-President Trump and Kim Jong-un met in Singapore Tuesday
for the first-ever summit between an American president
and a North Korean leader.
For more on this, it's time for "A Closer Look."
[ Cheers and applause ]
No matter your feelings on Donald Trump,
he is currently attempting diplomacy over war,
which is undeniably the better option.
That said, I do have some concerns based on some things
Donald Trump did and said yesterday
and also based on the fact that he is Donald Trump.
[ Laughter ]
For example, Trump has managed this summit very much
like a made-for-TV spectacle, fueling speculation
about whether it would even happen or not.
Minting commemorative coins, writing dramatic letters,
and staging photo ops with game-show-sized envelopes.
[ Laughter ]
Look at that -- it looks like Trump is auditioning
to be the next mascot for Gmail.
[ Laughter ]
And the media has responded in kind.
Yesterday, for example, they spent the day
obsessively tracking Kim Jong-un's whereabouts
in Singapore as he made his way about the town.
-Kim Jong-un, someone who rarely leaves his own country --
this is the furthest he's ever traveled --
is out and about on the town in Singapore.
-Kim Jong-un to be out strolling the streets of Singapore.
-Now you see him walking around the streets of Singapore.
He has crowds of people.
I could see across the road lots of people taking photos of him,
waving at him.
-We don't know whether he's going back
to the St. Regis Hotel or for another stop,
but clearly, you know, the night is young for Kim Jong-un.
-As you saw there, he was walking into
the Marina Bay Sands, a very popular hotel
that has a casino inside of it.
-Kim Jong-un hanging out at a nightclub in Singapore.
-Good Lord.
[ Laughter ]
Why not just make an old-timey newsreel?
"Ah, Singapore, the jewel of the Orient.
Folks here are all a-flutter about the upcoming summit.
Why, who's this?
It's none other than North Korean dictator
Kim Jong-un taking a break from torturing his own people
to pose for a few snaps with American businessman Don Trump.
Shake it away, boys!"
[ Laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
Imagine being in that nightclub.
[ Laughter ]
"Is that Kim Jong-un?"
[ Laughter ]
Now, in the run-up to this meeting,
Trump admitted that he wasn't doing much to prepare.
Later, he tried to back away from that comment,
and, as usual, rambled his way into talking about
the 2016 election and Hillary Clinton.
-I didn't say that.
I said I've been preparing all my life.
I always believe in preparation.
But I've been preparing all my life.
You know, these one-week preparations, they don't work.
Just ask Hillary what happened to her in the debates.
-Oh. So Trump prepared for this summit
the same way he prepared for the debates.
What was that meeting like? Just three hours of Trump
stalking Kim Jong-un around a room?
[ Laughter, cheers, applause ]
What happens when the world's slowest pursuer
chases the world's slowest prey?
Tonight on "Planet Earth -- Sloth Versus Slug."
[ Laughter ]
So, Trump admitted he didn't prepare for the summit.
The key question going into the meeting was this.
How would he know if it was a success?
What does success even entail?
And was asked that question over the weekend at the G7 in Canada,
and his answer did not inspire confidence.
-That's a good question -- How long would it take?
I think within the first minute, I'll know.
Just my touch, my feel. That's what I do.
[ Laughter ]
-Touch and feel is not how you determine
the success of a summit.
Touch and feel is how you determine
whether a blouse is made of cotton.
-♪ The touch, the feel of cotton ♪
♪ The fabric of my life ♪
-So Trump said he'd know if Kim was serious
from his touch and feel, and yesterday we got to see
that touch and feel with their first handshake.
The first handshake and photo op in history
with a North Korean leader and an American president.
And I'm sorry, but why can't these guys
find a suit that fits them?
[ Laughter ]
Look at that.
[ Cheers and applause ]
They look like they shop at a store called Business Pajamas.
[ Laughter ]
Looks like a promo picture for a movie called
"Honey, I Shrunk the Dictators."
[ Laughter ]
Trump and Kim then sat down for a one-on-one meeting,
and look at Kim's face.
Is it just me, or is even he confused at how he got here?
[ Laughter ]
It looked like they got set up on a blind date
by their weirdest friend.
Oh, what? They were?
[ Laughter and applause ]
In fact, just when you thought it couldn't get any crazier,
Dennis Rodman was there in Singapore for the summit,
and he was interviewed on CNN wearing a MAGA hat
and a shirt for something called PotCoin.
[ Laughter ]
I'm pretty sure PotCoins are what you have to eat
to hallucinate that interview.
[ Laughter ]
Especially when, for some reason,
Rodman thanked his agent, former Bulls coach Phil Jackson,
and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.
-Can I thank some people, though, while I'm here?
Can I thank some people?
All the good people that stood by me, Darren Prince,
you know, Vo,
all the guys that went with me to North Korea.
You know, I'm thanking Chuck Daly,
I'm thanking Phil Jackson, I'm thanking Jeanie Buss,
I'm thanking Pete Ginopolis,
I'm thanking Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam,
everybody that's supported me all through all these things.
-Chris Cuomo does pretty good there
until his eyebrows shoot up to his hairline.
