Using the initials for North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mr. Carafano added: “If D.P.R.K. is just as isolated, no matter how many selfies Kim has with Trump.”The selfie with Mr. Kim was Mr. Trump’s most celebrated and criticized act during his trip, the one that put on display his flair for improvisation and spectacle. Mr. Trump himself had previously been talked out of just such a move by cautious advisers. In creating his preferred version of the story, Mr. Trump said he just came up with the idea when he woke up in Osaka on Saturday morning and spontaneously posted the message on Twitter. As with so many things, that reality did not fit neatly into the story line Mr. Trump was fashioning, so it was disregarded.

Source: International New York Times July 02, 2019 00:00 UTC