Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trump Officials Who Prepped Trump for His Meeting With Kim Jong Un Admit They're Worried, For Exactly the Reason You Think

Trump Officials Who Prepped Trump for His Meeting With Kim Jong Un Admit They're Worried, For Exactly the Reason You Think
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - JUNE 11: In this handout provided by the Singapore's Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) shows U.S. President Donald Trump (center L) with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (R) on June 11, 2018 in Singapore, Singapore. The historic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been scheduled in Singapore for June 12 as the world awaits the landmark summit in the Southeast Asian city-state. (Photo by Singapore's Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)/via Getty Images)

We should all be.

Make us preferred on Google

President Donald Trump arrived in Singapore Monday morning ahead of the highly-anticipated summit with North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un, which takes place on Tuesday, June 12.

But in spite of Trump's assurances that he is capable of making a deal with the reclusive North Korean leader, some officials close to the president are worried that his confidence may be his undoing.


According to the New York Times, sources who have been prepping Trump for tomorrow's historic meeting are concerned that the president's confidence has "allowed him to eschew detailed briefings on how Kim thinks about the world."

Last week, Trump said that he had been "preparing for this moment" his entire life and that he would know "within a minute" whether or not Kim is serious about potentially ending his nuclear weapons program.

When asked how he would know if Kim ends up acting like an honest broker, Trump said it's "just my touch, my feel... it’s what I do," suggesting that instinct, rather than preparation, is the key to getting Kim to spearhead the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Trump also said "attitude" is the key to success in North Korea.

"I feel that Kim Jong Un wants to do something great for his people, and he has that opportunity, and he won't have that opportunity again," Trump has said. "So, I really believe that he's going to do something very positive."

Early Monday morning, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Trump is heading to the summit with "confidence and a positive attitude," and that the only outcome the United States will accept is full "denuclearization" of North Korea.

The stakes surrounding Tuesday's summit are enormous. North Korea's nuclear weapons program has been the country's single domestic priority for more than half a century, and their nuclear arsenal is the only bargaining chip Kim has as a means of getting what he wants.

Experts believe Kim may be seeking relief from decades of crippling sanctions from the West, however very few take seriously the idea that Kim will give up his nuclear weapons.

One major concern is that Kim may have already gotten what he wanted when Trump agreed to the summit. North Korea has long sought to be placed on equal footing with the United States and other western powers. By agreeing to meet Kim without asking for anything in return, Trump may have already overplayed his hand.

In what may be the Freudian slip of the week, Fox News referred to Trump and Kim as "two dictators" on Sunday.

https://www.facebook.com/aScienceEnthusiast/videos/2100652276629873/UzpfSTc3NDQ4NzMxODoxMDE1NjI3NDIzOTY3NzMxOQ/

“Chairman Kim once again clearly expressed his firm commitment to a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” said South Korea’s president Moon Jae-In last month. “What is not so clear to him is how firmly he can trust the United States’ commitment to ending hostile relations and providing security guarantees for his government should it denuclearize.”

North Korea, despite being a hermit-like country that literally keeps its people in the dark, is expected to be extremely well-prepared for its meeting with the President of the United States.

"We shouldn't be fooled by our notion that North Korea is a hermit kingdom," said Wendy Sherman, a former senior State Department official who negotiated with North Korea during the Clinton administration. "We saw Kim Jong Un very ably manage the summit with (South Korean President) Moon Jae-In. He is prepared, he will do his homework."
Other former government officials warn that North Korea's habit of saying one thing and doing another makes Kim a uniquely difficult negotiating partner.
"Whether it is in their manual of negotiation or not, the North Koreans would have an annoying habit of agreeing to something, then coming back and not agreeing to what they had just agreed," said Christopher Hill, who was the Bush administrations chief negotiator with North Korea.
It should also be noted that there are no scientists specializing in nuclear weapons accompanying the president to the summit.
Trump's self-proclaimed dealmaking ability has never been tested like it will be with North Korea, and the public has its concerns.

More from People

JD Vance voting
Samuel Corum/Getty Images

JD Vance Blasted After Viral Video Appears To Show Him Breaking State Law While Voting In Ohio

MAGA Republican Vice President JD Vance voted early in his home state of Ohio, and people are crying foul. Not for his early vote but rather for what he did in the voting booth.

On October 9, Vance traveled to the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Norwood, Ohio, to cast his ballot.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump and Jon Husted
Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images

Trump Marvels Over MAGA Senator's Butt In Bizarre Ohio Rally Moment

In one of the weirder moments at a recent rally in Youngstown, Ohio, President Donald Trump revealed that he was "examining" Republican Senator Jon Husted's "body" while Husted was speaking, even commenting on Husted's butt.

The self-identified "stable genius" shared what he was thinking as Husted spoke, with Trump standing behind him.

Keep ReadingShow less
Katie Zacharia
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump's New White House Press Secretary Just Held Her First Press Briefing—And It Was Painfully Awkward

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia held her first press briefing on Tuesday and it was a truly awkward experience as she struggled to read her written remarks from the podium.

According to a source who spoke toThe New York Post, President Donald Trump met with Zacharia in the Oval Office to prepare her for her first White House briefing, delaying her arrival slightly.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump and protester who was assaulted at his rally
@HQNewsNow/X

Trump Slammed After Mocking Protester's Weight And Brutal Assault At His MAGA Rally

President Donald Trump was criticized after he mocked the appearance of a protester who was shoved and punched in the face at a rally in Ohio to the cheers of those in attendance, who chanted "USA! USA!" after she was escorted out by law-enforcement.

The protester was wearing a "release the Epstein files" shirt when she was physically assaulted by a member of the crowd as Trump watched from the podium during a midterm election rally in Youngstown, Ohio.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shane Gillis; Dan Levy
Saturday Night Live/YouTube; @instadanjlevy/Instagram

Dan Levy Rips 'SNL' Host Shane Gillis For Claiming Women At Gym 'Dress Like Wh*res' In Misogynistic Monologue

Last weekend, comedian Shane Gillis performed the opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, and his words have been widely criticized as sexist, misogynistic, and deeply problematic.

Much of the monologue details going back to the gym to get in better shape, during which he talked about women "dressed like wh*res" and warned other men to not get caught on camera staring at these women, insinuating that he was checking them out while they recorded themselves working out.

Keep ReadingShow less