Concerns Grow That Trump, Kim Meeting Could Be A Trap
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBSMiami) -- President Donald Trump is planning to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un for disarmament talks even though the two have only traded insults and threats of war in the past.
Skeptics are not expecting the meeting to lead a major change in North Korea's arsenal.
Friday night, the president took to Twitter to silence the skeptics.
"The deal with North Korea is very much in the making and will be, if completed, a very good one for the world. Time and place to be determined," wrote Trump.
In the past, President Trump has made his opinion about North Korea's dictator well known.
"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," said President Trump back on September 19, 2017.
In a stunning shift, the president says he will speak with Kim Jong Un face to face.
The two leaders plan to meet in May, though they have not agreed to exactly when and where.
"We're not in the negotiations right now. We've accepted the invitation to talk based on them following through with concrete actions with the promises that they've made," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
The president was eager to share the development, even popping into the press briefing room for the first time since taking office Thursday night, flagging reporters to a "big" announcement.
Less than two hours later, it came from South Korea's National Security Advisor.
"Kim Jong Un said he is committed to denuclearization," said Chung Eui-Yong, South Korean National Security Adviser.
There is considerable skepticism at the White House and on Capitol Hill that Kim will ever give up his nuclear ambitions along with concerns his invitation to meet the president is a trap.
"My sense is this is basically an effort to undermine international sanctions," said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).
On CBS This Morning, Senator Rubio said Kim knows the U.S. will not agree to his conditions for denuclearization.
"And then he can turn to the international community and say, 'Look, I tried. I'm a reasonable person, but Donald Trump and the Americans are unreasonable," said Rubio.
It could take weeks for details of the meeting to be negotiated.
President Trump tweeted; "Great progress is being made."
In the meantime, sanctions against North Korea will remain in place.
