— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 10, 2018During the period that the upside still seemed like the most viable outcome, Trump pointed to the media’s skepticism about his approach to North Korea as incorrect. ‘He’s going to get us into nuclear war,’ they said,” Trump said at that rally in Michigan. The nuclear war would have happened if you had weak people. A few minutes later, though, he couldn’t resist: “We’re going to make a great deal for the world, for North Korea, for South Korea, for Japan, for China.”As a rhetorical strategy, it’s brilliant. It’s clear, though, that Trump’s obvious enthusiasm for the summit gave Kim and North Korea key leverage as discussions moved forward.

Source: Washington Post May 24, 2018 15:34 UTC