When a Trump International Resort Hotel & Golf Club finally rises on a beach in North Korea, we will all understand the seemingly abrupt change of tune and why Trump insists the meeting was a success. US national interest is never the correct barometer for any Trump "foreign policy" successes. Judging by what might be in it for Trump, his family and his organization is perhaps the better way to measure these things.
9
trump is a traitor, that's it in a nutshell. Mueller is the only thing between us and Putin taking our Country.
10
If Twitter would suddenly go the way of the Dodo, it would present the president with a dilemma. How, then, would he contact his admirers and supporters? Trump thinks in terms of allowable characters when he crafts his Trumpian nonsense. He doesn't think to well on his feet, using the same short, kindergarten sentences to express himself. Without Twitter, might he finally shut up?
5
Every day of this presidency finds Donald Trump's self-absorption and self-aggrandized enlarged, while his understanding of the consequences of his on-the-fly policies, executive orders, and depraved showmanship is increasingly distorted and troubling. Oh, would that he knew something -- anything about ANYTHING! - that comes out of his mouth! What a smug and stupid man!
8
Remembering Bugs Bunny talking to Elmer Fudd "Oh what a maroon!
6
Nobel Peace Prize? Trump is still waiting for his emmy.
6
This expensive photo op will produce nothing. We all know it. Time to ignore the blather.
6
Bad headline. Should be "un Ate Trumps Lunch."
5
Mr trump speaks as though we’re all as willfully ignorant and misinformed as many of his followers.
7
Trump's "Little Rocket Man" is now his "Dear Leader".
4
Kim did major testing during Bone Spur's first year and damaged his test site. He accomplished what he wanted and felt he was in a good position to negotiate. Bone Spurs now has made a critical commitment to Kim and has a lot at stake if he chooses to walk away.
Kim got everything he wanted and Trump got a show so, in their own way, each got what they wanted.
2
There is no comparison in the situations between Iran and North Korea. The Iran nuclear deal was established with at least five to six countries signing the agreement. There was more weight to it, compared to a face to face meeting between the leaders of the US and NK. It would have been preferable if the same parties involved in the Iran nuclear deal were invited to dealing with North Korea.
It is difficult to predict how North Korea will behave. Are they being serious to denuclearize? NK has been engaged in nuclear arms activity for several decades. Over this period, NK has used it as a leverage in having to deal with the outside world. Why would they give it up now?
NK has been able to achieve their wish of a cessation of military exercises between the US and South Korea. If there is no evidence of NK conducting any more testing of their nuclear arms, it does not mean that they are giving up on their nuclear programs. Perhaps, they are buying time, and as recent news support, they are quitely enhancing their existing nuclear activity.
With NK's unpredictability, it is possible that they have a hidden agenda. NK may be expecting the lifting of all sanctions on their country, and gradually want the outside world to recognize them, comparing a status with countries like Pakistan, India and Israel. Is it possible that Nk may want to establish normal relations with South Korea, and unify themselves? What do we know what China is telling NK? And, many other questions.
1
I think Trump should give back the Nobel Peace Prize he didn't, and won't, get.
3
“Many good conversations with North Korea-it is going well!”
translates from Trumpian to plain English as:
"We have just signed the MoU for a Hotel of the Trump chain of hotels and we are now settling on how much graft money we will get from the other side"
Apart from that nothing has changed.
6
Yes, it was a problem of tone all along. And Trump strikes the.. right.. tone... - I can't even.
1
Trump staged a photo-op that and now can lie to his base about what it meant. They believe anything he says. That's all that matters to Trump.
5
The Trump “administration’s” policy vis-a-vis North Korea: a perfect storm of incompetence, ignorance, fantasy, wishful thinking, spin, hype, egotism, and Attention Deficit Disorder.
4
International recognition and legitimacy is what the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was badly craving for and got away with successfully, denuclearisation of North Korea was what Trump was shouting about, Kim is unlikely to oblige.
6
"Unlikely" is putting it mildly: now that Trump has fobbed all of this off on Pompeo, who has a thankless task ahead,
he can turn his attention back to his favorite play buddy,
Putin, who is licking his chops over another chance to
"play" Trump. Does anybody think that Pompeo will really
accomplish anything in Korea this year or next???
6
I wouldn’t want Mike Pompeo’s job for all the money in the world. Trump declares “North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat” based on a flimsy meeting with Leader Kim, and worse, gives away our joint military exercises with South Korea, and gets nothing in return.
So who has the leverage in this relationship? That’s easy, it’s Kim jong Un.
Pompeo is going to age 50 years in the next year. I must say I’ve never been a fan of John Bolton, but he won’t put up with what has been going on. Absent a real agreement, like the Iran Accord, this has, so far, been an exercise in talking. Trump may be waiting for his Nobel Peace Prize, but I think those are awarded based on actions, not words.
I wonder what percentage of the US population believes NK is not a nuclear threat? Probably pretty close to zero would be my guess.
4
in what way is it sustainable now?
