Trump claims critics 'misinterpreted' his comments on Otto Warmbier, still doesn't condemn Kim Jong Un
President Trump on Friday argued that critics, like Otto Warmbier's parents, had "misinterpreted" his suggestion that North Korea's Kim Jong Un was not responsible for Warmbier's death.
After a summit with Kim in Hanoi on Thursday, Trump said he didn't believe Kim would have allowed Warmbier to die in a North Korean prison camp in 2017 if he had known about his treatment. "[Kim] tells me that he didn't know about it, and I take him at his word," said Trump.
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.
Trump tweeted that he "hold[s] North Korea responsible" for Warmbier's death. CNN's Kaitlan Collins points out that Trump was asked whether he holds Kim personally responsible, not whether he blames North Korea more generally. CBS News' Kathryn Watson noted that Trump's tweets still didn't condemn the dictator, so they don't exactly clarify the situation. "Remember, I got Otto out," Trump wrote. "The previous administration did nothing." Summer Meza
-
How the Bondi massacre unfoldedIn Depth Deadly terrorist attack during Hanukkah celebration in Sydney prompts review of Australia’s gun control laws and reckoning over global rise in antisemitism
-
Received a gift card this holiday season? Here’s how to maximize it.The Explainer Make the most of your present
-
‘Lumpy skin’ protests intensify across France as farmers fight cullIN THE SPOTLIGHT A bovine outbreak coupled with ongoing governmental frustrations is causing major problems for French civil society
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
