UNITED NATIONS — Donald Trump, who orchestrated a spur-of-the-moment June encounter with Kim Jong Un that saw him become the first U.S. president to set foot in North Korea, said Monday that another meeting with the North Korean leader “could happen soon.â€
Trump provided few details, and it wasn’t clear what officials were doing behind the scenes to set up a meeting meant to address a diplomatic impasse over the North’s development of nuclear-armed missiles targeting the U.S. mainland.
But Trump’s comments, even with few specifics backing them up, are tantalizing because there is extreme interest, especially in Japan and South Korea, in whether Trump and Kim can strike a deal on one of the world’s most pressing standoffs.
Trump has also proven that he’s willing to take risks with North Korea that no other U.S. leader has taken, even as critics say his summitry captured the world’s attention but got few concrete results.
Asked on the sidelines of annual General Assembly meetings at the United Nations in New York what it would take for another Kim summit, Trump said: “We’ll see. Right now, people would like to see that happen. I want to know what’s going to be coming out of it. We can know a lot before the summit takes place.â€
Trump also met Monday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the driving force behind the initial diplomacy that led to the first Trump-Kim meeting last year and defused war talk in 2017.
Moon said the Trump-Kim meeting at the Korean border in June was a “historic moment.†Moon said he expects that negotiations between the United States and North Korea will resume soon and there will be another summit.
“I always marvel at your imagination and bold decision-making,†Moon told Trump.
At the heart of the Washington-Pyongyang dispute is the impoverished North’s desire for relief from harsh sanctions imposed as it has boosted its nuclear and missile capabilities. Washington, however, is demanding that Pyongyang first take more comprehensive steps to dismantle a nuclear program that has been painstakingly built over decades.
In recent months, the North has displayed its unhappiness with the tough U.S. stance in a series of short-range weapons tests that experts see as an attempt to increase pressure on Washington and Seoul and build leverage ahead of any new talks.
Trump has repeatedly played down tests of weapons that could strike allies South Korea and Japan, which host tens of thousands of U.S. troops. He also has trumpeted the strength of his rapport with Kim.
“The relationship has been very good,†Trump said again Monday. “We’ll see what happens. But we’d like to see if we can do something. And if we can, that would be great. And if we can’t, that’s fine.â€
Quote by Raine:
Good Morning.
I have a feeling fan will meet shit today.
Trump has just floated an entirely new reason for withholding funding to Ukraine, claiming he did so because “Europe has to put up moneyâ€.
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) September 24, 2019
Trump is now trying to spin the Ukraine scandal into one about European countries not spending enough on foreign aid pic.twitter.com/yEiXNQ0T6Q
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 24, 2019
Quote by Scoopster:
Mornin' all...![]()
Having spent the past day and a half in the bathroom, I think I've had enough of flying shit for a while.
Very solid #Dem House leadership source just confirmed to me that @SpeakerPelosi will announce a formal impeachment inquiry this afternoon and imply that she herself favors impeachment of @realDonaldTrump.
— Howard Fineman (@howardfineman) September 24, 2019
"There comes a time when you have to be moved by the spirit of history to take action to protect and preserve the integrity of our nation. I believe, I truly believe, the time to begin impeachment proceedings against this president has come." —@RepJohnLewis pic.twitter.com/5wlH8wLCz8
— CAP Action (@CAPAction) September 24, 2019
Quote by BobR:
Treasonous tRumpy tried to build a wall
Treasonous tRumpy is headed for a fall
All of his cultists will scream and complain
But tRumpy is headed for jail time and pain
We have been informed by the whistleblower’s counsel that their client would like to speak to our committee and has requested guidance from the Acting DNI as to how to do so.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) September 24, 2019
We‘re in touch with counsel and look forward to the whistleblower’s testimony as soon as this week.
THIS IS HUGE: Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) signal that the panel is pursuing the politically explosive issue of the Ukraine whistleblower on a bipartisan basis by asking for an interview with the person who filed the complaint. https://t.co/ezaD6wa1l3
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) September 24, 2019