"The stark contrast between how Mr. Trump talks about Tehran, while insisting that the North is “no longer a nuclear threat,” will become harder and harder to sustain if Mr. Pompeo cannot get Mr. Kim on a rapid denuclearization schedule."
1
If you think Kim will do anything of substance to denuclearize I have a certain bridge to sell you. That show is done now, in Trumpworld. On to the SCOTUS, which
the citizenry here is more likely to attend to for at least a couple of "shows"; then we can get back to the Mueller
plot, which is due for a return to your screens soon.
1
Trump's negotiating is similar to the negotiating that took place in the movie "Bad Santa" where "Santa" (Billy Bob) and his "Little Helper" (Tony Cox) had to deal with the department store's security chief Gin Slagel (Bernie Mac) after their scheming was discovered.
Trump's negotiating skills are identical to those of Tony Cox.
Kim's negotiating skills (as well as Putin's) are identical to those of Bernie Mac.
In the movie Mac's character gave up nothing while Cox's character incrementally gave up everything. It was hilarious in the movie. But in real like it is just plain SAD.
1
The Iran deal serves as a detailed, objective standard against which to measure the Trump administration's negotiation proposals with North Korea, as well as its ultimate outcome. Given the president's contention as to how awful the Iran deal was, anything less than a major improvement would expose his braggadocio for what it is on his own terms. And any failure to achieve a major improvement in terms would also expose the folly of withdrawing from the Iran deal itself, however imperfect it may be thought to be. History and any analysis of North Korea's present condition show little to no reason to expect that outcome to be reached. No wonder the backpedalling tweets have already begun.
1
He went too far (what else is new) by claiming “North Korea is not a nuclear threat”. I suppose it’s ok for him to look outright stupid/naive to the majority of his base and Fox “News” - but even these core constituents have to wince a bit at such statements.
It’s ironic that if we had a deal with NK that was par with the Iran Accord most Americans would see that as progress. I don’t think NK is ever going to give up their nuclear weapons, and yet Trump has set expectations that this is exactly what Pompeo will accomplish. Talk about Mission Impossible........
1
I am glad Trump is softening his attitude towards Kim Jong Un. He also wants to normalize the US relations with autocrat Putin. And yet he does these at the expense of our allies, making them our enemies, while praising Kim and Putin, and ignoring the pathetic humanitarian records of both autocrat/dictators.
I wonder if Trump is hoping to obtain the Nobel Peace Prize of 2019, to seal his craving for personal recognition, at the expense of serving his country....
6
In any case Trump would consider this failure a big victory. Go figure!
1
From all bits and pieces I've read through credible sources these talks are not going well, in fact, just the opposite. Why would the NYT lead this article in a way that seems to manipulate the truth? You are sounding more and more like Donald Trump himself.
1
"How Trump Went From ‘Fire and Fury’ to Dismissing North Korean Nuclear Advances"
Mr. Trump raves about his meeting with Kim Jong-Un and removing threat of war with North Korea. But, as usual, he leaves out some critical details. He conveniently forgets that he was the one who threatened the war with North Korea in the first place. He wants to be rewarded for undoing what he has unwittingly done. Remember his UN proclamation:
“If [we are] forced to defend ourselves or our allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.”
1
Trump gave away the joint military exercises with South Korea in exchange for - nothing. Unless you count vague assurances to de-nuclearize as something. I don’t. So much for the art of the deal. More like the art of the steal.
And the hypocrisy. Trump constantly criticized, and left, the Iran deal, and yet there were assurances backed by rigorous inspections in place, and it was/is working.
And Trump is talking about a Nobel Prize - in which category, Gaslighting?
1
I cannot believe that the dictator of a country that has nothing going for it other than a nuclear weapon will give up that weapon. It makes no sense.
2
Trump thought a photo op with Kim in Singapore would give him a Nobel Peace Prize.
He did not want to be there, based on his comment the day before the meeting of "Can't we just get this over with?"
What I wonder about is why Trump and the GOP will spend three days in Russia with Russian officials they KNOW hacked our election and run a dictatorship.
I guess they'd all rather retire to Moscow than North Korea.
4
It's called negotiating from a position of strength. Unfortunately, our previous president refused to use the power of the United States as a tool against dictators and terrorists. Instead Obama drew fictitious red lines in the sand, and then refused to back up his empty rhetoric when his bluff was called. We now have a president who can dangle a carrot as well as wield a big stick when necessary. Too bad The Times is too partisan and far to the Democrat left to understand that simple concept.
1
You could ask the ISIS boys about Obama's refusal "to use the power of the United States." Of course Trump wants to pretend that he defeated ISIS but the fact is he finished carrying out Obama's strategy.
As for North Korea, if Trump can actually get them to give up their nukes then we can talk about the price. Right now they haven't done anything.
Meanwhile Trump wants to blow up the Iran deal under which Iran gave up their fissile material. If he succeeds they will get those centrifuges running again. Then what?
The concept of using both sticks and carrots is simple enough. It's how Obama got the Iranians to agree to give up their nuclear material. We'll see if Trump can achieve that with North Korea. It hasn't happened yet.
