Subtitles section Play video
-
-President Trump and Kim Jong-un met in Singapore Tuesday
-
for the first-ever summit between an American president
-
and a North Korean leader.
-
For more on this, it's time for "A Closer Look."
-
[ Cheers and applause ]
-
No matter your feelings on Donald Trump,
-
he is currently attempting diplomacy over war,
-
which is undeniably the better option.
-
That said, I do have some concerns based on some things
-
Donald Trump did and said yesterday
-
and also based on the fact that he is Donald Trump.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
For example, Trump has managed this summit very much
-
like a made-for-TV spectacle, fueling speculation
-
about whether it would even happen or not.
-
Minting commemorative coins, writing dramatic letters,
-
and staging photo ops with game-show-sized envelopes.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
Look at that -- it looks like Trump is auditioning
-
to be the next mascot for Gmail.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
And the media has responded in kind.
-
Yesterday, for example, they spent the day
-
obsessively tracking Kim Jong-un's whereabouts
-
in Singapore as he made his way about the town.
-
-Kim Jong-un, someone who rarely leaves his own country --
-
this is the furthest he's ever traveled --
-
is out and about on the town in Singapore.
-
-Kim Jong-un to be out strolling the streets of Singapore.
-
-Now you see him walking around the streets of Singapore.
-
He has crowds of people.
-
I could see across the road lots of people taking photos of him,
-
waving at him.
-
-We don't know whether he's going back
-
to the St. Regis Hotel or for another stop,
-
but clearly, you know, the night is young for Kim Jong-un.
-
-As you saw there, he was walking into
-
the Marina Bay Sands, a very popular hotel
-
that has a casino inside of it.
-
-Kim Jong-un hanging out at a nightclub in Singapore.
-
-Good Lord.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
Why not just make an old-timey newsreel?
-
"Ah, Singapore, the jewel of the Orient.
-
Folks here are all a-flutter about the upcoming summit.
-
Why, who's this?
-
It's none other than North Korean dictator
-
Kim Jong-un taking a break from torturing his own people
-
to pose for a few snaps with American businessman Don Trump.
-
Shake it away, boys!"
-
[ Laughter ]
-
[ Cheers and applause ]
-
Imagine being in that nightclub.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
"Is that Kim Jong-un?"
-
[ Laughter ]
-
Now, in the run-up to this meeting,
-
Trump admitted that he wasn't doing much to prepare.
-
Later, he tried to back away from that comment,
-
and, as usual, rambled his way into talking about
-
the 2016 election and Hillary Clinton.
-
-I didn't say that.
-
I said I've been preparing all my life.
-
I always believe in preparation.
-
But I've been preparing all my life.
-
You know, these one-week preparations, they don't work.
-
Just ask Hillary what happened to her in the debates.
-
-Oh. So Trump prepared for this summit
-
the same way he prepared for the debates.
-
What was that meeting like? Just three hours of Trump
-
stalking Kim Jong-un around a room?
-
[ Laughter, cheers, applause ]
-
What happens when the world's slowest pursuer
-
chases the world's slowest prey?
-
Tonight on "Planet Earth -- Sloth Versus Slug."
-
[ Laughter ]
-
So, Trump admitted he didn't prepare for the summit.
-
The key question going into the meeting was this.
-
How would he know if it was a success?
-
What does success even entail?
-
And was asked that question over the weekend at the G7 in Canada,
-
and his answer did not inspire confidence.
-
-That's a good question -- How long would it take?
-
I think within the first minute, I'll know.
-
Just my touch, my feel. That's what I do.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
-Touch and feel is not how you determine
-
the success of a summit.
-
Touch and feel is how you determine
-
whether a blouse is made of cotton.
-
-♪ The touch, the feel of cotton ♪
-
♪ The fabric of my life ♪
-
-So Trump said he'd know if Kim was serious
-
from his touch and feel, and yesterday we got to see
-
that touch and feel with their first handshake.
-
The first handshake and photo op in history
-
with a North Korean leader and an American president.
-
And I'm sorry, but why can't these guys
-
find a suit that fits them?
-
[ Laughter ]
-
Look at that.
-
[ Cheers and applause ]
-
They look like they shop at a store called Business Pajamas.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
Looks like a promo picture for a movie called
-
"Honey, I Shrunk the Dictators."
-
[ Laughter ]
-
Trump and Kim then sat down for a one-on-one meeting,
-
and look at Kim's face.
-
Is it just me, or is even he confused at how he got here?
-
[ Laughter ]
-
It looked like they got set up on a blind date
-
by their weirdest friend.
-
Oh, what? They were?
-
[ Laughter and applause ]
-
In fact, just when you thought it couldn't get any crazier,
-
Dennis Rodman was there in Singapore for the summit,
-
and he was interviewed on CNN wearing a MAGA hat
-
and a shirt for something called PotCoin.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
I'm pretty sure PotCoins are what you have to eat
-
to hallucinate that interview.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
Especially when, for some reason,
-
Rodman thanked his agent, former Bulls coach Phil Jackson,
-
and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.