[ Laughter ]
Man, the news these days really feels like a Mad Lib from 1999.
[ Laughter, cheers, applause ]
In fact, after watching the summit,
you might actually think you O.D.'d on PotCoins
from how often Trump,
a man who has fought with everyone
from allies to war heroes,
complimented brutal dictator Kim Jong-un.
-Very good. Very, very good.
Excellent relationship. Thank you.
He's got a great personality.
He's a, you know, funny guy.
He's a very smart guy. He's a great negotiator.
Well, he is very talented. Anybody that takes over
a situation like he did at 26 years of age
and is able to run it, and run it tough.
-What are you talking about?
[ Laughter ]
This is a guy who starves his own citizens
and assassinates people with antiaircraft guns.
You're talking about him like he started Apple in his garage.
[ Laughter ]
But I guess it shouldn't surprise me that
Trump's idea of talent is getting rich by taking over
your dad's business.
Trump was born on third base,
whereas Kim was born on third base,
and then shot the third baseman.
[ Laughter ]
In fact, Trump seemed as interested in looking forward
at potential business opportunities in North Korea
as he was in getting Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.
-As an example, they have great beaches.
You see that whenever they're exploding
their cannons into the ocean.
[ Laughter ]
I said, "Boy, look at that beach.
Wouldn't that make a great condo behind?"
And I explained, I said, "You know, instead of doing that,
you could have the best hotels in the world right there.
Think of it from a real-estate perspective."
-He accidentally told a great [bleep] joke.
[ Laughter ]
I mean...
[ Cheers and applause ]
..."They have great beaches.
You can see it when they're exploding
their cannons into the oceans" is a great [bleep] joke.
[ Laughter ]
That would be like me coming to work today and saying,
"I accidentally signed a treaty."
[ Laughter ]
Even when he's in the middle of a summit over nuclear weapons,
he's still trying to sell a [bleep] hotel timeshare.
"If you give up your nuclear weapons now,
you can stay one night free at my new Trump Hotel Pyongyang."
[ Laughter ]
But again, diplomacy with North Korea
is undeniably -- it's a good thing.
It is a very good thing.
It's vastly preferable to fiery rhetoric
and threats of nuclear war.
The problem isn't that Trump is engaging in diplomacy.
The problem is that he doesn't know what he's doing
and only cares about optics.
For example, at their working lunch yesterday,
Trump asked photographers to make sure
he and Kim looked good.
But watch Kim's face after Trump's comment.
-Beautiful.
-[ Speaking Korean ]
[ Laughter and applause ]
-Okay. So now here I can -- If you are wondering, I can --
There's an explanation here.
You see, he's a ruthless dictator.
That was the first time he's ever heard that he's not thin.
[ Laughter ]
You're looking at a 10-time
"People's Republic" Sexiest Man in the World.
[ Laughter ]
In fact, Trump is apparently so obsessed with the optics
of this summit that his White House
made an action-movie trailer for the meeting
and played it for reporters before his press conference.
Trump even said he showed the trailer
to Kim Jong-un on an iPad.
Again, this is a real video made by our White House.
♪♪
-7 billion people inhabit planet Earth.
Of those alive today,
only a small number will leave a lasting impact.
Destiny Pictures presents a story of opportunity.
A new story, a new beginning, one of peace.
Two men, two leaders, one destiny.
Featuring President Donald Trump
and Chairman Kim Jong-un
in a meeting to remake history.
-Is that an official White House video
or a direct-to-DVD movie starring Steven Seagal?
[ Laughter ]
"The White House is under siege,
and only one President turned karate master can stop them.
Steven Seagal stars as President Trump
in 'Tae Kwon Donald.'"
[ Laughter ]
Of course, when President Obama said he would meet
with North Korea without pre-conditions,
Republicans mocked him as naive and incompetent,
but, today, Trump supporters are showering him with praise.
In fact, Trump even seemed to make a major concession
to North Korea, apparently without running it by
military officials or South Korea first.
He promised to stop joint military exercises
in the region.
Trump explained his decision this way.
-We call them war games, and I call them war games,
and they're tremendously expensive.
The amount of money that we spend on that is incredible.
We fly in bombers from Guam.
I said -- When I first started, I said,
"Where do the bombers come from?"
Guam, nearby. I said, "Oh, great, nearby.
Where's nearby?" "6 1/2 hours."
6 1/2 hours? That's a long time
for these big, massive planes to be flying to South Korea
to practice, and then drop bombs all over the place,
and then go back to Guam.
I know a lot about airplanes.
[ Laughter ]
-You know a lot about airplanes?
Because people who know a lot about airplanes
don't have to say, "I know a lot about airplanes."
[ Laughter ]
If you got on a flight, you would be worried
if you heard your pilot say, "We're expecting some
light turbulence on our way to sunny Florida.
Should take about 3 1/2 hours. Thanks for flying Delta.
I know a lot about airplanes."
[ Laughter ]
Again, diplomacy, so much better than threats of war,
and if this summit ratchets down the tension,
then that's a good thing.
We just have to hope Trump doesn't mess it up,
because when it comes to messing things up...
-That's what I do.
-This has been "A Closer Look."
[ Cheers and applause ]