5
We should now add another phrase to Trump's Reality Show Fake Accomplishments: They were "You're hired" and his 'famous" You're fired." After his North Korea 15 million fuss and feather escapade, we should add one of our own--"Been Had." This one is not a Fake accomplishment!
6
Even if Trump makes progress on the denuclearization of North Korea, will we still think he is great when we join the axis of evil to get there?
2
I would like to say Trump operates with "A Little Left Rudder" but I can't... he is pure sadism with a very wide streak of narcissism
6
Kim sure made of fool of Trump, and Trump makes it so easy. He's a terrible businessman, which we knew from the get-go (6 bankruptcies are not fake news). If people thought Obama's apologies were humiliating the US, well, I'm sure we all love being laughed at by the half-pints running NK and China, and all our allies as well.
1
Prediction:
Trump calls his NK summit "a deal"
Trump calls NK as having broken "the deal"
Trump uses the "broken deal" as an excuse to initiate large military action
3
Either that or he pretends his "deal" is working and it's great. That would be the safer option and presumably his cult followers would buy it.
2
... and hundreds of people die. Is there a Nobel Prize for warmongering?
1
kudos to Trump. N Korea and ISIS defanged. Economy booming. Kennedy out. Roe v Wade dead. All this winning is making me tired.
4
Thanks for this. I think sarcasm will have to see us all through, at least pending November....
4
Trump only has one tool in his tool box - bullying. Once the bullying does not work, he is completely clueless. This is why he takes a soft stance against all nasty dictators in beginning because he knows his bullying is ineffective against monsters. Trump will continue to degrade the United States with Kim because Trump will only engage in more brown-nosing. And Fox News will find the excuse why Trump is degrading the United States.
2
NEVER take your eyes off Putin. DJT has been having his strings pulled from the beginning. The N Korea non-deal, the G7 tantrum, the NATO and WTO fiascoes to be - all to Putin's bidding. He's got something on this guy - maybe just the greedy desire for a Trump Tower in Moscow - but DJT has not ever said a bad word about Putin.
1
Can't we see that Trump's 'Fire and Fury' against North Korea was all fake? In Spanish we say "perro que ladra no muerde" (the bark is worse than the bite). And Trump is a certified bully (a coward in disguise).
1
In America we say, "All hat and no cattle."
1
Donald Trump was made a complete and utter fool of, and in turn, Donald Trump made fools of everyone who expected him to go to NK and actually accomplish something. We do know he found time to discuss oceanfront condo developments.
1
the halt to joint drills with South Korea isn't necessarily a threat to South Korean security. A poll released today shows that scores of Koreans are not against the halt (except those in their 20s) they seem to regard it more as a favorable (or inevitable) opportunity to improve relations with Pyongyang than an imminent fear as presumed by Washington and Tokyo. hostility to the North has reduced dramatically, the poll indicates, hopes for denuclearisation have increased.
it's quite surprising that now Kim Jong-un is gaining better impression even than Abe Shinzo of Japan among foreign leaders from the S Koreans . (with Trump at the highest)
I find it a big change compared to previous conservative regimes.
at least in Seoul, skeptism doesn't shadow optimism. support for President Moon's foreign policy is still high.
1
When he says it’s going well, he may be referring to a deal to build Trump hotels on those marvelous wonderful beaches after he leaves the White House. Human rights and that nuclear stuff is not his problem.
22
Not to defend Trump, but if he got to build hotels on North Korean Beaches, one would think the situation had changed qualitatively. But, no, North Koreans do not want to develop their economy. They just want to destroy the USA because they hate their great democracy.
The only thing Trump accomplished was having America dole out 15 million dollars for a one day summit where Trump privately discussed oceanfront property for hotels and casinos.
41
It's all a show, in fact a Farce. Scripted just like a reality TV show, with some free form spite and ignorance thrown in. Rome: Bread and Circuses. Trump Regime : Drugs, GOP Jesus, and RAGE.
Seriously.
22
What else can one say other than, our incurious, non-thinking President got snookered by a small time despot. Just like most of his business deals.
20
Whatever works to defuse the tensions on the Korean peninsula.
1
Kim just announced that NK has ramped up production at one of the country's nuclear facilities, so it's hard to credit Trump with having defused the situation. He clearly made things worse.
2
This is nonsense that Trump has softened - he knows as little what he is doing now than he threatened North Korea with fire and brimstone some months ago. The same incompetence and ignorance applies to his economic actions.
19
This is definitely the blind leading the blind.
5
It is interesting how spineless Trump is to strongmen, e.g., Putin, Duterte, Erdoğan, etc. But he shows no mercy to refugees -- especially children who are fleeing from poverty and violence. This sleazy man cannot represent the United States beyond 2020 or he will destroy all the decency and compassion in our politic system.
26
The NOKs are probably moving the football after every exchange and gaining against us on every play. Trump is a sucker for ‘Bro’ love.
13
When you live in a bubble and surrounded by sycophants, you will believe your own narrative. We have a president who has a limited attention span (I am being kind!) and who is impatient for any outcome that doesn't either increase his personal wealth or agree with his own inner monologue.
