [the] deal" that he claimed as his special gift. All that he walked away with was a promissory note that he'll use to enhance his image and ballyhoo in the coming mid-term elections, but the reality is that he achieved much less than previous presidents got who still we're unsuccessful in getting North Korea to denuclearize. Mr. Trump has failed to realize one important fact: once you're a member of the nuclear club, it's a life insurance policy that you'll never cash in for fear of the John Boltons of the world. Trump epicly failed to "deliver" and there's no "deal" in sight. All Mr. Kim wants is sanctions relief. And already his patron, China, is clamoring for that to happen. We may have a "peace pause" instead of a peace prize, but Donald Trump will soon realize that it's much better to stick with your fiends than try to embrace your enemies.
1
"If Mr. Trump allows this negotiation to become about limiting the North’s capabilities, rather than eliminating them, he will repeat the moves that he castigated Mr. Obama for making in Iran. If he insists on getting it all — 'complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization,' he risks coming up empty-handed."
In the likely event that something fails (as described in that paragraph or otherwise), Trump will find an excuse to blame a Democrat or a leaking staff member or CNN; fact-twisting will ensue; gaslighting of the national constituency will ensue; colossal lies will be put out by the president to keep the national constituency in doubt; the media will normalize it; his base will cheer; die hards will call for impeachment; and the republican party will cower, becoming ever-more sycophantic, with no one stopping this embarrassing, ruinous, runaway train wreck.
Frankly, I think the only thing Trump wants out of this wonderful new relationship is the ability to be the first put up a hotel in North Korea, great negotiator that he is.
1
It will take a long time for the results of this meeting to become clear. Since most people will decide how they feel about the meeting and it's likely outcome as they are sold it through the mass media, it will depend upon how impressive is Trump's confidence. It is likely that Trump will improve his poll ratings a lot, even breaking 50% for the first time. His confidence and no bad news about it will be sufficient. In the past it took a long time to determine that North Korea was not living up to what it promised to do. So Trump may help the Republicans keep control of the House from this meeting.
1
No US president would have met this nasty dictator except Trump.Any decent leader would have sent his foreign ministers to do the deal.
This has nothing to with peace and everything about ego.
9
Donald Trump went to Singapore and all we got was a crummy t-shirt.
4
"Special Bond" must be Trumps substitute for competence. Probably like flying an airplane by intuition.
7
Donald Trump, thanks to his "gifts" and "talents", can look deep into a person's eyes and read their soul like a book. Look at the people he's chosen for his administration to see what kind of soul he prefers to bond with; this should demystify things for you.
A new slogan for the 21st century, thanks to Donald Trump.
“Trust but don’t verify.”
5
Trump flies half way around the world to speak with on of the most repressive dictators in the world. Other presidents simply have said we don't cajole with dictators. Trump only is doing this so he can say he made history. I wonder if he would have met with Hitler had he been president at that time in history. Trump is just another con man business man who cares only about the money he can make off the backs of others.
8
This is what Trump is doing while our attention is elsewhere:
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/nation-world/national/article213026379...
2
Those poor children, innocent in all of this. Wish I could take them all in.
thank you, @wally wolf. [don't the names of the considered locations - fort bliss, goodfellow AFB, san angelo - sound wonderful?] your link reminds me of the fact that germany's interior minister is planning to set up "anchoring centers" for newly arriving refugees ... up to 1500 people to be held in each of these locations for the time it will take to determine their 'eligibility' as refugees. in the meantime i shall briefly dream of an ideal world in which, starting with the US and NK, every war or warlike theater shall close down, one by one, domino style ...
"We'll see what happens."
4
Who much worse will this situation become for these United States?
1
edit: How
Trump is more suited for used car sales man. Even at that he should be fired for poor results. How can U.S. President embracing a tyrannical regime dictator Kim Jung Un who could be compared to Hitler of Nazis? Whatever happened to the values of America in human rights and promoting democracy in the repressed nations? Sadly, Singapore summit reinforced the declining of the American values in the world, thanks to Trump.
5
The honorable Rocket Man granted Comrade Trump exclusive rights to build luxury hotels and golf courses in North Korea if Comrade Trump promised not to go Libyan on his pajama trousered posterior.
4
Trump, the liar-in-chief, is always "confident". In this case, his "confidence" is betrayed by the statement “I don’t know that I’ll ever admit that,” he added, “but I’ll find some kind of an excuse.”
