On Saturday, September 29th, President Donald Trump told supporters that he and North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un had “fallen in love.” Trump made the statement while giving a speech at a Make America Great Again rally in Wheeling, West Virginia.
In a surprising turn of events, Trump, who has called Kim Jong Un “little rocketman” and subsequently been called “dotard” in the past, now claims to have a great relationship with the North Korean Dictator.
Referring to their Singapore summit in June of 2018, Trump said, “I was really being tough, and so was he. And we would go back and forth. And then we fell in love, okay? No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters, and they’re great letters. We fell in love.”
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| The Notebook. Time-Warner, 2004. |
While Trump’s choice of language is admittedly quite odd, the real issue here is his continued support for a brutal dictator and his apparent negligence towards Kim Jong Un’s well-known human rights abuses.
According to a 2017 report by the International Bar Association, a prestigious organization of lawyers, there has been evidence of ”systematic murder (including infanticide), torture, persecution of Christians, rape, forced abortions, starvation and overwork leading to countless deaths,” in addition to other crimes against humanity. The same report said that the Kim regime has “designed and perpetuated a brutal, totalitarian regime, a signature feature of which is a network of political prisons that has no parallel in the world today.”
Trump’s blatant ignorance to Kim Jong Un’s treatment of his own people is concerning to say the least. While it is admittedly important to have a tactful and polite relationship with other countries, Trump seems to be taking it to a new level with his buddy Kim Jong Un.
Do you think Trump should have such an amicable relationship with Kim Jong Un?
Sources:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/09/30/trump-north-koreas-kim-love-beautiful-letters/1478834002/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2018/sep/30/he-wrote-me-beautiful-letters-and-we-fell-in-love-donald-trump-on-kim-jong-un-video
https://www.ibanet.org/Article/NewDetail.aspx?ArticleUid=8ae0f29d-4283-4151-a573-a66b2c1ab480
Sources:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/09/30/trump-north-koreas-kim-love-beautiful-letters/1478834002/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2018/sep/30/he-wrote-me-beautiful-letters-and-we-fell-in-love-donald-trump-on-kim-jong-un-video
https://www.ibanet.org/Article/NewDetail.aspx?ArticleUid=8ae0f29d-4283-4151-a573-a66b2c1ab480
Better than Twilight.
ReplyDeleteDo you think this choice of words is beneficial with regard to having calm relations with North Korea?
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Kim Jong Un is particularly thrilled by Trump saying that they fell in love, but I do see your point about the beneficial aspects of having calm relations with North Korea, because after all they do have nuclear weapons. I think that while it is valuable to have a diplomatic relationship with an unpredictable dictatorial regime (so you can keep an eye on them), it can be done in a way that does not make it seem like you are supporting their dictatorship. Trump clearly does not care that he is associating himself with someone like Kim Jong Un.
DeleteI think that Trump should not be using the words he has chosen to describe his relationship with Kim Jong Un. Then to answer Yev, while it may be good to keep relations with North Korea somewhat amicable, it should not be so friendly as to exchange "love" notes
ReplyDeleteI don't think Trump should have any type of "love" relationship with a dictator. America is a democratic country. As a dictator, Kim Jong Un is the total opposite of a democracy. Trump being "in love" with Kim Jung Un makes me really question if he is turning into a dictator. -Jackie
ReplyDeleteThis just goes to show that Trump never bothers to think before he acts, he blurts out things without realizing the consequences, consequences that rarely affect him. Trump needs to realize that his actions represent the US, and that he should be conscious of this fact. Also the pictures you used are quite
ReplyDelete...amusing. -Peachey
But does Kim Jong Un love Trump back?
ReplyDeleteIt's weird to hear that two leaders have "fallen in love." If I didn't know better I would've thought that Trump was joking because the language he used was really informal and funny. I still don't really understand their relationship and how close they actually are now.
ReplyDeleteI believe that his description of the encounters that led to their "falling in love" does not even provide ample context and reasoning behind the shift in reception towards North Korea. As North Korea has been a country that has held the long-term contempt of the United States, I believe that there should be strong, concrete reasoning behind why the United States is switching positions and supporting North Korean leaders and policy. However, I do not believe that Trump, our chief diplomat, has done so.
ReplyDeleteEvan Chan, Block 3
I believe that Trump should not have an amicable relationship with Kim Jung Un. Although it is a good tactic to show friendliness towards someone as Kim Jung Un to decrease tension between the two countries, it should not be to the extent where they're so friendly he'll ultimately dismiss the dictator's cruel actions and morals.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Trump and Kim Jong Un's relationship is questionable because it seems more like Trump is sucking up and trying to get on North Korea's positive side rather than being professional partners.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that Trump should have such an amicable relationship with Kim Jong Un because I think it is a bad reflection on the US from the other countries looking in. Other countries probably will not want to support us because the US is seemingly supporting such violent treatment of others via Kim Jong Un.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Jacqueline said because the way Trump is portraying his relationship with Kim Jung Un could be taken in many different ways.