The "fire and fury" president who gave that embarrassing speech at the United Nations is now the "forever friend" president, who believes that, thanks to him, we averted war with Kim Jong-Un. It would be laughable if this were a comedy routine. But Donald Trump's presidency is tragic for the country.
19
In comparing NK to Iran, logic would have Trump staying in the Deal for national security reasons, continuity with US policy for future negotiations, and for world relations. So why in the world would he go to lengths to appease Israel and Saudi Arabia when it could mean Iranian nuclear proliferation, alienating the rest of the world, as well as demeaning US trust for future deals?
Did it have anything to do with the multi $B deals he, Kushner, Schwarzman and Ross made in SA for the sales of US arms and infrastructure? With them, it’s always about money. Their own money. Someone’s making money.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinegara/2017/05/20/blackstone-unveils-4...
10
Money knows no right or wrong; it is a goal in and of itself. It is the true object of GOP worship (NOT "Jesus"). Just look at the incarceration facilities for "illegal" immigrants (not to mention our prison-industrial complex): they are companies run by individuals or corporations "connected" with Trump and the GOP.
Then again, what can you expect from a failed casino operator?
1
Because Trump brought up developing the pristine beach areas of North Korea, I suspect that all he cares about in this is Trump properties given exclusive development rights.
What else would Trump and Kim have to say to each other in private?
After nearly 70 years as an American, it is awful to feel this way about a president.
15
After 75 years I feel the same!
Dump trump in 2020 or sooner if possible.
1
But, but, but, Trump has, as he declares ad infinitum, "great chemistry with Kim".
Too bad that this very chemistry is radioactive and has destroyed the few grey cells he possessed, but not the ones of little rocket man.
6
I have no doubt about Trump's claim that he has great chemistry with Kim. However, it means one thing. He agrees with Kim's leadership and the NK system of governing. That should give us reason to pause.
1
"And South Korean officials say that while Mr. Kim might not surrender his entire program anytime soon, he might dismantle parts of it, reducing his readiness to go to war."
North Korea is not ready to go to war, it never has been, and never will be, because Pyongyang knows that the US will crush the Kim Jong Un regime like an insect.
Its through uncritical repetition of false assertions, like that above, attributed to South Korean officials (who have every reason to want to hype the threat from North Korea) that new, misleading narratives take root and alter our understanding of the true situation in East Asia.
3
maybe an insect that can kill a million people while being crushed
I don't believe that he thought any farther than the photo op he got.
Kim to give up his nuclear power? Let's be serious.
My fear is that when trump realizes he has been used, a temper tantrum will follow and there might be a Bolton inspired military action.
Hopefully, saner advisors will prevail!
5
Hey, Donald has moved on. Pompeo will be busy for months if not years with details that Trump could care less about. He has declared success and dreams of the Nobel Prize. Funny how baby jails might squash that dream but not in Donald's mind. Donald functions in a reality the rest of us, including his administration, are not privy to. Kim Jong Un is well aware of the situation and in control of his goals. The world watches this game and says 'at least they are not threatening immediate war'. For that Trump wants the world to kiss his ring. And Kim Jong Un sits tight at home doing what he wants.
7
More and more we are coming to recognize the Trump MO: create some meaningless fireworks, milk the drama, declare victory and move on to the next "success." Hey, folks -- especially the serious media -- it's all bread and circuses, except when it does real harm as in immigration, environmental, regulatory and economic policy.
12
“North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat” is not true.
This is an outright lie by an incompetent President being played by North Korea. This isn’t salesmanship, these are the words of a dishonest man who knows his base will believe every word he says and views facts as Fake News.
10
In a few weeks he will say the same thing about Russia. Seems to me like we are joining the axis of evil.
2
The Con Don and his International Mafia Top 1% Global Financial Elite Robber Baron/radical religion Good Old Boys cabal brethren LOVE the "young leader". They would love to see people in every country brainwashed to do whatever their demented, evil minds can conjure up.
They are using their stolen/inherited wealth to try to destroy OUR world. They are trying to turn it into a cesspool of corruption, death, destruction, rape-pillage-plunder, and a world of fear-anger-hate-chaos.
Who knows why? They are the most socially unconscious, insatiably greedy, fear-anger-hate-death-destruction-rape-pillage-plunder war mongers to walk the planet since Genghis Khan. They think the 5th/15th centuries, Hitler and the 1950s were the good old days.
Sorry, boys and girls. The majority of people across OUR United States of America and the world do not agree and WE THE PEOPLE can and will stop you.
NOW it the time. Now may be the only time.
24
The day before we vote Kim is quite likely to launch the next missile.
15
Are you kidding? The DPRK like what Trump is doing - they are in on the scam. Trump took the heat off them and Kim is getting his marching orders from Xi - or at least he is complicit in the three-card monte they are playing on Trump and Pompeo.
Kim will walk Trump's imaginary line for as long as possible. The rocketry research continues apace and they will not launch another missile until the reentry vehicle is ready for testing.
1
The day after. He doesn't want Trump defeated in any way. He knows how to play Bone Spurs.
1
Trump does or says whatever is apt to produce headlines with his name included. Look for nothing more subtle. You won't find it.
Hey, and it works for him! He rose from doing gambling joints in AC with the Mafia to using the White House as a part time home and getting free chartered plane service to his pad in Florida.
If this had occurred in a satrirical movie, it would have won an Oscar and become a classic.
34
@Penseur - funny you mention satirical movie classics...upon reading another article about Trump's bumbling excursions in policy, an old memory of "The Mouse That Roared" came to mind. I was only 2 when it came out, so I had to google it to see why it popped into my head, but was rewarded by what I read. My fear is that Trump's outcome will be much less successful than the one realized by the Prime Minister of Grand Fenwick.
1
Don the Con has saved us all from a disaster worse than having to watch reruns of "The Apprentice". So glad you and your new friend are hitting it off so well.
Thanks, Don. This should put a dip in sales of Ambien, we can all sleep better knowing that we would have been cinders by now if not for you.
10
Trump thinks saying nice about dictators will make them play nice. Putin and Kim are having him for lunch, and will continue to do so as long as their useful idiot in the White House keeps bragging about the "great relationships" he has with them. One would think that an old neocon like Bolton and First-in-his-Class Pompeo don't have similar illusions, but they seem to be going along with the Tweeter-in-Chief's gut instincts, apparently unaware that they could simply be the stomach rumblings of a dotard desiring another cheeseburger.
18
Best advice I can offer to POTUS re his meetings with Kim and Putin -- You lie down with dogs, you'll get up with fleas.
15
I see two explanations for what Trump is doing with NK. First, he knows that the easiest way to get good press is to create a crisis that he can then "solve". He did that with the economy, stating during the campaign that it was a wreck and then after he took office it was great, even though the long term charts show hardly any deviation from the trend line to tell when he came into power. Likewise, he amps up the threats on NK and makes it look like we are about to go to war and then meets with Kim and suddenly the problem is solved and he is a hero. I sense that there may be also a darker scenario at work. Consider that we have been at odds with NK only because we have had an anticommunist, anti-authoritarian stance in our foreign policy. Thus the Kim family has rightfully felt threatened by us and has wanted to develop a defensive strategy. But I see that strategy as primarily defensive. I don't see why NK would want to actually attack and take over the US. NK would like to reunify with South Korea and we have been in a position of defending SK. But Trump likes dictators and does not see an advantage to the US in defending allies (ie America First). So if his strategy is to stop threatening NK and to no longer defend SK, then he would be correct that there was no longer a nuclear threat to the US from NK.
5
I think to even suggest that there is a simple strategy of "creating a crisis" to then claim "I solved a crisis" is a stretch and too much to attribute to Trump. There simply are no strategies with this ignoramus. He will do and say anything at all at the drop of a hat with no thought, facts, ability to reason, etc.. It just depends on what the last person he talked to said, or maybe even a dream he had, or perhaps just a certain way the sun is or is not shining and he then acts, speaks, types. It does not matter how grave the issue or what is at stake for this country or for people. This is just a game of ego for him. The stupidity and ignorance of this man is staggering. The stupidity and ignorance of those who support him is terrifying.
Now if the president had said something about North Korea (or any of a multitude of other things) that was consistent with something he'd said in the past, that would be news.
13
There's Donald Trump the Reality TV actor doing his Neville Chamberlain impersonation of "Peace in our time." And, then there's the intelligence community's recent assessment that North Korea has accelerated their nuclear program. While this alternative reality charade may continue up to the mid-term election, there's a price for willful ignorance and unrealistic comments like those of of National Security Adviser, John Bolton, that denuclearization can occur in one year. And with a volatile and unstable man ready to unleash "fire and fury" the true reality is truly frightening.
13
Trump will be nice to authoritarian leaders of any sort, but to a friend forget it. Bullies such as Trump will kow tow to other bullies they can not intimidate. It is a sign of their ultimate weakness and much to be feared by those depending on a good outcome for bullies like Trump will give away the store to buy attention. To Trump everything is personal and in this the needs of our country are lost in the ego of this baby in chief.
17
The president’s turnabout after his meeting with Kim in Singapore reflects more his senility than any responsible evaluation of the North Korean leader’s long-term goals. Secretary Pompeo’s meeting with Kim to hash out a plan to verify North Korea’s move to end its nuclear weapons program faces the likelihood that Kim will not abandon his only sure way to retain leverage over the U.S. Our president does not seem to grasp this or, if he does, he is denying what growing intelligence evidence continues to reveal.
Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the international agreement with Iran augurs badly for any efforts Pompeo conducts in Pyongyang. It is a misreading of hardline Iranian government goals and, frankly, the two countries are very different in their geopolitical situations. Iran has something to offer – high grade “sweet” oil. North Korea has nothing to offer. In fact it is a taker and the purveyor of counterfeit currencies and other means of acquiring what it needs on the global market.