He did Make America Great Again. - we are great in never admitting making a mistakes as they can all be swatted away by spins and "excuses". A Great Reality Show, 24/7/365.
Sad!
7
"Confidence", reminds me of 8 Nov 2016.
If you want to have fun and if you’ve got some time, go to YouTube or wherever you go to find videos and find election night coverage and start at 6 or 7 p.m. Eastern, any network, and watch it for a couple hours. And as you get close to 9 o’clock, you will see a 180 degree shift from an attitude of jocularity and confidence and happiness.” Because this was it, this was the glass ceiling being shattered or cracked, however you look at it, the first female president, Hillary Clinton, walking away with it in a landslide.
But then as they get close to 9 o’clock, panic begins to settle in, and they shortly thereafter realize that it ain’t falling out the way they thought it was going to. And as they start fearing and realizing that Hillary is gonna lose, it’s one of the greatest things you can watch. Go back and relive that.
Liberals must be defeated not convinced
Here we go again..........Neville Chamberlain and Adolph Hitler had a meeting.......things didn't turn out too well for the United Kingdom. George Bush looked into Putin's soul........how is that going these days? Now Trump has a special bond with Kim Jong-un ..... Uh oh.
6
Trump has done nothing except legitimize N Korea and thrown S Korea under the bus. Kim will read this as an invitation to invade the South. Japan and Taiwan watch out, you are next on the chopping block. Maybe Hawaii too, just Democrats there.
5
Actually, I think you need to give some credit to South Korea and Moon Jae In. If it is possible to lower the threshold of danger for them, it might be worth compromising with two of the world's worst dictators (Trump, potential, KJU, actual).
1
Remember when W saw Putin's soul? How's that working out?
4
This is how you spell N O R M A L I Z A T I O N. It rates a weekly supplement in the New York Times. Or a section in the Week in Review. The Neocon unit never gives up.
2
This president is delusional.
In an hour meeting with a person that you never met and have to have a conversation translated - you develop a "special bond". Yet in a G7 meeting with people that speak to you in your native language - they appear to be "stabbing you in the back".
The whole story is about how Trump made a "deal".
The deal that endangers all of South Korea.
I am sure the Korean War Vets aren't very happy.
But most of them probably voted for Trump.
14
The opposition and media want to convey about Trump being snookered, Trump being bested, Trump screwing up.
Trump will not be snookered. Trump holds the cards. We all do, the rest of the world does, as long as sanctions remain on Little Rocket Man; and they do.
It wasn’t that long ago, ladies and gentlemen, the Democrats and the Drive-By Media were saying that Donald Trump was too fiery, that Donald Trump was too bullish, he was too bearish, he was too like bull in a china shop, he was too unpredictable, he was too uncouth, too stupid. Donald Trump was pushing us into war with all of his ill-advised, undiplomatic comments about our enemies around the world. He was provoking them. He was going to cause a war.
Now today they’re saying Donald Trump is too weak. Because he canceled, temporarily, the war games, the military exercises near South Korea. So they say Kim Jong-un has won, the ChiComs have won, Trump has gone wobbly, Trump has gone weak. Six months ago they’re worried Trump was too strong. What is happening — and it’s happening in front of every American’s face — is that President Trump is making many former political leaders look unaccomplished. He is making them look ineffective.
Liberals must be defeated not convinced
paul - Either (a) delusional or (b) a casual and perpetual liar, con artist, phony, scammer, flimflammer, fraud, hustler. With thanks to thesaurus.com, I think it's (b).
Worst Negotiator ever.
Worst Diplomat ever.
Worst Truth-teller ever.
Worst person to keep his word ever.
Worst student of reality ever.
Worst person to rely on ever.
Worst Manchurian/N. Korean, Russian, President ever.
Worst President ever. Period.
Can our Republic survive his narcissistic, idiotic, incompetency?
5
Who would have ever thought.. Make your next travel destination the beaches of North Korea! Luxury Hotels, Golf and Midnight Executions!
7
We watched more of Trump's delusion of greatness and a.. kissing skills. Unbelievable.. he has a unique opportunity to put his foot down and , finally, demonstrate that he's not a moron but guess what- he did it again... "Talented man" for a dictator and " special place in hell" for allies?!?!?!?!
