Donald Trump on North Korea

Donald Trump on the North Korea Nuclear Threat

THEN
NOW


2018
2019 - 2020

Donald Trump on North Korea Then
Quotes by Donald Trump on North Korea Now

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#DonaldTrump 6/13/18: "There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea." » #Trump 2/3/19: "North Korea is absolutely talking ❲about denuclearization❳. And I think North Korea wants to make a deal." Click To Tweet

Donald Trump on the North Korea Nuclear Threat

THEN

2018

Quotes by Donald Trump on North Korea Then
“Everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea.”

NOW

2019 - 2020

Donald Trump on North Korea Now
“[That Kim Jong-un very likely won’t give up his nuclear weapons program is] what the intelligence chief thinks, and I think there’s a good possibility of that too. But there’s also a very good chance that we will make a deal… We’ll see what happens. Now that doesn’t mean we’re going to make a deal. But certainly I think we have a very good chance of making a deal…

“North Korea is absolutely talking. And I think North Korea wants to make a deal.”
Feb 3, 2019 -

CBS News, Feb 3, 2019
Transcript: President Trump on 'Face the Nation,' February 3, 2019

(retrieved 2/3/19)
#DonaldTrump 6/13/18: "There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea." » #Trump 2/28/19: "Unfortunately, we didn’t get all the way that ultimately made sense for the United States of America." Click To Tweet
“We continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months. If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one. And Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam.”
Feb 6, 2019 -

State of the Union Speech

CNN, Feb 6, 2019
State of the Union 2019: Read the full transcript

(retrieved 2/6/19)
“We literally just left — we spent pretty much all day with Kim Jong-un… I think actually it was a very productive two days. But sometimes you have to walk…

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get all the way that ultimately made sense for the United States of America. I think Chairman Kim was hopeful that we would. We asked him to do more. He was unprepared to do that, but I’m optimistic. I hope our teams will get together in the days and weeks ahead and work out. It’s a very complex problem. We have said since the beginning this would take time…

“Basically they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety, and we couldn’t do that. They were willing to denuke a large portion of the areas that we wanted, but we couldn’t give up all of the sanctions for that, so we’ll continue to work and we’ll see. But we had to walk away from that particular suggestion. We had to walk away from that…

“We have to have sanctions and he wants to denuke, but he wants to just do areas that are less important than the areas that we want…

“And one of the things importantly that Chairman Kim promised me last night is regardless he’s not going to do testing of rockets and nuclear — not going to do testing. So, you know, I trust him, and I take him at his word. I hope that’s true.”
Feb 28, 2019 -

Press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam

Vox, Feb 28, 2019
Read the full transcript of Trump’s North Korea summit press conference in Vietnam

(retrieved 2/28/19)
starts at 2:04
#DonaldTrump 6/13/18: "There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea." » #Trump 2/28/19: "We’re working towards something, but we didn’t sign anything today, it didn’t quite work out." Click To Tweet
“We’re working towards something, but we didn’t sign anything today, it didn’t quite work out. I would say that I wasn’t satisfied and perhaps he wasn’t satisfied. Good relationship, but I decided this wasn’t the right time to sign something so we’ll see what happens over a period of time… They wanted to de-nuke certain areas and I wanted everything. The sanctions are there and I didn’t want to give up the sanctions, unless we had a real program. And they’re not ready for that and I understand that fully, I really do.”
Feb 28, 2019 -

Fox News, Feb 28, 2019
'Hannity' exclusive: Trump explains decision to exit Kim negotiation

(retrieved 2/28/19)
“As you know I just returned from Vietnam. I had a very productive meeting with Kim Jong-un. We get along. We developed a good relationship. Very good. We made great historic progress… I had to walk, because every once in a while, you have to walk. The deal was not a deal. It was not acceptable to me… The one thing we have done is we have no testing, no missiles or rockets going up. No nuclear testing.”
March 2, 2019 -

C-SPAN, March 2, 2019
President Trump at Conservative Political Action Conference

(retrieved 3/2/19)
quote starts at beginning
“The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed. That was my position long before I became President. Also, reducing tensions with North Korea at this time is a good thing!”
“For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar & fraudster [Michael Cohen], at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the ‘walk.'”
“There’s been no testing, no anything… But right now– I will actually show you the letter [from Kim Jong-un]. But– I’d show it to you a little bit off the record. But it was– a very nice letter…
“I don’t know . I hope not. He promised me he wouldn’t be. He promised we– me he wouldn’t be testing. I think he’d like to meet again. And I think he likes me a lot.”
Jun 16, 2019 -

ABC News, Jun 16, 2019
Transcript: ABC News' George Stephanopoulos' exclusive interview with President Trump

(retrieved 6/21/19)
“Kim Jong Un and North Korea tested 3 short range missiles over the last number of days. These missiles tests are not a violation of our signed Singapore agreement, nor was there discussion of short range missiles when we shook hands. There may be a United Nations violation, but Chairman Kim does not want to disappoint me with a violation of trust, there is far too much for North Korea to gain – the potential as a Country, under Kim Jong Un’s leadership, is unlimited. Also, there is far too much to lose. I may be wrong, but I believe that Chariman [sic] Kim has a great and beautiful vision for his country, and only the United States, with me as President, can make that vision come true. He will do the right thing because he is far too smart not to, and he does not want to disappoint his friend, President Trump!”
“In a letter to me sent by Kim Jong-un, he stated, very nicely, that he would like to meet and start negotiations as soon as the joint U.S./South Korea joint exercise are over. It was a long letter, much of it complaining about the ridiculous and expensive exercises. It was also a small apology for testing the short range missiles, and that this testing would stop when the exercises end. I look forward to seeing Kim Jong Un in the not too distant future! A nuclear free North Korea will lead to one of the most successful countries in the world!”
“I think we are doing fine. Yeah, sure, it’s North Korea has seen their testing short range missiles been doing it a long time. I received a nice note from him recently, it was a nice note. I think we are doing fine… I have a good relationship with Kim Jong-un.”
April 18, 2020 -

Real Clear Politics, April 18, 2020
Trump: 'Our Relationship With China Was Good Until They Did This'

(retrieved 4/23/20)

Context

On December 20, 2018 a commentary published by state-run Korean Central News Agency declared that North Korea will not relinquish its nuclear weapons until the United States eliminates its own “nuclear threat”:1CNN, Dec 20, 2018
North Korea says it will not denuclearize until the US eliminates ‘nuclear threat’
retrieved 2/3/19
“The proper definition of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is completely eliminating the American nuclear threat to North Korea before eliminating our nuclear capability…

[Total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula should include the removal of nuclear threats from] not only the North and the South, but from all neighboring areas.”

On January 27, 2019 Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released the annual “Worldwide Threat Assessment Report of the National Intelligence Community.” The report includes the assessment that North Korea is unlikely to give up its nuclear stockpiles.2New York Times, Jan 29, 2019
On North Korea and Iran, Intelligence Chiefs Contradict Trump
retrieved 1/31/19

#DonaldTrump 6/13/18: "There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea." » #Trump 3/2/19: "I had to walk, because every once in a while, you have to walk. The deal was not a deal." Click To Tweet

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