Trump's Gamble on Meeting With Kim Jong Un
Lindsey Ford on MSNBC
Shortly after the White House announced that U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, ASPI Director of Political-Security Affairs Lindsey Ford spoke with MSNBC’s Ali Velshi about the uncertainties and risks involved in such a meeting.
The announcement came as a surprise to many, as the relationship between the United States and North Korea has been tense for the last year due to a number of nuclear and missile tests by North Korea. Ford expresses doubt about a possible meeting taking place, stating “all we have is what the South Koreans have told us; we don’t really have any sort of confirmation on this from the North Koreans themselves.” This is not the first time North Korea has shown willingness to meet with the United States, and Ford points out that North Korean always has conditions attached for making concessions.
Ford believes the Trump administration’s decision to meet with Kim Jong Un is “high risk” and one that was not made in “a thoughtful, considered way.” Ford emphasizes that it is important for the President’s staffers, who will actually work out a deal, to have “as much time and space as possible so that you have the result that you want at the backend.” (5 min., 26 sec.)