-
-Can I thank some people, though, while I'm here?
-
Can I thank some people?
-
All the good people that stood by me, Darren Prince,
-
you know, Vo,
-
all the guys that went with me to North Korea.
-
You know, I'm thanking Chuck Daly,
-
I'm thanking Phil Jackson, I'm thanking Jeanie Buss,
-
I'm thanking Pete Ginopolis,
-
I'm thanking Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam,
-
everybody that's supported me all through all these things.
-
-Chris Cuomo does pretty good there
-
until his eyebrows shoot up to his hairline.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
Man, the news these days really feels like a Mad Lib from 1999.
-
[ Laughter, cheers, applause ]
-
In fact, after watching the summit,
-
you might actually think you O.D.'d on PotCoins
-
from how often Trump,
-
a man who has fought with everyone
-
from allies to war heroes,
-
complimented brutal dictator Kim Jong-un.
-
-Very good. Very, very good.
-
Excellent relationship. Thank you.
-
He's got a great personality.
-
He's a, you know, funny guy.
-
He's a very smart guy. He's a great negotiator.
-
Well, he is very talented. Anybody that takes over
-
a situation like he did at 26 years of age
-
and is able to run it, and run it tough.
-
-What are you talking about?
-
[ Laughter ]
-
This is a guy who starves his own citizens
-
and assassinates people with antiaircraft guns.
-
You're talking about him like he started Apple in his garage.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
But I guess it shouldn't surprise me that
-
Trump's idea of talent is getting rich by taking over
-
your dad's business.
-
Trump was born on third base,
-
whereas Kim was born on third base,
-
and then shot the third baseman.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
In fact, Trump seemed as interested in looking forward
-
at potential business opportunities in North Korea
-
as he was in getting Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.
-
-As an example, they have great beaches.
-
You see that whenever they're exploding
-
their cannons into the ocean.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
I said, "Boy, look at that beach.
-
Wouldn't that make a great condo behind?"
-
And I explained, I said, "You know, instead of doing that,
-
you could have the best hotels in the world right there.
-
Think of it from a real-estate perspective."
-
-He accidentally told a great [bleep] joke.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
I mean...
-
[ Cheers and applause ]
-
..."They have great beaches.
-
You can see it when they're exploding
-
their cannons into the oceans" is a great [bleep] joke.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
That would be like me coming to work today and saying,
-
"I accidentally signed a treaty."
-
[ Laughter ]
-
Even when he's in the middle of a summit over nuclear weapons,
-
he's still trying to sell a [bleep] hotel timeshare.
-
"If you give up your nuclear weapons now,
-
you can stay one night free at my new Trump Hotel Pyongyang."
-
[ Laughter ]
-
But again, diplomacy with North Korea
-
is undeniably -- it's a good thing.
-
It is a very good thing.
-
It's vastly preferable to fiery rhetoric
-
and threats of nuclear war.
-
The problem isn't that Trump is engaging in diplomacy.
-
The problem is that he doesn't know what he's doing
-
and only cares about optics.
-
For example, at their working lunch yesterday,
-
Trump asked photographers to make sure
-
he and Kim looked good.
-
But watch Kim's face after Trump's comment.
-
-Beautiful.
-
-[ Speaking Korean ]
-
[ Laughter and applause ]
-
-Okay. So now here I can -- If you are wondering, I can --
-
There's an explanation here.
-
You see, he's a ruthless dictator.
-
That was the first time he's ever heard that he's not thin.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
You're looking at a 10-time
-
"People's Republic" Sexiest Man in the World.
-
[ Laughter ]
-
In fact, Trump is apparently so obsessed with the optics
-
of this summit that his White House
-
made an action-movie trailer for the meeting
-
and played it for reporters before his press conference.
-
Trump even said he showed the trailer
-
to Kim Jong-un on an iPad.
-
Again, this is a real video made by our White House.
-
♪♪
-
-7 billion people inhabit planet Earth.
-
Of those alive today,
-
only a small number will leave a lasting impact.
-
Destiny Pictures presents a story of opportunity.
-
A new story, a new beginning, one of peace.
-
Two men, two leaders, one destiny.
-
Featuring President Donald Trump
-
and Chairman Kim Jong-un
-
in a meeting to remake history.
-
-Is that an official White House video
-
or a direct-to-DVD movie starring Steven Seagal?
-
[ Laughter ]
-
"The White House is under siege,
-
and only one President turned karate master can stop them.
-
Steven Seagal stars as President Trump
-
in 'Tae Kwon Donald.'"
-
[ Laughter ]
-
Of course, when President Obama said he would meet
-
with North Korea without pre-conditions,
-
Republicans mocked him as naive and incompetent,
-
but, today, Trump supporters are showering him with praise.
-
In fact, Trump even seemed to make a major concession
-
to North Korea, apparently without running it by
-
military officials or South Korea first.
-
He promised to stop joint military exercises
-
in the region.
-
Trump explained his decision this way.