What else he needs to do ??? We need to impeach this piece of thougthlessness ..
10
A certain former president echoed the same sentiment about Mr. Putin...
4
The was on old presidential blowhard
Who didn’t like being called a dotard
But when he got to Singapore
He forgot what he was there for
And failed to play his trump card.
4
Can you imagine the poor translator who was tasked with translating Trump's mumbo-jumbo word-salad nonsense into something meaningful for Kim?
9
Give the President his moment. Perhaps it will last longer than a moment. That would be good. I don't think a special bond is going to get the job done. There will have to be many long hours from the nuts and bolts crew. Maybe the North Korean leadership is tired of imprisoning and starving their people. Maybe Kim is ready to be a man of the world. Maybe he wants emulate his new friend, work the deals and still stiff the peasants. Maybe he is ready to have fewer nuclear capabilities and eat some cake. If it doesn't work out we still have whatever excuse the President comes up with to look forward to. RAW
Donald Trump's "High Yellow Chicken Hawk" act - Episode 1, Season 1...
5
The grifter-in-chief, in his infinite corruption, is betting that the "special bond" gets his "family" a Trump hotel on the beach. What else is new?
From https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/opinion/north-korea-trump-singapore-s...
“They have great beaches. You see that whenever they’re exploding their cannons into the ocean, right? I said, ‘Boy, look at that view.’ And I explained, I said instead of doing that, you could have the best hotels in the world right there.”
6
Trump's confidence is the opposite of reassuring. He's only interested in himself, and he has insisted that he alone knows what's what, in default of information about history or anything else.
Kim Jong Un looks a lot smarter and a lot more aware than cowardly bully Trump.
I've "gotten to know" Trump and his bottom feeding supporters and allies over a much too long period of time, and there is nothing about them that is reassuring.
"Evil, be thou my good"
Dictators anonymous are now in charge of the world, and Trump is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
16
So you prefer a nuclear showdown with North Korea instead?. Nice slurs you throw at citizens who disagree with your dislike of Trump but you never know that doctor that you maybe trust maybe likes the President. Maybe the employer that pays 21% corporate tax likes not paying 35% - you never know. Maybe stopping millions of illegals from coming here, just like Canada is now, is a better and less costly to us bottom feeding supporters?.
It seems odd to hear Trump describe a "special bond" with Kim, but not Trudeau, May, Merkel, Macron or any of the G7 allies. Also odd that Kim would be unique among people who have spent time with Trump in thinking that he is a stable and reliable. But who knows? Kim may find Trump's anti-elitism as refreshing as Trump's American followers and Trump has been sounding very un Trump like for the last two days. He seems to be trying to do something genuinely useful here for a change. Unfortunately, history, neither Trump's nor North Korea's, is on the side of optimism. For now, until we see what was actually discussed and agreed on, Trump's claims of success are still just Trump marketing himself, just as he was after his speech to the Boy Scouts. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/08/02/trump-says-the...
1
KJU is just a whole lot smarter than Trump. He's playing the odds. (His schoolmates in Switzerland liked him and noted his sense of humor. And he actual has a degree in engineering.)
5
This is a major part of Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. I think Trump entered into this negotiation with that as his main priority. A finalized resolution within the next 24 months is extremely remote. Trump will declare in 2020, that if he is not re-elected, the North Koreans will back out of any deals proposed or made to date, and that only he can bring this baby home.
The problem is, this baby will make Rosemary's look like the one in the manger.
7
Reminds me of when W looked Putin in the eye and got a sense of his soul. Somebody's getting played.
38
Remember when Bush Jr saw putin's eyes and saw the good in him. Can we ask him if he saw putin's installing a puppet in our White House?
7
Come on, really! Trump got nothing and he hasn’t even figured out that denuclearization of the peninsula means no American nukes. He dropped the floor from under S. Korea and Japan and has left a vacuum in the region. The idiotic film he ran for Jong-un just shows how completely inane he is. He makes cozy with the leader of one of the most oppressive regimes in the world and slags his allies at every opportunity. He shills for Vlad Putin and seems intent on destroying all Western alliances. Exactly who is Donald J. Trump and what is his intent? He certainly isn’t a champion of democratic orders.
17
Any chance the NYT research team might compile a list of Trump Deals and how they work out? Just for context of course, we're all sure this time will be different...
