By Trump's own criteria, he isn't being a strong or 'great dealmaker' after his North Korea summit

(Image credit: Kevin Lim/The Strait Times/Handout/Getty Images)

published 14 June 2018

Some wags apparently think it fun or instructive to point out that many of the same people, mostly on Fox News, who are publicly celebrating President Trump's summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un previously bristled at the idea of former President Barack Obama negotiating or shaking hands with Kim or lesser and greater geopolitical adversaries and dictators. For example, Sean Hannity:

Or Trump's White House director of strategic communications, Mercedes Schlapp:

Imagine if Obama had actually praised Kim's intelligence and dictatorial toughness on TV? In any case, back in 2013, when Trump was a dealmaking reality TV star, he had some probably sage advice for the president who is currently lauding his great victory on a nascent denuclearization process that Kim Jong Un hasn't yet detailed in writing.

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One concern with Trump puffing up the North Korea negotiations, as 2013 Trump might tell you, is that now 2018 Trump has claimed "there is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea," he is under greater pressure to make sure that's true, and Kim Jong Un can wrest even more concessions out of him or put less on the table — after all, as Trump says, Kim's "a great negotiator." On the other hand, North Korea is celebrating pretty publicly, too. Maybe Kim should read Trump's old tweets.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.