Trump Says Media Coverage Of Planned Talks With Kim Jong Un Is ‘FAKE’

on February 20, 2018 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 20: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Public Safety Medal of Valor award ceremony at the East Room of the White House February 20, 2018 in Washington, DC. The medal is the nation'... WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 20: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Public Safety Medal of Valor award ceremony at the East Room of the White House February 20, 2018 in Washington, DC. The medal is the nation's highest award to public safety officers who have "exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life." (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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This post has been updated.

After the White House on Friday partially walked back the abrupt announcement that President Donald Trump had accepted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s invitation to meet for talks, Trump touted his decision to meet with Kim in tweets on Saturday morning.

Trump told his Twitter followers that he had discussed his plans to meet Kim Jong Un with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He said that both leaders were happy with his plans to meet the North Korean leader.

A couple of hours later, Trump defended himself from critical media coverage of the administration’s quick acceptance of Kim Jong Un’s offer to meet.

The President also said Saturday that he believes Kim will “honor” his pledge not to conduct missile tests.

Trump’s enthusiasm for the potential meeting came after the White House made a concerted effort to exercise caution about the meeting. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Friday that the administration will not “have this meeting take place until we see concrete actions that match the words and the rhetoric of North Korea.”

Facing questions from reporters about Trump’s decision to agree to the meeting without clear actions from the North Korean regime, Sanders pointed out that Kim did commit to stop testing nuclear missiles and allow the U.S. and South Korea to conduct joint military exercises.

“Let’s not forget that the North Koreans did promise something,” she told reporters in Friday’s daily press briefing.

 

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