10
What a PR Stunt this meeting ... show politics without content. Trump thinks he is such a great deal maker but the only winner here is Kim who gets all the attention he wanted. Trump is such a muppet
17
Is Trump really this naive?
15
Yes.
yup
Why is Trump smiling? Is that a smirk of envy as Trump, incessantly badgered by his enemies, thinks of Kim's habit of executing his critics with anti-aircraft guns?
4
To everything else, we can add that Trump is a coward. He's perfectly willing to pick fights with friends--friends aren't going to hurt you. But as soon as an adversary sits across the table, he's mastered the art of the cave.
Great negotiator indeed... I guess bone spurs weren't the only thing keeping him out of Vietnam.
37
Oh, the bromance of authoritarian egoists who view all human relationships transactionally. Trump destroys trust with allies and befriends enemies because he is one very, very damaged individual. If we didn't know better, we might be watching an episode of a dating show best called The Narcissistic Bachelor. Will he give Kim a rocket shaped rose next episode?
13
Bush 43 stared into Putin's eyes and saw his soul. Which as we all know was long ago given to Mephistopheles and no longer inhabits his carcass.
So Trumps now stares into Kim's eyes and sees his soul. Which is also in the custody of Mephistopheles.
It would seem that Bush and Trump are both fond of the same strain of Datura stramonium.
8
However historic, I just can't get past the incredibly rude derision shown to US's longstanding allies at G7, but two brutal dictators (Kim and Putin) - one who engages in genocide and the other who hacked our systems and attempted to influence/subvert our election....they should have seats at the world's table ?
8
The liberal haters are going blue in the face-but let's ask South Korea which has everything to lose in a fight how they feel. It's none of your business, really, Democrats. Seoul can be knocked to bits with just conventional weapons. NK has howitzers pointed 30 miles away. Who wants to live like that. Funny how the liberals are taking such a hard stance on NK but want to appease Iran. The Democratic brand needs to step back and think about what they stand for
Yes, ask South Korea about the US backing out its military to please Kim.
That has nothing to do with "liberals".
I would like to see us have a deal with North Korea. I would also like us to have a deal with Iran. They are both unstable, untrustworthy states...and deals are the best way to control how actively they pursue nuclear weapons.
I guess I must be one of the liberals you love to hate. The Iran agreement resulted in Iran giving up 98% of its plutonium with IAE inspections to verify compliance. If Trump gets anything close to this, we should all sing hallelujah.
As Trump throws yet another long-time ally under the bus and gushes over his special bond with a thuggish dictator, I'm reminded of the famous scene from Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" as Mussolini tries to position himself properly to greet Hitler's erratically moving train at the staton. Any bets on whether the first new western businesses in Pyongyang will be a Trump-branded hotel and an Ivanka boutique?
7
Humbly, I will tell you from personal (professional) experience that Trump is not a negotiator and is no deal-maker. Unfortunately, my colleagues and I have known this for decades. I wish I had spoken up sooner and more loudly. Trump is incapable of negotiating his way out of an open, wet paper bag ... with a hole in it.
17
@Positively,
Half of NYC knew this !!! I think it was assumed the rest of the country would see through him- then again we country folk don't get out too much :)
3
Positively, I couldn't hear what you said, I was staring at that big building with TRUMP on top. You were saying something about your ability as a dealmaker?
@Here: You mean those buildings stained by the gaudy lettering that was removed a la Trump Taj Mahal. Or, the one the tenants insisted on removing the name from. Yes, impressive indeed. I didn't see you in my meetings and I didn't say anything about my "ability as a dealmaker" negligible as it is. I am referring to your hero. Trying to sell a brand is a world of difference away from being an international negotiator. You missed the forest for the trees, son/ma'am.
And people say Americans don't have a sense of humour. You guys!
Okay but enough now. Show us your REAL president.
C'mon! Enough fooling around!
44
haha
1
Thanks - that joke made my day.
3
Mr. Trump is one only 39 people to win a presidential election. Your queen, worthy woman though she is, got her job by winning the dad lottery
Trump is betting on "special bond"? The man is psychotic!
10
"Special Bond"? That's absurd.
5
Yay! It'll be easy for North Korea to suspend nuclear weapons development 'cos they've done it several times before!
7
This is so scary. Our fate is in the hands of these two mentally unstable ego maniacs. What next. Petulant about face and nuclear war? The problem is that is is all so capricous .