Further complicating whatever efforts Pompeo may make is that fact this his boss doubts U.S. intelligence assessments and disdains U.S. European allies and their concerns about Iran and North Korea. The president continues to isolate himself on the world diplomatic stage. Why?
It Trump’s goal is to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, he is really senile. His grandiosity continues to influence his decisions. They are all about him and his need to like his visage in the mirror.
7
There should be enough meetings over the next few years to prevent any lethal action from either side until Trump and Pence are gone.
And part of the faked-news press should praise Trump for his genius-level negotiating skills. One should draw lots every two months to decide which newspaper will try to keep Trump under control.
3
Meetings every few years would be good. To prevent lethal action from the United States. North Koreans are not suicidal. They just want to avoid what happened to Libya and Iraq.
4
The only faked-news I know of that is widely accessed is Fox News.
And for you to think that Trump has "genius-level negotiating skills" tells me that you don't want to know the "real" news.
Trump is simply acting out his "reality" TV show. He merely states there is no longer a nuclear threat and it is gone. He makes numerous boasts and his followers believe him. Fox "News" and Hannity are part of the show. When the economy and the unemployment numbers were improving under President Obama, Fox "News" stated they were false. Now the data is great under Trump. Kim, Putin and Netanyahu play him like a fiddle. Netanyahu criticized the Iran Accord and wants the U.S.to engage Iran militarily. Netanyahu is mute about North Korea. We are being ruled by a Wizard.
8
Salesmanship mode describes it as well as anything. The problem is that Trump is drinking his own snake oil on this as on so many other things.
It's inconceivable for Trump to ever admit he's been taken - it would be a huge blow to his ego. Everything Trump does is always "The biggest", "The best", "Unprecendented", something "Only he could have done." Trump never fails at anything - just ask him.
He is a man easily cajoled by flattery. His plan to meet with Putin alone, with no advisors present, should send up warning flags - except none of Trump's 'advisors' will tell him what he needs to hear instead of what he wants to hear. Putin, of course, will tell him what is best for Putin and Russia. Donald Trump will be thinking "What's best for me?"
There are no honest voices around Trump - just people willing to be used by him while they hope to manipulate him.
25
It's true he will never admit to being taken. What's frightening he doesn't realize when he has been taken. You would think a con man would be the first to recognize when someone is conning him. Not so with Trump.
14
Trump never had a commitment from Kim to denucularize Korea. He was trying to bamboozle the American public like he did enrollees at Trump University. This is important for Trump to show that he was better than Barrack Obama, when he just torpedoed the Iran agreement. The American people, who believe that Trump is a dedicated public servant working for the public good, either don't realize that Trump is a consumate fraud or simply don't care. They will though, when his incompetence becomes a painful and tragic experience for all of us. His minions like Mike Pampaeo, despite Mr. Sanger's best efforts to depict him as knowledgeable and dedicated public servant, must realize that Pampaeo is in this position as Secretary of State because he is as feckless as the man he serves.
39
"How Trump Went From ‘Fire and Fury’ to Dismissing North Korean Nuclear Advances"
He met with the leader of North Korea, they talked, they negotiated, remember?
5
"He met with the leader of North Korea, they talked, they negotiated, remember?"
They met for a few hours, and the greatest deal maker in on the planet played with marbles while Kim played chess.
Yet even some shiny marbles were a gift to Kim, cancelling all mutual "war games" with South Korea, usually called military maneuvers or exercises in adult language.
Next up, in his upcoming tete-a-tate with his BFF, Putin, he might just promise the latter a nice present of cancelling multilateral maneuvers of European NATO members.
1
Why would any one be surprised that trump would declare a victory before a battle or movement (total denuclearization), with North Korea. because he had a brief one on one with the murderous dictator Kim Jong-Un. Most Americans are smarter than that. He brags that we are not at war because of his actions. I say if there is a war eventually with North Korea, it will be because of him. Again trump is not the smartest person in any room.
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Yes, if there is a war with North Korea it will be because the actions of a U.S. president. North Koreans are not the foolish, suicidal clowns this society's collective imagination has created.
From the tone of this article, one wonders if the author had ever negotiated anything in his life. It took a war like, belligerent attitude and tough sanctions to get the negotiation process even started once it starts, the tone certainly becomes more conciliatory. Gestures of good faith then occur, such as the suspension of war game maneuvers.
As for any continuing nuclear activity, I doubt any with non scientific/engineering knowledge understand that you just cannot stop such processes and walk away from material part way through processing.
And I bet we are still doing the regular servicing of our nuclear weapons in the region that would blow North Korea to smithereens if we decided to use them.
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While Trump called for the suspension of joint U.S.-South Korean defensive military exercises (war games as the president mistakenly called them), there has been no outcry about North Korea's continued military exercises and intimidation moves against South Korea and Japan.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the U.S. cooperated with Russian, Ukrainian, and Kazak leaders to round up nuclear stockpiles and place them in secure locations. Then the U.S. helped destroy them. This took time, sure, but it was done. Nothing of the kind has been planned or is even feasible with North Korea. Pompeo is unlikely to pull a rabbit out of a hat in his meeting with Kim simply because Kim's continued power dominance of his own regime depends upon his maintaining the nuclear lever against us.
