Arguably the world’s most despotic leader – Kim Jong-un met with the so called leader of the free world, President of the United States Donald Trump. This was unprecedented in so many ways: a meeting supposedly meant to find common ground where there were only irreconcilable differences, the burying of the hatchet between two publicly brawling world leaders. We look at what happened at the meeting and its sidelines as well as reactions from the public.
It was a bit like a sales pitch that Trump made to Jong-un: a bizarre action-movie style trailer. The four minute film “two men, two leaders, one destiny” was played just before Trump’s press conference in Singapore. It seemed an exercise in self aggrandizement which was astutely described as “a word salad topped with gratuitous appeasement of a monstrous regime”. Others feel that the video was a veiled warning to the Korean despot with ominous overtones.
While some were interested in the real thing, others decided that the real thing was not as interesting as these impersonators who were charging $10 per picture.
It was a historic handshake, a historic agreement, according to the world press. According to reports, Kim Jong-un has signed a statement committing to denuclearization in return for the suspension of US military exercises in South Korea. The two leaders agreed to halt the so-called “war games” in Korea
The agreement between Trump and Kim Jong-un is being seen as a big concession to North Korea. These are seen as poor exchange for some rather nebulous assurances; the like of which have been made in the past with very little effect. While US allies were surprised, there were celebrations in North Korea; even the expectation of sanctions being lifted.
Even as he had his public spat with Jong-un, Trump had expressed his interest, almost admiration for the North Korean leader. This was confirmed after the two met, when Trump referred to Jon-un as having a ‘great personality’ as being ‘a funny guy’, a ‘great negotiator’ and ‘very smart’. Trump also felt that the authoritarian despot who has about 120,000 people in jail for political reasons ‘loves his people’.
Trump’s admiration for authoritarian Russian leader Vladimir Putin is well known. He has publicly praised the President of Philippines and praised the removal of term limits from the Chinese presidency. He seems to pick fights with allies alarmingly regularly, however. American leader Bernie Sanders tweeted this, and it appears to have an ominous ring of truth to it.
The reactions of people to the Trump-Kim summit have been largely negative. People have scoffed at Trump’s confidence in himself as a consummate dealmaker. They have expressed the view that far from having made a deal that benefits the US, POTUS has been played and has agreed to a grossly disadvantageous deal.
Indian standup comic Vir Das has expressed the view that the summit granted leverage to Jong-un and was a great PR exercise for his oppressive, violent regime. Trump has been singing the praises of a man who starves his own citizens, murders political opponents and orders forcible abortions. As other #TrumpKimSummit tweets pointed out, Trump has conceded ground for no political benefit to America.
Kim Jong-un, hitherto viewed as a brutal tyrant has discovered some new found popularity thanks to this summit. As The Daily Show host explains, this cost him nothing and gained him a great deal as well as ‘Fan Boy No 1’ as Noah refers to Donald Trump.
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