11
details vague or have not heard his strategy are code words for Trump is just muddling though day to day which is in my view pathetic biased nonsense
4
Ever notice how Potus doesn’t mind one’s ethnicity as long as they are a murdering dictator? Then he’s cool with it.
9
Obviously, Justin Trudeau needs to have a few relatives killed, build a few massive gulags and starve his own people to get back on Donald's good side.
164
" The Presidential Apprentice: Dictator Summer ". A very special program.
11
"Special Bond."
Reminds me of W and "looking [Putin] in the eye." Or Obama and the reset button.
We've been here before, and it didn't really work out then.
2
Those two self-aggrandizing buffoons are cut from the same piece of linen. Without a doubt.
5
Is this the same kind of "special bond" that "W" had with Putin a few years ago, where he could see into his soul?
2
In the beginning,
there was faith, which is childish;
trust, which is vain;
and illusion, which is dangerous.
Elie Wiesel "Night"
#NeverAgain2018
#StopFascism2018
#VoteBlue2018
11
And George looked into Putin’s eyes and knew he could trust him.
8
Orange Face Trump is "Confident" because he believes his own lies!
7
Some thoughts about the geopolitical implications of this meeting. If joint military exercises are stopped and Kim's regime is recognised by the US, then surely China will use this as an excuse to renew trade with North Korea?If the US reduces their military presence in the south, it would also leave a military vacuum that China will probably be happy to exploit.
It could be argued that China should be major power in the region. But I'm not sure the west would be comfortable with this idea.
Anyway, lots of smoke and mirrors and when the dust clears, the Chinese seem to be the winners.
7
Why does the US need a cabinet and all them experts, when Trump, the genius, can make the deal?
7
The Trump Cabinet serves a critical function for Donald Trump:
The Cabinet's job is to praise little Donald and thank him for the blessing of serving him while kissing his ring, Majortrout.
10
"Or its missiles, its stockpiles of VX and other nerve agents or its biological weapons."
Throw human rights into the wish list too.
This is what was done by the opponents of the Iran deal. "But it didn't solve this other thing."
This is about nukes. Just that.
8
It was always predicted that Trump would give up his bargaining chips in order to claim a great victory based on his self-proclaimed art of the deal. I just hope that the Swedes have more sense than 40% of the US electorate, the Republican Congress and various media (no names here).
14
I’m not one to be Pollyanish but there is no denying that the meeting between president Trump and Mr. Kim was historic in that no American president has ever met face to face with the leader of North Korea. That the meeting occurred at all despite assurances from foreign policy “experts” employed by past administrations it wouldn’t makes it all the more remarkable. No doubt the naysayers calculus was based upon past failures and an acknowledgement of the timidity characteristic of State Department bureaucrats more fearful of failure and its impact on their careers than embracing the potential offered by an unorthodox president. Obviously our president, and Secretary of State Pompeo embrace the possibility of success exponentially more than they fear failing to achieve it. What a pleasant change.
1
There was no meeting between the president and Kim that included an agreement about curtailing nuclear weapons development. Ostensibly, that was supposed to what this non-summit what supposed to be about.
Indeed, there were some photo opportunities and Trump promised to halt "provocative" military exercises with South Korea. There was certainly no "pleasant change" from the status quo before Trump and Kimshook hands.
4
I’m not one to be Pollyanish?
Yes, you so are!
2
Tim - You seem to be missing an important fact. Kim, his father and grandfather would have jumped at a meeting with Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama. These presidents would have rather had a root canal without anesthetic than meet with the Kim family. In the end, Trump's coup if ever there is one, is yet to be realized. Trump's meeting may well be a good tactic, but at this point he has nothing that his predecessors chose not to have. Not out of fear of failure, but a refusal to give DNK leaders what they wanted. Clinton's Agreed Upon Framework went far beyond anything Trump has done. DNK cheated and blew it up. If Trump can accomplish the same without DNK deception, then he will really have accomplished something.
1
I've been thinking a lot about this. *Maybe* in this case Trump's repeated demonstrations that he is not afraid of going against the recommendations of just about anyone (except maybe his "base") actually was enough to change the game. Perhaps here volatility meeting volatility might have worked for the betterment of international security. I am even allowing myself to be very cautiously optimistic. Yes, it's true such promises have been made in the past, but I think international scrutiny has reached a new level and North Korea wants more leverage than just with China. Obviously time will tell, but if all this goes well we may be looking at another 6 years of Trump. And I say that with utmost reticence and displeasure.
2
The usual Trump thoughtless exaggeration. How can you have a special bond with someone with whom you cannot communicate.
Unless it's love at first sight. Trump has finally found a soul mate.
That we can understand.
22
That's going to be an awfully crowded bed in Moscow.
7
I think they surely "bonded". Kim can teach the liar-in-chief a thing or two how to become an emperor who has all the dictatorial power, even if without clothes.
1
The Donald, he will bill and coo for anyone if he feels he is going to get something out of the deal.
A leading headline on CNN news today, 'breaking news!' no less, is Trump's noting the 'great beaches' of North Korea and 'the view', and him thinking that having some condos over there would just be so fine (so long as the Trump name is emblazoned upon them).
15
And Ivanka can peddle her clothing and accessories!
5
It’s probably too soon to be sure about much regarding the summit. But I see a tiny glimmer of hope when Trump seemed to realize he cannot admit being wrong. After saying he “may be wrong,” he paused and then said, “I don’t know that I’ll ever admit that” and “I’ll find some kind of an excuse." Acknowledging a problem can be a first step.
9
That may be the closest thing to an honest statement that anyone will ever hear from Donald Trump. He probably already regrets saying it, (but would never admit that either).
2
I really really really really hope you're right.
1
At the very least, it's the first time he's told the truth!
2
President Backward/upside-down/inside-out enjoys a special bond with murderous, torturing dictator Kim Jong-un while he scorns, insults and alienates democratically elected Justin Trudeau, prime minister of our neighbor Canada.
30
The negativity in the comments below is startling. But after 30 years we have not much to show for conventional diplomatic efforts. So suppose not much changes with the new Trump initiative. We’ll be back where we were before. That hardly seems a desirable position. Maybe its simply a matter that many really smart people will have egg on their faces if Trump succeeds in is unconventional approach. We project failure in advance ? Some problems require out of the box innovations no matter how curious they might look to ordinary mortals.
4
so should we give Trump the Nobel Prize now or when North Korea actually gets rid of its nuclear weapons?
1
I wish I could be positive about the "summit." But this "ordinary mortal" knows that Trump is a narcissist and a reflexive liar. And that Kim is a psychopath who slaughters his own people. These are facts. Thus, neither of these men can be trusted to bring about peace. If peace somehow manages to break out on the Korean Peninsula, I will be the first person to admit my wrong and eat my words. But I ain't worried about getting out the frying pan and the hot sauce anytime soon.
6
What?
1
North Korea outsmarted US ... they knew that the King had never read any history or what was previously negotiated. NK probably repeated the same points with DT and he didn't even know he was being dupped. Rather, DT is thinking showing a video on his ipad and his CAR would do it. As though Mr Kim was stupid and didn't see these things already ! What a world ... next DT is going to say HE arranged for the Space Shuttle to land on the MOON ! Oh... with a movie on his ipad!
Sad... sad... sad.
I can imagine the Europeans feel betrayed standing by US on NK - yet they got nothing out it. How much more bizaaaaarrrr can it get.
5
Not unlike George W who was smitten with Putin when he looked into his eyes!
How well did that work out!!
The Great Negotiator is the Great Nut case.
8
Pretty sad, somebody like Kim who should be in front of The Hague's War Crimes tribunal for crimes against humanity coupled with an ego maniac incompetent demagogue that is an embarrassment to his country like Trump and a world class paper like the NY Times has to cover it.
27
Ah yes, maybe James Bond can help out. Or maybe he's got some triple E's lying around. Or maybe it's Bondo he's got in mind, but I suspect it's Bond of Brothers that wins the bet...blood brothers. Meanwhile, it's off to the gulag with poor Justin. He just wasn't mean enough to make it into Donald Darky's inner circle
I would love to hear what the very clear-headed Madeleine Albright has to say about all this. NYT, could you please solicit a new article from her? She has the intellect, the values and the experience to analyze it credibly.
9
Gadaffi!
1
So did that 4-minute video published by the White House make it to the concentration camps?
4
There are no detailed specifics, and Trump is talking about this butcher like he is one of greatest, young forward thinking leaders in the world....sickening!
