Posted on 06/12/2018 12:48:18 PM PDT by Simon Green
President Donald Trump praised North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un -- a man who leads a government that outside observers say brutalizes and starves its own citizens -- as someone who "loves his people."
Speaking with Voice of America's Greta Van Susteren following his historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday, Trump called Kim "funny" and "smart."
"He's got a great personality. He's a funny guy, he's very smart, he's a great negotiator. He loves his people, not that I'm surprised by that," Trump said. "I think that we have the start of an amazing deal. We're going to denuke North Korea."
North Korea has perpetuated human rights abuses for decades, according to watchdog agencies, human rights groups and the US government. A 2014 report from a United Nations Human Rights Council commission found the country had committed violations including "arbitrary detention, torture, executions and enforced disappearance to political prison camps, violations of the freedoms of thought, expression and religion, (and) discrimination on the basis of State-assigned social class, gender, and disability."
Trump relayed that Kim reacted to discussing human rights "very well" but said they "were talking about the denuclearization 90% of the time."
"I understand the past and, you know, nobody has to tell me, he's a rough guy. He has to be a rough guy or he has been a rough person," Trump said. "He's smart, loves his people, he loves his country. He wants a lot of good things and that's why he's doing this."
"But he's starved them. He's been brutal to them. He still loves his people?" Van Susteren asked.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
That is why you are here and not in a position to blow this opportunity.
Like how much of a fit did you pitch when Reagan changed his tone on the Soviets in order to nudge them along?
Not the best choice of words to describe NK leader. I support Trump but there are times restraint when dealing with the press would better serve him.
Who cares.
“His people” in this case means those who unquestioningly revere him, or at least pretend that they do.
Agreed. I get that Trump cannot come out and flatly describe Kim in terms that are more honest at this time. But nothing wrong with silence on some subjects.
Anyone who KNOWS the domestic situation in North Korea knows this is hogwash:
“I think you have somebody [Kim] that has a great feeling for them. He wants to do right by them [the people in North Korea] and we got along really well.”
It is also totally unnecessary flattery of Kim by Trump, and likely is disheartening to hear (as much as they can) to all the North Koreans in Kim’s gulag. I don’t think Kim is moved, or moved to change internally by this flattery.
This is not about “the deal” [as little specifics as they are yet]. This is about Trump speaking for us, and to outright lie about the leader of North Korea, ignore he is a tyrant that maintains a gulag, and pretend he “loves his people” is a road he need not have traveled.
Excuses. My comments have zip to with CNN or any other news venue.
It was no more necessary to lie about the dictator of North Korea “loving his people”, anymore than it wss to necessarily be confrontational over some issues, at this point.
Carping, complaining, pompous, always 100% negative.
It’s called diplomacy, Greta.
Oh, so now that’s the tack the FAKE NEWS CNN is going to take? Can’t be nice to NK, can’t negotiate with NK, because they’re bad people? Uh huh.
“So what? Doesn’t make a difference what you overlook as long as Trump delivers. Not like you’re going to go over there and tell Trump that he has to call Kim “Hitler” to his face, over and over and over again, with spit flying on to him.”
I did not expect Trump to call Kim “Hitler” to his face. Neither did I expect or feel he needed to lie and pretend Kim “loves his people”. Which ones, the ones locked up in his gulag?
If it was false praise, it was unnecessary. If Trump really believes that then we have a problem.
Making it a personal swipe at me does not change anyone’s opinion.
Judging by all the negative articles today Trump must have made real progress.
“That is why you are here and not in a position to blow this opportunity.”
It is not about “blowing” any “opportunity”.
It is fine to finally open direct dialogue with North Korea. No “opportunity” would have been “blown” by Trump not lying in his pretense that Kim “loves his people”. Which ones, the ones in Kim’s gulag? The defectors he chases down to assassinate around the world? Those in in political work-indoctrination camps? It would have been best if Trump had sad nothing like that, and saying what he did was unnecessary.
It will enter the Midterm elections and GOP candidates will be asked: Do you think, like Donald Trump, that the dictator in North Korea “loves his people”?
It was neither - it was the same as when my mother told people in front us what good kids we were. We knew we weren't good and she knew we weren't good but now we were under pressure to conform or lose face in front of strangers.
President Trump knows exactly what he is doing.
Wow, just like what the left wants to do to conservatives and Christians here. d;^)
This is not about Japan and WWII.
We did not praise the criminal military henchmen of Japan, to get peace. We made them surrender.
It was an entirely different situation, as was the post WWI era AFTER Japan surrendered. Very different than the U.S. and North Korea today.
If CNN doesn’t approve of what President Trump is doing then he must be doing great! MAGA!
You rather get some shots in on this guy than massage his little ego?
IOW blow the chance, but feel good that you called him a @#$%@.
Everything Trump says will get back to him, and then it can all go to crap. Butter him up now, it isnt like you are going to help those N. Koreans any other way short of war.
“I don’t mean any harm with the gulag or the bark soup, I’m a nice guy with a great personality.”
Yeah right. I see what Trump is up to here, but nobody in their right mind is going to believe anyone near the top of the hierarchy in Pyongyang is anything but a thug. Unless they change, of course, could happen. I won’t be holding my breath about any of that.
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