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I feel surprised not to see an article in the NY Times yet that describes what to the best of my knowledge is North Korea's real reason for sudden willingness to negotiate, in the eight months since September, 2018.
https://medium.com/@damonshulenberger/why-north-korea-came-to-the-table-...
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I think the answer to your question is straightforward and obvious. The NYT and others of their ilk cannot even entertain the notion, much less acknowledge in print, that something positive may be happening while Pres. Trump is in office. In fact, I believe some people may prefer war to acknowledging improvement that might in any way be attributed to Pres. Trump.
While fearing the situation with North Korea is still dangerous, I do believe the danger of an attack on the US is far less than a year ago. I certainly could accept a Nobel for Pres. Trump if the risk of nuclear war really is reduced, though I think this talk is a silly, cynical distraction.
Maybe because the whole article was a person with no qualifications as a journalist or expert in anything he is writing about strung together a bunch of things he learned on the Internet and came up with a theory? I'm not saying it isn't convincing, but he has no credibility.
The only winner from the North Korea talks is North Korea. They gained legitimacy, markets, and world influence. North Korea gave up nothing. Their nuclear arms research continues and the regime is as repressive as ever. All the US got was a photo op for Don the Con and lies from him on the summit.
All the winning. It’s so hard to take.
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Oh, this is fabricated non-story.
Donald Trump, terminally guilty of Obama-envy, tore up his predecessor’s working, effective agreement with Iran.
Trump hated it because he didn’t want to take the time to read and understand it. He accepted the criticism of the 2015 deal from Bibi, Tom Cotton, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton. They all—Bibi excluded—allied themselves to stumble over the booby-trap of making “the perfect the enemy of the good.” Iran allowed humiliating, intrusive inspections to IAEA scientists.
Enter Trump. “Fire and fury” was nothing more than the juvenile taunt “mine’s bigger than yours.” Quickly bored, he took up another diversion, seeing that his belligerent attitude had little effect on Kim Jong-un. He allowed himself to be flattered by South Korea’s Moon Jae-in’s seductive suggestions that a Nobel prize may lie waiting at the end of the long road if he—Trump—moderated his Dr. Strangelove role.
Now, after his Singapore Fling, the benighted and unwise American president seems to think a non-agreement “agreement” with Kim—in which naught but promises were exchanged—will blossom into the delusional fantasy of scaled-back nuclear tests and complete and open verification. “Nuke ‘em Bolton groused that disarmament will take a year. He failed to understand, as did his boss and the fleeced Pompeo, that Iran didn’t have nuclear warheads—only the increasing capability.
President Obama de-fanged Iran at square one. Trump’s seriously in arrears with an armed Kim.
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This is the key. Iran had no weapons AND their facilities were already under IAEA safeguards and inspections, with quarterly reports on the disposition of every gram of their enriched and non-enriched uranium. We have not had visibility into anything in North Korea's nuclear system in 20+ years. AND they DO have nuclear weapons. The key is how many.
"Denuclearization" requires they either turn over, or dismantle under neutral inspection all of them. How many are "all of them"? Estimates are they have somewhere between 20 and 65. How will it be possible to verify that they are all gone. In the case of South Africa, we were sure there were only the 7.
For North Korea, if they turn over 35 and say that's all of them, how will we know there aren't 30 more tucked away safely somewhere. We don't even have a clear idea of all of their facilities (again, unlike Iran). Verification seems an almost impossible task. It took 2 years of intense negotiations to put the JCPOA in place, and that was after months of negotiations that froze everything under the prelim JPA. There seems to be no such effort in the case of North Korea, for a nuclear weapons issue orders of magnitude more difficult to solve.
I'm not optimistic. What I am optimistic of is that just by "talking" and yes, even by North Korea thinking they've put one over on us, that tensions will decrease. That in itself would be a good thing, if North Korea feels it's not being threatened every day.
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When will the USA start denuclearization?
What Kim no doubt knew is what everyone else knows. Trump will never admit a mistake or a failure. Trump asked little of Kim other than an intent to denuclearize. Trump declared victory and came home. That's now his narrative, and he is sticking by it. And Kim can do whatever he wants without criticism.
Like everything else Trump does, the whole trip and meeting was about the show, the entertainment value, and the attention paid to him. Trump is the fake news all the time. Everything Trump does is solely about advancing himself. If there is a secondary benefit somewhere, it is an unintended consequence.
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In "The Art of the Deal" Trump is quoted as saying, "Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper." Trumps inability to pay much, if any, attention to the Daily Briefings isn't important to him because he has "his gut" telling him what to do. In addition to his marvelous gut he has advisers like John Bolton, Stephen Miller, Pompeo, etc. So good luck, America, on a North Korea deal with this set-up!
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For Kim giving up his missiles means the end of his dictatorship. Trump fails to understand the basic fact that Kim is and always will be a brutal dictator. Brutal dictators do not respond to anything less than what they dish out to their own people. As the midterms approach Trump's Korea charade grows into major foreign policy mistake.
