Former deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes on Sunday accused President Donald Trump of lying that his predecessor’s administration made several attempts to meet with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, but was rejected.
“Trump is lying. I was there for all 8 years. Obama never sought a meeting with Kim Jong-un. Foreign policy isn’t reality television it’s reality,” noted Rhodes, who served under President Barack Obama. “Photo ops don’t get rid of nuclear weapons, carefully negotiated agreements do.”
Rhodes, who is a political commentator, also said that the current president’s foreign policy was “a failure – from NK to Iran to Venezuela.”
The Hill reports that Trump made the comments about the previous administration’s alleged failed attempts earlier on Sunday during a news conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, claiming that Obama “wanted to meet, and Chairman Kim would not meet him.”
“The Obama administration was begging for a meeting. They were begging for meetings constantly. And Chairman Kim would not meet with him,” Trump added.
Meanwhile, he also invited the North Korean leader to visit the U.S. “when the time is right,” after he himself entered the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), making history as the first sitting American president to do so.
“Leaving South Korea after a wonderful meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un. Stood on the soil of North Korea, an important statement for all, and a great honor!” Trump tweeted after the meeting.
President Trump pointed out that following his trilateral meeting with Kim and the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, he committed to restarting nuclear talks. The President added that he and Kim are “not looking for speed” but instead are “looking to get it right.”
“We are going to have teams, they are going to meet over the next weeks, they are going to start a process and we will see what happens,” Trump said, noting that sanctions against North Korea will remain in place, but “things can happen” during negotiations.
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