Marco Rubio is pretty sure Trump doesn't 'truly believe' Kim is 'that talented'

(Image credit: ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP/Getty Images)

published 12 June 2018

In the hours following President Trump's bombshell summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, much has been made of the American president's use of extremely flattering language to describe the dynastic dictator. Trump raved that Kim, whose regime is among the most brutal on Earth, has a "great personality" and "loves his people," and repeatedly said Kim was a "very talented" politician — even doubling-down when pressed by skeptical reporters.

But never fear, says Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.): The president surely doesn't mean what he says. Rubio told CNN on Tuesday that Trump was simply "trying to butter [Kim] up to make it easier to get a deal with him," hence all the sticky-sweet praise. Trump doesn't actually think Kim is talented, Rubio explained — how could he when Kim merely "inherited the family business from his father and his grandfather," and "the family business is dictatorship"?