Trump's strategy for dealing with Kim Jong Un: 'You're crazy? How about this?'


The time and place of the summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly been set, with the whole world watching to see if the U.S. president can successfully reach an agreement with Pyongyang about denuclearization.
But Trump, who is working with a foundation set by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, apparently wants to keep Kim on his toes ahead of the meeting, Axios reports. "No one knows what I'm going to do," one person familiar with Trump paraphrased him as saying. "They are over there trying right now to analyze every statement I'm putting out to get a sense of what's going to happen when I walk into the room. But the fact of the matter is nobody knows."
Trump has publicly gone back and forth on Kim. During heightened tensions several months ago, he called the leader "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy," although as recently as April he praised Kim as "very honorable." As one person explained at the time to Axios, "Kim Jong Un's entire lineage is having people think he might be crazy. Trump's like: 'You're crazy? How about this?'"
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Reassuring. Read more about the administration's approach to the Kim and the summit at Axios.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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