White House appears to backtrack on Trumps historic meeting with Kim Jong Un

[applegrove]

https://thinkprogress.org/white-house-mixed-messages-north-korea-4fb1fb714097/

LUKE BARNES at Think Progress


"SNIP..........

But on Friday, reporters starting asking the pesky questions of just when and under what circumstances Trump would meet with Kim, and White House officials adopted a distinctly more guarded tone. In the daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that North Korea would have to verify that it is denuclearizing before the meeting takes place — which seems to contradict the Trump administration’s initial statement that Trump had already accepted the summit and would meet Kim “as soon as possible.”


“Let’s be clear the United States has made zero concessions,” Sanders said. “This meeting won’t take place without concrete actions that match the promises that have been made by North Korea.”

But then the White House appeared to flip again, with an official reportedly telling the Wall Street Journal that “the invitation has been extended and accepted and that stands.”


Behind the scenes, an even more haphazard situation is emerging. According to the New York Times, Trump was not scheduled to meet South Korean envoy Chung Eui-yong on Thursday, but requested it when he heard Chung was in the White House on unrelated business. Trump summoned Chung and asked him about his recent meeting with Kim on Monday. When Chung told Trump that Kim wanted to meet, Trump immediately said yes and instructed him to go brief the press corps, which he dutifully did that night.

...........SNIP"

[bettyellen]

1. They quite deliberately tell the press two different stories in order to discredit them-

And also, to not take a position or take responsibility for anything.

[applegrove]

4. I think Trump has a 3D mind which is not condusive to a track.

[bettyellen]

5. I think thats true and its good cover- but the one thing everyone influencing him agrees on is the

need to discredit the main stream media. Putin, Stone and Bannon all agree strongly on this- and it has been working for his base. It was a huge thing in his campaign, and even he’s not too stupid to see it worked.
In a way I think they’re a stand in for women, LGBQT and POC .... anyone tolerant is to be attacked becasue direct bigotry must be hidden.

[Miles Archer]

2. I tend to go with the thought that was expressed earlier today on Twitter

"Kim will throw him a parade and win his heart."

Trump's "There's a major announcement coming today and I hope you give me credit" remark tells us all we need to know.

It's a big, beautiful wall that ain't a-gonna get built.

[Botany]

3. Just because all US Presidents of both parties choose not to meet w/the leader of N. Korea for

40 + years (?) because they did not want to give him a stage and Trump agreed to meet w/
Kin Jung Un w/out talking to the State Dept., the CIA, or our military and now he looks to be
boo boo mcfool to the world is no reason for Trump to try to get out of the meeting.

[duforsure]

6. This isn't anything different from trump

More bait and switch to distract attention away from the Stormy Daniels disaster for them. Especially when they discover he used it for a tax write offs, and probably for many others also. The 13 year old and witness that accused him of raping her, payoff?