14
Soul brothers. You may recall that Kim murdered his uncle Jang and family, reportedly allowing starved dogs to maul some of them to death. Such a guy!
9
More hot air.
6
Well, to believe that Kim will adhere to the signed contract is contrary to what all he did so far … He is fake News … and the "fake News expert" does not regognize this. Chapeau!
6
no one should take this man seriously. no one.
that's trump for you clueless believers.
9
Dennis Rodman, the former basketball player, is standing by in Japan in case his diplomatic services are required. That would be a surreal photo opp.
1
Tiger shark
Apparently Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-un are friends
The President got played.
12
With a nod to Mel Brooks:
"Springtime for Kim Jong Un and Pyongyang!"
6
U.S. President Donald Trump turned out to be the trumPET of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The president of the United States has been acting as a speaker for Kim Jong Un. Will Trump know about this?
6
" special bond ". What would that be ? A Dictator Super Glue ??? One super villain recognizing another? Tips for making friends and influencing people, at gunpoint ??? The labor Camp diet and fitness program ?
GOP, you've outdone yourselves. Stand up and be PROUD.
8
Phyllis Dalmation
Instead of backing the President on this crucial meeting with Kim Jong-un, you have chosen nastiness and sarcasm; therefore, please do not stand up and be PROUD.
Chuckle, there was nothing special about this meeting for anyone in the West. Trump was snookered, big time.
1
sarah:
Emperor Donald the First cannot handle the heat.
He tries to dish it out, but he cannot take any criticism.
Does the old saying “If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen” ring a bell?
When you walk on the biggest stage in the world, people comment. Emperor Donald is a LOSER. That is my comment.
It would not be surprising if the two dictators actually got along. Maybe they can be sidekicks - the North Korean leader will be Trump 's Tonto, and Trump the Lone Ranger will be the North Korean dictator's Kim-osabe.
5
Special place in hell for one of our most trusted allies. Special bond with a brutal dictator. This is our future?
97
Sort of like the special bonds George W. Bush formed with Russia's genocidal dictator Vlad Putin when Bush looked into Putin's soul. Trump and Kim already have a special bond: They are clones of one another.
10
How many American presidents would have boasted about their "special bond" with Pol Pot after his extermination of his own people?
34
"The supreme irony, as Mr. Litwak and others noted on Tuesday, is that an effort to constrain the North’s capabilities, rather than eliminate them, has shades of the Iran deal that Mr. Trump just rejected." Trump has never been known to have one original idea, so is it any surprise that he's stealing from his hated predecessor? Trump gave away our credibility as a country just for a stupid photo-op and today's cotton candy news headline. We all know this is going nowhere fast, and since he admitted he lies and makes excuses, why fawn over this? Enough with him, I'm tired of all of my oxygen being sucked out of me every day by this moron. What's the GOP's response? Why aren't they focusing on the domestic issues they always talk about doing something about but never do? Why aren't they holding Trump accountable for not coming up with a detailed infrastructure plan? Good paying, fair wage jobs? "Better, less expensive, healthcare for all?"
3
I get it.For this administration J Trudeau deserves "a special place in hell". But Kim J Un is someone he can have a "terrific relationship" with.
Birds of a feather...
9
No wonder Kudlow had a heart attack. His 'humanity' couldn't take it. LOL!
1
One can only hope that Kim has come to realize that his regime's model is not sustainable in the long term.
NK regime change has to come from within. The cost of externally forced regime change is too risky, even with Russian and Chinese participation.
So, even if this meeting turns unfruitful, it was useful.
3
The deal as written is vague, much like the value of a Trump U sheepskin, but the intent is clear.
As Trump feuds with America's closest western democratic allies, disavows the NATO alliance, and seeks Russia's readmission to the G-8, Trump now calls for the removal of western troops from South Korea in favor of a "unified" Korea.
Who would run a united Korea? I suspect that was discussed in the 45 minute meeting held without any Americans in the room.
Would that take time? Yes, but Kim Jong-un is young.
A united Korea under Kim Jong-un would be something both Russia and China would support, but the former is more important to Trump than the latter.
Trump is coming out as Putin's puppet, and in exchange he will gorge on the spoils of plutocracy much like his sponsor.
He wants to know who is going to stop him - since he could shoot the FBI Director and not be prosecuted, just like Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin.
10
david parsons
The president did not call for removal of western troops from South Korea.