Thread: Trump praises Kim Jong Un as 'strong,' 'funny,' 'smart' and a 'great negotiator' in H

Trump praises Kim Jong Un as 'strong,' 'funny,' 'smart' and a 'great negotiator' in Hannity interview

By Alex Pappas | Fox News
4 hours ago

President Trump, in an interview Tuesday with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, complimented North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after their Singapore summit as a “strong guy” and a “great negotiator,” and argued his once-fiery rhetoric directed toward Kim worked.

“He’s got a very good personality, he’s funny, and he’s very, very smart,” Trump said of Kim in the interview that aired Tuesday night. “He’s a great negotiator, and he’s a very strategic kind of a guy.”

The president said he and Kim “got along very well” from “the beginning” of the summit.

That’s in stark contrast to just a few months ago, when the president dismissively referred to Kim as “Little Rocket Man,” and warned North Korea that it “will be met with fire and the fury like the world has never seen” if it provoked the United States with its nuclear program.

But Trump told Hannity he thought his tough style paved the way for Tuesday’s summit. “I think without the rhetoric, we wouldn’t have been here,” Trump said. “I really believe that.”

Added Trump: “So, I think the rhetoric, I hated to do it. Sometimes I felt foolish doing it. But we had no choice. “

The president left Singapore after the two leaders signed a document stating Pyongyang would work toward “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” The historic agreement came after the two leaders held several meetings throughout the day.

Trump reiterated plans to end joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.
The stark difference between a strategy of peace through strength versus a strategy of bribery and appeasement.

“So, we’re not going to be doing the war games as long as we’re negotiating in good faith,” Trump said.

The joint declaration stated that the U.S. has committed to providing “security guarantees” to Pyongyang. Whether the unpredictable North Korean leader will follow through remains unclear, but Trump sounded optimistic as he left the summit.

“His country has to be denuked, and he understood that, he fully understood it,” Trump said. “He didn’t fight it.”

Trump also said in the interview he believed the North Korean leader would start to work toward dismantling his country’s nuclear program “virtually immediately.”

“We want to denuke the entire peninsula,” Trump said.

Lanhee Chen, Hoover fellow and former policy director for the Mitt Romney campaign, explain and Brian McKeon, former Obama defense official explain on 'The Daily Briefing.'

Trump also made a point to say American college student Otto Warmbier — who died last year after being imprisoned by the North Koreans for 15 months — “did not die in vain.”

Warmbier’s parents said Tuesday they were hopeful “something positive” would come from the summit.

“He was a great young man,” Trump said. “But I think without Otto, this whole thing wouldn’t have happened.”

The president also said it’s possible Kim will make a trip to Washington in the future.

“I think at the right time, he’ll absolutely be coming to the White House, yes,” he said.

Fox News’ Judson Berger and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018...interview.html

This was a really great interview. Thank you Mr. President and thank you Hannity and Fox New for bringing it to US. I hope everything moves forward the way we would like it, with complete denuclearization as quickly as possible, so can soon put a check mark on that one as Mission Accomplished.

You may have to deal with this murderous little mouse of a man, Trump, but you don't have to praise him.

There's nothing wrong with praising him, is there? It lets us know what he's like, and the more we know the better off we are, because we're going to be dealing with him for a very, very long time.

Originally Posted by MW

You may have to deal with this murderous little mouse of a man, Trump, but you don't have to praise him.

Poking the bear as you are trying to get their cooperation is not an intelligent tactic.

We have criminals, such as Ted Kennedy who killed a girl, praised as a statesman after that. In general, we forgive murders, and others, after they have served their time. Some become religious "leaders".

It's not that I think we should forget what Kim did and become best buddies with him, but as we are trying to get his cooperation, it best to make him feel not threatened. He is a product of his father. But he can change. And given the choice between winning him over and going to war, I say give peace a chance!

The Democrats insist that President Trump was a failure because he didn't walk out of the meeting with all of the nukes under his arms. There is a reality they are clueless about. If Kim stops his nuclear program tomorrow, he wins. The money he wastes on those programs can benefit the rest of his country. And as that happens he will be more willing to trust the rest of the world. But we have seen that when confronted, both he and President Trump ratchet up the rhetoric. While that got us here, it does not facilitate eventual peace if continued.