Following his summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un Tuesday, President Donald Trump told reporters that he had shown Kim a bizarre fake movie trailer promoting the restoration of normal diplomatic relations between North Korea and the rest of the world.
“Seven billion people inhabit planet Earth,” began the trailer, which the White House played for reporters before Trump answered their questions. “Of those alive today, only a small number will leave a lasting impact. And only the very few will make decisions or take actions that renew their homeland and change the course of history.” (Watch and read a transcript of the trailer below.)
Trump said he’d shown Kim “that tape” in an effort to convince him that opening up North Korea to international investment would be worth it.
“They have great beaches,” the President said. “You see that whenever they are exploding the cannons in the ocean.”
“I said, boy, look at that view. That would make a great condo. I explained it.”
At one point, the trailer even shouts out a production company: “Destiny Pictures presents a story of opportunity: A new story, a new beginning, one of peace.”
But the man behind a real Hollywood production company that shares the same name, Mark Castaldo, told TPM he had nothing to do with it: “We had no involvement in the video,” he said in an email. He separately told The Blast: “It’s not something I would have done or wanted to have been a part of.”
According to his biography on destinypictures.biz, Castaldo “began a professional career in the casino business working 10 years as a croupier in Atlantic City and Las Vegas” before relocating to Los Angeles, “where he currently resides to pursue his passion of telling stories.”
TPM has reached out to the White House for comment.
“[Kim] looked at that tape, he looked at that iPad, and I’m telling you they really enjoyed it, I believe,” Trump said. “Okay?”
The trailer’s narration contains no less than 17 open-ended questions, including buzz about a “sequel” to the Korean War.
“What if a people that share a common and rich heritage can find a common future?” the narrator reads. “Their story is well known, but what will be their sequel?”
Watch (via the Guardian) and read a transcript of the trailer below:
Seven billion people inhabit planet Earth. Of those alive today, only a small number will leave a lasting impact, and only the very few will make decisions or take actions that renew their homeland and change the course of history.
History may appear to repeat itself for generations—cycles that never seem to end. There have been times of relative peace and times of great tension. While this cycle repeats, the light of prosperity and innovation has burned bright for most of the world. History is always evolving, and there comes a time when only a few are called upon to make a difference. But the question is, what difference will the few make? The past doesn’t have to be the future. Out of the darkness can come the light. And the light of hope can burn bright.
What if a people that share a common and rich heritage can find a common future? Their story is well known, but what will be their sequel?
Destiny Pictures presents a story of opportunity: A new story, a new beginning, one of peace. Two men, two leaders, one destiny. A story about a special moment in time, when a man is presented with one chance which may never be repeated. What will he choose? To show vision and leadership? Or not?
There can only be two results. One of moving back, or one of moving forward. A new world can begin today, one of friendship, respect, and goodwill. Be part of that world, where the doors of opportunity are ready to be opened—investment from around the world, where you can have medical breakthroughs, an abundance of resources, innovative technology, and new discoveries.
What if? Can history be changed? Will the world embrace this change? And when could this moment in history begin? It comes down to a choice. On this day. In this time. At this moment. The world will be watching, listening, anticipating, hoping. Will this leader choose to advance his country and be part of a new world? Be the hero of his people? Will he shake the hand of peace and enjoy prosperity like he has never seen? A great life or more isolation? Which path will be chosen?
Featuring President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un in a meeting to remake history. To shine in the sun. One moment, one choice, what if? The future remains to be written.
This post has been updated.
