April 22, 2018

It’s Sunday Morning So Trump Is Tweet-Yelling at His TV Again. This Time About North Korea.

“Sleepy Eyes” is back.

Yomiuri Shimbun via AP

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

Donald Trump is at his Florida resort today, with the television tuned into “Fake News NBC”, where anchor Chuck Todd was previewing his show, Meet the Press.

“There’s not many preconditions the United States is asking for so far in this potential summit,” Todd told Hallie Jackson, about the Trump administration’s planning around talks with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coming weeks. “North Koreans have gotten a lot out of it. What has the United States gotten yet?” (Watch the video here.)

Trump had seen enough. Time for Twitter:

One tiny thing: The only thing North Korea has publicly agreed to so far is halting nuclear testing. “From 21 April, North Korea will stop nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles,” North Korea’s state news agency said over the weekend. Kim Jong Un said he will also close the country’s nuclear testing facility at Punggye-ri.

But this isn’t “denuclearization.” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared to acknowledge that reality when he offered this assessment of the announcement: “What is crucial here … is how this development is going to lead to the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of nuclear arms, weapons of mass destruction and missiles,” he said. “And I will keep a close eye on that.”

Last month, South Korean officials said North Korea had signaled its willingness to negotiate about abandoning its nuclear weapons. “The North expressed its willingness to hold a heartfelt dialogue with the United States on the issues of denuclearization and normalizing relations with the United States,” the South Korean statement said.

Update: He’s still at it:

PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. The deadline’s almost here. Please help us reach our $150k membership goal by May 31.

payment methods

PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. The deadline’s almost here. Please help us reach our $150k membership goal by May 31.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate