Tag: Kim Jung Un

President Trump’s exaggerated claims about the North Korea deal

The following article by Meg Kelly was posted on the Washington Post website July 2, 2018:

President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed an agreement on June 12. But Trump’s claims about what has happened since then lack evidence. (Meg kelly/The Washington Post)

President Trump says the North Korean nuclear threat has dissipated since he signed a brief and vague joint statement with the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, on June 12.

This claim overnight became a key part of Trump’s repertoire. The president has been making assurances about North Korea in virtually all of his public remarks. On June 15, he went so far as to say he had “solved” the problem.

But experts say Trump is getting ahead of himself and is exaggerating or flubbing sensitive details. The agreement with Kim is light on specifics, and much is riding on international negotiations now taking place. The threat, for now, is still looming.

View the complete article on the Washington Post website here.

North Korea working to conceal key aspects of its nuclear program, U.S. officials say

The following article by Ellen Nakashima and Joby Warrick was posted on the Washington Post website June 30, 2018:

Credit: Evan Vucci, AP

U.S. intelligence officials, citing newly obtained evidence, have concluded that North Korea does not intend to fully surrender its nuclear stockpile, and instead is considering ways to conceal the number of weapons it has and secret production facilities, according to U.S. officials.

The evidence, collected in the wake of the June 12 summit in Singapore, points to preparations to deceive the United States about the number of nuclear warheads in North Korea’s arsenal as well as the existence of undisclosed facilities used to make fissile material for nuclear bombs, the officials said.

The findings support a new, previously undisclosed Defense Intelligence Agency estimate that North Korea is unlikely to denuclearize.

View the article here.

Trump admits he’ll ‘find some kind of an excuse’ if nuclear talks fail

The following article by Tommy Christopher was posted on the Shareblue.com website June 12, 2018:

Trump’s already making excuses for himself in case his summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un turns out to be a huge bust.

Trump gave North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un a string of tremendous propaganda victories during their meeting in Singapore, and he’s already preparing for the day that his humiliation of America backfires.

During a press availability at the close of the summit Tuesday, Trump fielded questions for about an hour, and deepened Kim’s victory by effusively praising him, insulting our allies, and even attacking our own military’s readiness exercises as “provocative.” Continue reading “Trump admits he’ll ‘find some kind of an excuse’ if nuclear talks fail”

Fact-checking President Trump’s claims about the North Korea deal

The following article by Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website June 13, 2018:

President Trump views his diplomacy as a great triumph. The Fact Checker examines claims. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

Here’s a roundup of claims made by President Trump at a news conference on June 12 and in an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News about his talks in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

News conference

“Chairman Kim and I just signed a joint statement which he reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula…. We signed a very, very comprehensive document.”

North Korea has a long history of making agreements and then not living up to its obligations. Continue reading “Fact-checking President Trump’s claims about the North Korea deal”

‘A great honor’: In a bid for history, Trump flatters North Korea’s totalitarian leader

The following article by Phillip Rucker and Anne Gearan was posted on the Washington Post website June 11, 2018:

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and President Trump met for the first time on June 12. Here are key moments from the summit in Singapore. (The Washington Post)

SINGAPORE — President Trump shook his hand for 13 long seconds, patted him on the back and led him down a rich red carpet. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be considered the world’s greatest human rights abuser and a totalitarian collector of nuclear weapons, but as they met for the first time here Tuesday, Trump declared himself honored.

“We will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt,” the U.S. president said with a smile, settling into an armchair opposite the North Korean leader. American and North Korean flags framed the improbable detente between two men who at the start of the year were hurling insults at one another and appeared on the brink of nuclear war. Continue reading “‘A great honor’: In a bid for history, Trump flatters North Korea’s totalitarian leader”

Scoop: Classified Israeli report raises doubts over Trump-Kim summit

The following article from Barak Ravid of Israel’s Channel 10 News was posted on the Axios website June 14, 2018:

Trump’s press conference following the summit. Credit: Saul Loeb, AFP, Getty Images

A classified report from Israel’s foreign ministry raises doubts over President Trump’s optimistic statements about his summit with Kim Jong-un, and determines the U.S. retreated from its positions on several issues relating to North Korea’s nuclear program.

Behind the scenes: The classified report, which I obtained a copy of, provides an initial analysis of the summit. It was circulated yesterday by the research department of the Israeli foreign ministry to all Israeli embassies around the world and to many senior officials at the Prime Minister’s office and other government agencies. Continue reading “Scoop: Classified Israeli report raises doubts over Trump-Kim summit”

In Vietnam, Trump blasts critics on Russia as ‘haters and fools’ and appears to call North Korean leader ‘short and fat’

The following article by David Nakamura was posted on the Washington Post website November 12, 2017:

President Trump greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin as they posed for a group photo ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Danang, Vietnam, on Friday. (AFP/ Vietnam News Agency /Getty Images)

HANOI — President Trump on Sunday appeared to ridicule North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as “short and fat,” and he lashed out at critics of his relationship with Russia’s leader, saying they are “haters and fools” who don’t understand the merits of a good relationship with Moscow.

The morning tweetstorm came as Trump prepared for bilateral meetings with Vietnamese leaders, including a scheduled news conference where he could face more questions about the topics he addressed on Twitter.

Trump’s taunt of Kim came after the North Korean leader again called him a “dotard,” a term describing an old person who is losing his mental faculties. Trump, 71, sarcastically responded that he hopes one day to be friends with Kim, who oversees a developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missile arsenal. Continue reading “In Vietnam, Trump blasts critics on Russia as ‘haters and fools’ and appears to call North Korean leader ‘short and fat’”

Lawmakers Fear Trump Making North Korea Situation Worse

The following article by Harriet Sinclair with Newsweek was posted on the National Memo website September 4, 2017:

Donald Trump’s combative tone on North Korea has come under fire from lawmakers concerned that his Twitter rants are exacerbating a delicate situation.

The president previously said he would bring “fire and fury like the world has never seen” in response to North Korea’s threat of physical action in response to further United Nations sanctions.

And following Pyongyang’s announcement on Sunday it had tested “with perfect success” a powerful hydrogen bomb that was capable of being fitted to an intercontinental ballistic missile. Trump again tweeted about reacting with force. Continue reading “Lawmakers Fear Trump Making North Korea Situation Worse”