ReplyDeleteI'd agree with Peachey and Jacqueline as America shouldn't be promoting the idea of a dictatorship and should be focusing on having a democracy as we should have a say in what goes on in our government. I also think Trump needs to be careful on his choice of words as the whole world is watching him.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Trump should have any relationship with Kim Jong Un. It scares me that the president of the country I'm living in is friends with someone like Kim. They could join power and make a huge mess. lol
ReplyDelete-Allica S.
I think that their friendship is temporary, since there were past disagreements, I don't fully support it.
ReplyDelete@cassandra I agree with what you say. You bring up a good point since we haven't really heard anything from Kim Jong Un's side, it only seems like Trump is trying to force his way into being chill with North Korea.
ReplyDeleteI think Trump's choice of words was a bit odd since he has labeled Kim Jong Un "little rocketman" and "dotard" in the past. While I think it is important for Trump to have a respectful and peaceful relationship with Kim Jong Un, his word choice suggests ignorance towards Kim Jong Un's treatment of his people. -Michelle
ReplyDeleteI don't think Trump should have or joke about having an intimate relationship with Kim Jong Un. America and North Korea are built very differently and as a democracy, we shouldn't be moving toward a dictatorship. The way Trump is saying this, it seems like he may want to moving towards being a dictator.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Trump should have any relationship/friendship with Kim. It embarrassed me when Trump said he "loves" Kim.
ReplyDelete-Carol Y.
I agree that Trump's words were questionable considering he was describing a regime he previously has accused of human rights violations and posed a threat to the United States. To answer Yev's question, I doubt that this is a way to form a better relationship with North Korea, and even if it was it's an extremely bizarre manner of approaching it. If anything comes out of this debacle, people should push for Trump's speeches to be proofread by more people.
ReplyDeleteI find it strange why he worded his phrases the way he did. If this is his way of improving relations, I think he needs to rethink his strategies. I also don't think his wording is appropriate for a dictatorship.
ReplyDeleteI think that Trump's phrasing is very questionable, because it implies that Trump and his administration support and "love" the actions taken in North Korea. I feel like it is glossing over the horrors that occur daily in North Korea and encourages the actions of Kim Jong Un. But, maybe Trump is trying is establish a friendly relationship with Korea to start negotiations regarding their inhumane treatment. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteI don't find it surprising, the behavior of the past and now show that Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have some kind of Love-Hate relationship. I am for the most part disturbed by the vocabulary, but at the same time curious to why he would use those words to describe their relationship.
ReplyDeleteThis seems really sus and unusual as two terrible leaders are joining forces
ReplyDeleteIt is weird how Trump says they have fell in love. But I don't really know what their true relationship is and i would also like to hear from Kim Jong Un as well.
ReplyDeleteI understand that Trump needs to keep good relationships with other world leaders, especially the ones he is trying to negotiate with. However, of all the presidents and world leaders Trump could have “fallen in love” with, Kim Jong Un is by far the worst and the most telling of Trump’s questionable values. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Prime Minister Trudeau, for example, is probably a better choice.
ReplyDeleteI feel like what Trump said could have been worded differently. What he said seems unprofessional in a political relationship, especially with North Korea. What he said implies that he supports what is being done in North Korea.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that Trump's language towards Kim Jong Un is very strange. About the relationship, though, I think it's a bit contradictory for an American president to have such good relation with a dictator. If anything, I would think the president would at least want to change the ways of Kim Jong Un.
ReplyDeleteTrumps choice of words makes me feel very uncomfortable. It sounds very creepy and definitely could've been phrased differently. I also think it is a red flag when our president has such a close relationship with the North Korean dictator as it can influence Trump into making poor decisions.
ReplyDeleteI feel like President Trump might be trying to seek for attention by portraying an "intimate" friendship between him and Kim Jong Un. However, I fail to understand why the representative of our country, one who should stand for "liberty and justice for all", is befriending a cruel dictator who deprives his citizens of rights to enrich himself. Trump is essentially ignoring and saying that it is okay to be a dictator. It is even more important to educate people on their ignorances and show them the world's problems today. No matter Republican or Democrat, it is not okay to be ignorant, and Trump is not setting the best example right now.
ReplyDeletethis is jessie c...sorry I don't know why it came up as unknown:(
DeleteI also find it unsettling that a leader of a democracy and a leader of a dictatorship are "in love", but as long as their relationship is not sour, then I think it's fine. If it prevents tension between the U.S. and North Korea and doesn't lead to nuclear war or war in genera, then Trump and Kim Jong-Un can continue their love.
ReplyDeleteI think this relationship reflects poorly on the United States. We shouldn't be enabling a Dictator and Trumps language while describing his relationship with Kim Jong-Un is extremely unprofessional. I suspect that Trump doesn't truly understand all the horrible things Kim Jong-Un has done but at the same time this relationship is better than tension. As Jason said, if this relationship prevents nuclear war than their romance can continue.
ReplyDelete-Lea