Trump Defends Kim’s Brutal Regime: ‘He’s Doing What He’s Seen Done’

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (R) walks with US President Donald Trump (L) during a break in talks at their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. - D... North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (R) walks with US President Donald Trump (L) during a break in talks at their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. - Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un became on June 12 the first sitting US and North Korean leaders to meet, shake hands and negotiate to end a decades-old nuclear stand-off. (Photo by Anthony WALLACE / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

After enduring a full 25 hours without sleep, President Donald Trump continued to defend North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and his well-documented history of human rights violations on Tuesday, telling VOA’s Greta Van Susteren that Kim’s just “doing what he’s seen done.”

“He’s a rough guy. He has to be a rough guy or he has been a rough person,” Trump told Van Susteren. “But we got along very well. He’s smart, loves his people, he loves his country.”

“But he’s starved them,” Van Susteren asserted, “He’s been brutal to them. He still loves his people?”

“Look, he’s doing what he’s seen done, if you look at it,” he said. “But, I really have to go by today and by yesterday and by a couple of weeks ago because that’s really when this whole thing started.”

 

During a press conference with reporters following the White House’s release of a joint-agreement between Kim and Trump committing to denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, Trump told reporters that he trusted Kim and said he was “talented” for running the country at such a young age.

“Anybody that takes over a situation like he did at 26 years of age and is able to run it and run it tough — I don’t say he was nice, or I don’t say anything about it,” he said.

Latest Livewire
155
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Trump’s response to Greta’s question isn’t word salad. It doesn’t even meet that standard. But the gist is clear: “I approve.”

  2. “Look, he’s doing what he’s seen done, if you look at it,” he said. “But, I really have to go by today and by yesterday and by a couple of weeks ago because that’s really when this whole thing started.”

    OMG is this guy serious?

    Yesterday, today a couple of weeks ago is when what started?

    WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT???

  3. He just spews words - pure nonsense and it qualifies as an answer.

  4. Worst. Fashion. Shoot. Ever.

  5. Avatar for evan evan says:

    If Justin Trudeau wants to get back into Trump’s good graces, he should open up a few well placed concentration camps in Alberta or feed members of his cabinet to mountain lions. I guarantee Canada will be our #1 ally in no time.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

149 more replies

Participants

Avatar for playitagainrowlf Avatar for ghost Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for clemmers Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for becca656 Avatar for jimtoday Avatar for mickeyg Avatar for dont Avatar for thebigragu Avatar for alyoshakaramazov1 Avatar for careysub Avatar for darrtown Avatar for tena Avatar for jonney_5 Avatar for dommyluc Avatar for georgeh Avatar for tsp Avatar for erik_t Avatar for clare Avatar for davidn Avatar for godwit Avatar for swampsofjersey Avatar for c_stedman

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: