By Josh Dawsey and Josh Dawsey Reporter covering the White House Email Bio Follow Philip Rucker Philip Rucker White House Bureau Chief Email Bio Follow February 28 at 8:59 AM HANOI — President Trump flew for 20 hours to this bustling Vietnamese capital determined to earn a place in history as the American statesman whose personal charm overcame decades of intransigence and erased the North Korean nuclear threat.
“Sometimes you have to walk, and this was just one of those times,” Trump told reporters at a news conference before flying home to Washington.The unexpected collapse of talks here was a setback for a president who has invested more than a year in cultivating a friendship with Kim — in so doing holding his tongue on Kim’s record of brutality and human rights abuses — and whose signature foreign policy aim has been his unconventional strategy for denuclearizing North Korea.
“It exposed Trump’s overreliance on personal relationships and it highlighted his tendency to badly under prepare,” said Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Trump appeared chastened and unusually subdued in his 37-minute news conference here, a marked contrast to the celebratory and freewheeling postgame show he staged in Singapore last summer at the conclusion of his historic first summit with Kim.
Trump considers Pompeo his favorite Cabinet member, according to current and former administration officials, who say the secretary of state has a special touch in handling the president. Trump said that Pompeo was opposed to the deal from the North Koreans. “He lied a lot, but it was very interesting because he didn’t lie about one thing, he said no collusion with the Russian hoax,” Trump said. “And I said, ‘I wonder why he didn’t lie about that, too, like he did about everything else? I was actually impressed.”
Even as they disagreed on North Korea’s nuclear future, Trump showered praise on Kim. He called the millennial dictator “my friend” and gushed about his leadership and intelligence. They took friendly strolls on the grounds of the luxurious Metropole hotel here and bantered over a dinner Wednesday night of grilled sirloin and chocolate lava cake.
Yun added, “Trump is beginning to realize that North Korea’s not going to completely denuclearize, not now and probably not ever.”
Kim would have to be seriously stupid if he doesn't realize that the long-term end game here is that he's going to be gone as his country opens up
The ongoing situation between Trump and Kim is not a setback at all it's just part of the process
Well wen you can’t run walking is good!
Sometimes you have to get off your lazy ass and do the hard detailed work ahead of meeting to secure a successful agreement. Lots of theatrics can’t substitute for hard laser-focused discussion and consistent strategy. Trump did neither!
Liberals 'pounce' as President Trump walks away from North Korea summit. Or maybe 'seized'. LoL
JingaloTheBird NK is disputing Trump’s version.
lets try the charismatic hustler approach again instead of sustainable diplomacy and call him 'Little Rocket Man' like the adolescent right wing think insulting someone or destroying them is the way to win in the long run, not get short term compliance and long term resistance
The Art of the No Deal.
Not eeally BEZOS POST. It would have been a set back for our nation if he had signed it, but I know the Washington Post isnt worried about the Unired States of America!
Let me see - if it were Obama walking - Mr Birther here would be hopping mad saying we have an imbecile for a President. And which imminent war has he averted by walking.
Womp womp.
He left because of COHEN .. Accusing the trumps ......Don Jr , Ivanka , Thats why daddy left Vietnam .....
Se minha sumir sua bicha desgracada que atacou feito um cadela doida para dar meu amigo vou fazer a maior campanha contra você que vai ter que pegar um foguete 🚀 da nasa se vira vai a Turquia 🇹🇷 e resolve a confusão que você criou realDonaldTrump
It no more need anymore again, Trump is fully bacy.
Aww there went his Nobel prize again
He even got love letters!
NPR this morning reported his meeting as a failure and played “Walk Away” by the James Gang. 🎶Spot on!
No surprise. He’s been wasting taxpayer money for two years.
It’s not a “friendship” your writing is garbage and propaganda it’s called trying to develop a diplomatic relationship to denuclearize a dictator. GROW UP !
PHOTO OP blow up
But does this mean that they're no longer in love?
Typical WaPo hate-inspired thinking. This is a process. We are in a phase of the process where Trump's tactical measures put added pressure on NoKo. I submit that NO OUTCOME would have resulted in praise from your pathetic journal. Abandon hate. Resume disppasionate reporting.
Need to continue to PRAY 🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏. Our Country and the WORLD needs PEACE...... ANYBODY trying to reach that GOAL....Needs uplifted and praised !!!!!
washingonpost was terrified he'd make a deal, now hates him because he didn't make a deal. SameOld
Mockingbyrd Media
Winning TrumpFail
Trump couldn’t release the vodka cargo held by Dutch 🇳🇱 customs 🛃
His Vietnam bone spurs must’ve caused him to “walk”
tiny pissed UN DOESN'T TRUST HIM AND SAID IT OUT LOUD TO REPORTERS
PhilipRucker why negotiate w/POTUS when Dems foaming at mouth to impeach...if Dems get in he might get Iran's deal!
I know all of you naysayers are so happy..
All that work and time and all he came away with was a bad case of the clap. 🙄
I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you! The 'master dealmaker' got played like a cheap fiddle. Congrats!
I just loooove watching you fail, realDonaldTrump You are going to be a one term loser with zero accomplishments to show for your time in office, and it makes me happy as hell. TrumpFail
The ART OF A DEAL
WP jumping to concluded trump has failed. Only time will tell. But for sure WP will bankrupt soon.
Yes but did he meet with Russia? We know they were there. Was that the real reason for the trip? Can anyone say for sure he didn’t?
😂unexpected?! 😂 How come EU journalists yesterday early morning already discussed US gov was ill-prepared, meetings chaotic, nothing concluded, certainly nothing on paper. Rocket Boy played Dotty Dotard - again, or for 2 years.
Let's be clear - Trump didn't leave empty handed. Trump left the US in a worse position than if he had not gone at all. Trump provided Kim with an excuse in death of Otto Warmbier by allowing him to cover his role by ignorance. Trump excused another dictator.
Unexpected? 🙄 only if you’ve not been paying attention the past few years... trump couldn’t sell water in the desert 😒
That’s a point he invested , but he not give up . Sometimes you have to walk from the deal to win a deal. Yes I forget journalists don’t get it .
The real collasp is our media
But he’s prepared to go the extra mile when Obama just sat on his hands . I respect a trier .
So they are over? No bromance and beautiful love letters?🤣
This was predictable. Kim ”Rocketman” Jung-Un is not willing to give up his nuclear program. Which dunderhead Donald “Dotard” Trump apparently just realized, for the first time ever.
realDonaldTrump Fake talks by a fake 'President'
😒 Unexpected for whom?
trump has made our world unsafe😳🤢
He was only their to get away from the Cohen media frenzy - he knew their was no deal with kim to be had - he was trying to look good when all the dirt was being dished out on him - trump finally makes it to Vietnam DraftDodger
Did you here what RepCummings said to the press yesterday. 'Get it right.' ImpeachTrump
Adios, America! 😂
But the most beautiful letters, the very good dialogue, the falling in love
All in all, still a thousand times more productive than gullible Obama
Trump is so scared of the viet cong, he scuppered from there asap. His combover looked ragged also.
That was the most honest move I've seen from this president.
Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. WAPO spent the better part of the last few days saying Trump will sign a shitty deal just to distract from Cohen, meanwhile he walks from a bad deal, and it's a failure? Which one is it guys? FakeNews
What are the odds that ALL Dems believe one way & ALL Republicans think another? Is this what democracy was supposed to be about? To only have 2 ideas always contradicted by the other side. Their robots voting along party lines in a game of numbers to gain control of our country.
Unexpected? On the day that Michael Cohen testified before Congress again? R U PPL 4 REAL?