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Trump cancelled joint military exercises w/ S. Korea, not so much to placate Kim, but to compromise and weaken another democratic ally. Trump would love it if the entire Korean Peninsula were under Kim, just as he'd prefer a Europe completely under Putin. Although Neville Chamberlain was a naive sucker, he wasn't a fan of his negotiating adversary. Unlike Trump who is both.
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Trump cancelled the exercises to save money. That's all.
And he's not a "fan" of Kim and Putin, although he is their
tool. Sad, sad state of affairs....
Trump needed a PR victory. His visit with Kim created one for him, but apparently only because he branded the meeting a success. As often reported since, there was no real agreement and no reduction in NK nuclear capabilities. This Trump falsified outcome only gives him political cover for the GOP mid-term elections and the Mueller investigation. Once the elections are over, I have no doubt Trump will declare that NK did not adhere to the smoke and mirrors agreement.
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For Trump..all the world is a stage, with him in the center. Once the lights go out, he is off to another stage, and then another---What is left behind are empty seats and closed curtains---Something similar to snake oil salesman in the old west, who moved out of town quickly before their gullible audiences found out that what they were selling were empty promises.
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This assessment o the Korean nuclear threat is sobering.I hope there is no one out there who is naive enough to think that Mr.Trump shaking hands with Mr.Kim in Singapore solved the nuclear threat.The North Koreans spent years and treasure building their capacity and are not going to feel safe giving it up for the modern amenities Mr.Trump promises.The American people cannot accept the lies about our security- Mr.Trump is going to meet with Putin who will play to his vanity.This erratic, uninformed president is actually a threat to our national security.Who will step forward to stop it before it is too late?He is putting us in danger by befriending and believing dictators who have nuclear arms.
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It should be obvious to all the Trump haters that Trump did get something out of the Summit. Kim let him see NK plans for border security.
5
There is an armistice that has been in place for over 65 years since the end of hostilities, thus trump's tweet about "if not for me there would be a war in Korea" is like almost everything he says wrong. There has been a war there for close to 70 years. Nothing has changed except that Kim a 34 year old pudge-thug played the American President like a tinny piano. We are less safe today that at any point since the Cuban missile crisis.
Our enemies are getting stronger and our presidents praises them. North Korea is a perfect example,
If we do nothing they get stronger,
If trump acts he choose from the worst available options because he is ignorant and self absorbed
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I give you extra points for "tinny piano". Unfortunately most people don't realize how beautiful A well-built and maintained piano can sound.
1
Everything is “going well”when your eyes and ears are closed to your advisors and the reality of what the eyes and ears in the sky (surveillance) are observing and reporting.
It must be nice to have the confidence that you are never in doubt and never wrong. Only nobody is that capable.
16
So the president wants his summit meeting with Mr. Kim to be judged a success on his say-so? During the past week he’s been consumed with potential Supreme Court nominees to fill an upcoming vacancy which he demands being filled before the November elections.
If the president hadn’t alienated his intelligence agencies and attended their daily briefings as an interested president should do, he’d know that Mr. Kim cannot be trusted and gave him too many concessions at the summit. The president disparaged his predecessor for the Iran Agreement but right now, Iran is not a nuclear power. North Korea is, and because of its nuclear muscle, has no fear of the United States. The North's nuclear capabilities assure Mr. Kim a prominent place in the global community, a country to be reckoned with, and feared.
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The extreme and frequent vacillations of Trump's policies, statements and tweets seem inexplicable and mystifying when viewed from a political standpoint. The key is the point of reference. In physics, its all relative to the position of the observer. In this case its only necessary to shift the perspective from traditional politics, to showmanship. Imagine that Trump is running a TV-Reality-Show, or a Beauty-Pageant. Here, consistency is boring. Entertainment hinges on the new, the novel, the unexpected. Looking through this lens, suddenly everything comes into crystal clear view. Its all bread and circuses for the masses and self-promotion.
24
North Korea already has achieved its prime objective - to make the US military threats against it stop. Look for a nothing burger for an actual agreement. Not to worry, Trump will declare it the best deal agreement ever made and that he and he alone could make it happen.
Of course, a less aggressive posture on both sides is a milestone and should not be ignored, regardless of whether the DPRK gives up its nukes (it won't). The US and the world is safer when nuclear powers stop threatening each other.
7
I think talk that Trump hasn't accomplished much on the North Korea problem misses some real changes.
Trump's poll numbers bumped a few points after he extinguished the talks of war that he himself promulgated.
He's driven South Korea to accept rapprochement likely under less favorable terms.
He's weakened support for regional allies with no quid for his pro quo.
He's probably weakened our joint readiness if hostilities arise.
He's validated Putin as a favored foreign policy adviser.
He's heaped effusive praise on one of the leading abusers of human rights.
And he's let Kim off the hook as far as accelerating production of nuclear bomb making materials.
Trump couldn't have done a worse job if he was a true Manchurian candidate or a Russian mole. His best defense is that he's just incompetent. And all three may be true.
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