SLASHES
SLASHES >>> ARE WE CLOSE TO SEEING
MR. KIM HERE AT THE WHITE HOUSE?
>> IT COULD HAPPEN.
I MEAN --
I MEAN -- >> THEY TALK ABOUT THAT
YESTERDAY?
YESTERDAY? >> I THINK IT’S SOMETHING THAT
COULD HAPPEN, YEAH.
HEY, HE’S THE HEAD OF A COUNTRY,
AND I MEAN HE IS THE STRONG
HEAD.
HEAD. DON’T LET ANYONE THINK ANYTHING
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> HE SPEAKS, AND HIS PEOPLE SIT
UP AT ATTENTION.
I WANT MY PEOPLE TO DO THE SAME.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP ONCE AGAIN
PRAISING NORTH KOREAN DICTATOR
KIM JONG-UN AND KIM’S CONTROL
OVER THE PEOPLE OF NORTH KOREA
DURING AN INTERVIEW THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. WHEN LATER PRESSED BY A REPORTER
AT AN IMPROMPTU PRESS CONFERENCE
ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN, TRUMP
INSISTED THAT HE WAS JUST
JOKING.
JOKING. THE PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS FOLLOW
THE WASHINGTON’S POST’S
REPORTING ABOUT TRUMP’S VISIT TO
SINGAPORE.
SINGAPORE. QUOTE, AT ONE POINT AFTER
WATCHING NORTH KOREAN
TELEVISION, WHICH IS ENTIRELY
STATE-RUN, THE PRESIDENT TALKED
ABOUT HOW POSITIVE THE FEMALE
NORTH KOREAN NEWS ANCHOR WAS
TOWARD KIM.
TOWARD KIM. ACCORDING TO TWO PEOPLE FAMILIAR
WITH HIS REMARKS.
HE JOKED THAT EVEN THE
ADMINISTRATION-FRIENDLY FOX NEWS
WAS NOT AS LAVISH IN ITS PRAISE
AS THE STATE TV ANCHOR, ONE OF
THE PEOPLE ADDED, AND THAT MAYBE
HE SHOULD GET A JOB AT U.S.
TELEVISION INSTEAD.
TELEVISION INSTEAD. WITH US TONIGHT, KEN THOMAS,
WHITE HOUSE REPORTER FOR THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS.
ASSOCIATED PRESS. HE WAS ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN
WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP TODAY.
AND RETIRED FOUR-STAR U.S. ARMY
GENERAL BARRY McCAFFREY, A
DECORATED COMBAT VETERAN OF
VIETNAM, A FORMER BATTLEFIELD
COMMANDER IN THE PERSIAN GULF,
NOW AN MSNBC MILITARY ANALYST.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING WITH
US.
US. KEN, YOU WERE THERE AND MAYBE
YOU COULD ADD SOME CONTEXT TO
THIS IF THERE IS ANY TO ADD.
THE PRESIDENT SAYS HE WAS JUST
JOKING IN THAT FOX NEWS
INTERVIEW.
INTERVIEW. EXPLAIN WHAT IT WAS LIKE, THE
INTERACTION BETWEEN THE PRESS
AND THE PRESIDENT AFTER THAT
INTERVIEW.
INTERVIEW. >> WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS --
THERE WAS QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT
HE MEANT IN THIS INTERVIEW.
WE WERE ABLE TO GET A RUNDOWN AS
IT WAS HAPPENING ON FOX.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN
EXAMPLE OF THE PRESIDENT
PRAISING ANOTHER AUTOCRATIC
LEADER.
LEADER. YOU KNOW, WE’VE SEEN IT WITH
DUTERTE IN THE PHILIPPINES.
WE’VE SEEN IT WITH KING SALMAN
IN SAUDI ARABIA.
YOU KNOW, WIFE SEEN IT IN A LOT
OF PLACES, ESPECIALLY WITH
VLADIMIR PUTIN.
VLADIMIR PUTIN. AND YOU HAVE TO JUXTAPOSE IT
WITH THE LACK OF DISCUSSION THAT
WE SAW ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN
SINGAPORE.
SINGAPORE. KIM JONG-UN HAS 100,000 OR MORE
POLITICAL PRISONERS.
POLITICAL PRISONERS. THAT’S THE SIZE OF A CITY LIKE
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, OR
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, AND IT
REALLY DIDN’T MERIT A LOT OF
ATTENTION.
ATTENTION. IT CERTAINLY WASN’T A
PRE-CONDITION TO THE MEETING.
SO I THINK THERE’S CONCERN WHEN
THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS HIGHLY OF
THESE LEADERS AND PRAISES THEM
THAT IT’S -- IT’S AN ABDICATION
OF THE MORAL LEADERSHIP THAT THE
U.S. OFTEN PROVIDES AROUND THE
WORLD AND PRESSES LEADERS TO DO
BETTER ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND TO DO
MORE ON, YOU KNOW, FORCING
DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS.
DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS. >> IN GENERAL, AS KEN SAYS,
THERE IS THIS HISTORY OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP TALKING ABOUT
AUTOCRATIC LEADERS.
AUTOCRATIC LEADERS. HE TALKS ABOUT THE GREAT CONTROL
THEY HAVE, THE GREAT POWER,
THESE SORTS OF THINGS.
IN THIS INSTANCE, I’M WONDERING
CAN YOU SEE ANY CONNECTION, ANY
POTENTIAL CONNECTION BETWEEN
PRESIDENT TRUMP OFFERING THESE
KINDS OF PUBLIC COMMENTS ABOUT
KIM JONG-UN AND ANY POTENTIAL
PROGRESS IN TERMS OF
DENUCLEARIZATION, IN TERMS OF
RESOLVING THIS SITUATION?
COULD ONE AT LEAST POTENTIALLY
BE CONNECTED TO THE OTHER?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL,
I THINK IT’S UTTERLY
PREPOSTEROUS TO TALK ABOUT HOW
THE NORTH KOREAN PEOPLE LOVE
WITH FERVOR KIM JONG-UN.
I MEAN HE’S A MASS MURDERER.
HE’S SLAUGHTERED HUNDREDS OF HIS
SENIOR LEADERS.
SENIOR LEADERS. HE’S A DANGEROUS MAN.
HE’S KILLED HIS OWN FAMILY.
SO TO SOME EXTENT, THIS IS
SIMPLY INANE TALK BY THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. IF HE’S DOING IT BECAUSE HE
THINKS IT’S GOING TO CHANGE
THEIR STRATEGIC WEAPONS OF
NUCLEAR WEAPONS, IT WON’T HAVE
ANY IMPACT ON IT AT ALL.
I THINK WHAT IT DOES HAVE IMPACT
ON IS IT UNSETTLES DEMOCRATIC
NATIONS AND THOUGHTFUL CITIZENS
OF THE UNITED STATES IN
PARTICULAR ON WHAT IS HE UP TO.
DOES HE ACTUALLY ADMIRE
MR. PUTIN, THIS THUG DUTERTE IN
THE PHILIPPINES, ERDOGAN IN
TURKEY WHO IS STAMPING OUT
DEMOCRACY?
DEMOCRACY? IS HE ACTUALLY COMFORTABLE
DEALING -- MORE COMFORTABLE
DEALING WITH AUTOCRATS THAN WITH
THE UK PRIME MINISTER OR ANGELA