Last updated on June 13th, 2018 at 04:41 pm
In the brief moments when Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un appeared before cameras during their summit in Singapore, the American president made a point — more than once — to call it an “honor” to be meeting with the North Korean dictator.
This is a stunning way to greet a murderous tyrant, particularly in the context of Trump’s recent behavior toward Canada, one of America’s strongest allies.
Trump first expressed how honored he was upon shaking hands with Kim:
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Trump shakes hands with Kim Jong Un in Singapore. #ctl #p2 #NuclearSummit pic.twitter.com/ZzBbo8KhXM
– PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) June 12, 2018
Then, when he sat down next to the North Korean leader in front of cameras, he again repeated how honored he was to be sitting next to Kim Jong Un:
Trump says “it’s my honor” to be meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. #ctl #p2 #Trump #NuclearSummit #NorthKorea pic.twitter.com/1dJfm7qL4B
– PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) June 12, 2018
Trump said, “I feel really great. We’re going to have a great discussion and a tremendous success. We’ll be tremendously successful. And it’s my honor, and we will have a terrific relationship. I have no doubt.”
Later on, during a follow-on meeting with Kim that included the president’s extended staff, Trump again told the North Korean leader that he was honored to be with him.
In short, it was a lovefest.
Trump is hugging dictators while pushing away allies
Trump’s treatment of Kim Jong Un, a man running a repressive and murderous regime, stands in stark contrast to his treatment of America’s closest allies.
That was on full display this past weekend at the G7 summit in Canada. Not only did the president spend the days before the summit picking fights with the leaders of France and Canada, but he showed up to the summit late, left early and continued trashing our allies immediately afterward.
Over and over again, Donald Trump has shown that he is more comfortable chatting it up with authoritarian regimes — whether it’s Vladimir Putin of Russia, Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines or Kim Jong Un of North Korea. He repeatedly gives these repressive regimes more respect than America’s closest allies.
This pattern of behavior paints a startling picture of what kind of leader Trump dreams he could be and what style of government he wishes America had.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
