Trump celebrates historic summit with NoKo's Kim Jong Un
Critics warn President Trump that he shouldn't trust a brutal regime that has broken agreements in the past, such as North Korea; chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports from Singapore.
President Trump’s historic summit with Kim Jong Un could be the first step to the Hermit Kingdom dismantling its country’s nuclear program – but Bitter Bettys throughout the mainstream media found ways to slam the event.
CNN global affairs analyst Max Boot chalked up the meeting as something that “any previous president could have done,” while MSNBC regular Jon Meacham claimed “just because something hasn't happened before, doesn't mean it's historic.”
Trump left Singapore after the two leaders signed a document stating Pyongyang would work toward "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." But CNN and MSNBC decided to harp on things like the food that was served and flag placement.
CNN took a break from its usual habit of criticizing the president for consuming too much soda and fast food to allege that the summit’s menu was too upscale. Samantha Vinograd, the network’s national security analyst, proclaimed that the United States legitimized Kim by releasing the details of the food served during a working lunch. Vinograd said the menu puts Kim on “equal footing with other world leaders, which is what he wants,” before downplaying the working lunch as “perfunctory.”
“If [White House Press Secretary] Sarah Sanders is in the room… they are not diving into the kind of classified details that are going to lead to the substance,” Vinograd said.
“CNN Tonight” host Don Lemon made sure to add that the meal served to Kim and Trump sounded “very expensive.”
Political analyst Jonathan Wachtel, who was in-studio to cover the summit for CNN, then essentially stated that Trump and Kim should not have been served a decent meal.
“The poor North Korean people. If they knew what is being dished out there… they can’t even imagine the types of foods,” said Wachtel, a former Fox News journalist.
Wachtel’s comment is ironic, as he also used to work at the United Nations, where the fancy dining room regularly serves representatives from hostile nations and is considered one of the swankiest restaurants in New York City.
When MSNBC wasn’t focused on the atrocities Kim has committed, it spent a lot of the evening criticizing the fact that the American flag was placed side-by-side with the North Korean flag.
Obama adviser-turned-MSNBC correspondent Ben Rhodes called the summit a “spectacle” while bragging about how much more prepared the Obama administration was for the Iranian nuclear deal than the Trump administration was for the summit. At one point, Brian Williams corrected himself for saying that Kim and Trump were equivalent, while Rhodes interrupted, “They are now, though.”
MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace repeatedly called Trump a “liar,” making it a point to say that being dishonest is something he has in common with Kim.
While nobody will argue that Kim isn't a ruthless dictator, it’s unclear how peace could be achieved without leaders attempting to negotiate – but MSNBC’s biggest star didn’t seem to care.
"I don't think we should sugar coat what the president has done here by agreeing to this meeting. North Korea is the most repressive dictatorship on Earth, arguably,” Rachel Maddow said during the coverage.
ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos referred to Trump as “President Chump” before correcting himself during the network’s summit coverage, while NBC’s Andrea Mitchell said that Trump agreeing to meet has made Kim look like a “rock star.”
“He’s now accepted in the international community in a way that he never could have been if Donald Trump has not conferred this summit on him,” Mitchell said.
Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci told Fox News that the mainstream media is being “dishonest,” and Media Research Center vice president Dan Gainor echoed his analysis.
“The No. 1 way Trump scares the media and the left isn't with the possibility he will fail to get peace with North Korea. They fear he will succeed and deserve the Nobel Peace Prize."
“The media are more desperate than usual with their North Korea narrative. Trump hasn't just defied their expectations. He has defied the caricature they drew of him by trying something very difficult – peace,” Gainor told Fox News. “It doesn't mean he will succeed, even Trump admits this. But media outlets that were thrilled Obama opened the door to Cuba are angry Trump is trying to denuclearize North Korea.”
Numerous liberal pundits and politicians have painted the meeting as a victory for Kim, regardless of what transpired, simply because he was able to meet with Trump. Clinton administration UN ambassador Bill Richardson told the Washington Post that it was a win for North Korea “because it illustrates the stature of Kim as a world figure and helps him domestically,” although Richardson added that it would be worth it if a deal is achieved.
“The No. 1 way Trump scares the media and the left isn't with the possibility he will fail to get peace with North Korea. They fear he will succeed and deserve the Nobel Peace Prize,” Gainor said.
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