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


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"?
Rubio added on Twitter that Kim is nothing but a "total weirdo who would not be elected assistant dog catcher in any democracy." Trump, meanwhile, was duly elected president by the American people, after inheriting his family's real estate business from his father and his grandfather.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges