Trump Announces 'Big Step Back' From Nuclear War, Thanks Chairman Kim
Despite the lack of an agreement on verifiable steps toward removing North Korea’s nuclear weapons, President Donald Trump is heralding his recent summit with Kim Jong Un as solid victory in the pursuit of peace in the region.
In a series of tweets following their one-on-one meeting in Singapore on Tuesday, Trump repeatedly thanked the North Korean dictator for taking part in diplomatic negotiations.
Just landed – a long trip, but everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea. Meeting with Kim Jong Un was an interesting and very positive experience. North Korea has great potential for the future!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2018
Shortly after landing in the U.S., he tweeted that “everybody can now feel much safer” than they did on Inauguration Day.
“There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea,” Trump wrote. “Meeting with Kim Jong Un was an interesting and very positive experience. North Korea has great potential for the future!”
A few minutes later, he tweeted that Americans could finally “sleep well” in the face of a nuclear state that just months ago represented an existential threat to millions of lives.
Before taking office people were assuming that we were going to War with North Korea. President Obama said that North Korea was our biggest and most dangerous problem. No longer – sleep well tonight!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2018
“Before taking office people were assuming that we were going to War with North Korea,” he wrote. “President Obama said that North Korea was our biggest and most dangerous problem. No longer — sleep well tonight!”
His reassurances began just hours after the meeting, including in one tweet thanking “Chairman Kim” for what he presented as evidence of a successful summit.
The World has taken a big step back from potential Nuclear catastrophe! No more rocket launches, nuclear testing or research! The hostages are back home with their families. Thank you to Chairman Kim, our day together was historic!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2018
“The World has taken a big step back from potential Nuclear catastrophe!” he wrote. “No more rocket launches, nuclear testing or research! The hostages are back home with their families. Thank you to Chairman Kim, our day together was historic!”
A document signed by both leaders this week lacked some of the specifics of previous North Korean agreements, leading to concerns that the despotic dynasty will once again go back on its word.
Wendy Sherman, who served as a State Department administrator in the Obama administration, compared the latest agreement unfavorably to previous talks, all of which ultimately collapsed.
“We have not only been here before, but we’ve been here before with much greater specificity,” she said, suggesting this week’s summits did little aside from giving Kim power he had not yet earned.
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