Last week saw a flurry of activity from the Trump White House on the foreign policy front as the administration announced new steel and aluminum tariffs on our allies and the summit with North Korea was a go.
On NBC News’ Sunday Today, anchor Willie Geist and Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd closed out their political coverage by chiding President Trump. They sided with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who claimed common sense was no longer about of the current U.S. administration. The pair also suggested that the North Korean summit in Singapore wouldn’t be anything more than just another photo-op.
“Before I let you run Chuck, the G7 this week in Canada of all places on a week when the President of the United States and the White House instituted tariffs on steel and aluminum against our allies, including Canada,” Geist prefaced. “You sat down with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It seems to me, in the bits I’ve seen of your interview, he has begun to lose diplomatic patience with this president.”
Todd commended Geist’s ‘analysis’ declaring he was “exactly right” and described Trudeau’s demeanor in their interview as concerned and confused by Trump’s actions. Of course, there was the obligatory joke about the Prime Minister not getting angry because he’s Canadian. “But he’s—it’s like wait a minute, why are you treating Canada the same way you treat China,” Todd paraphrased the Canadian position.
“And I asked him, ‘do you know what President Trump wants?’ He said, ‘I don't know,’” Todd added to make President Trump look erratic.
On top of siding with Canada over the U.S., Geist and Todd scoffed at the idea that the summit with North Korea would be productive. Geist recalled the Oval Office meeting with North Korean official Kim Yong-chol and discredited it as just a photo-op for both parties.
“Where is this headed? Is this headed to another photo-op, but just in Singapore,” he huffed. “[O]r is there movement on denuclearization and the things the United States wants here?” Geist was so brushed up on the topic, he said the summit was “nine days [away] actually, on July the 12th.” He should have said June 12.
According to Todd, Trump was the one making all of the concessions and leaving North Korea to reap the benefits:
It looks like the movement is on the United States side. There doesn't seem to be much movement on the North Korean side. You have the President saying he is not going to talk about maximum pressure when it comes to sanctions. You have a president now talking about maybe we would have a phase-in of this.
“[E]ssentially President Trump looks like he is about to agree to the same thing Bill Clinton agreed to in the '90s with Kim Jong-un's father, which led us nowhere,” Todd asserted paraphrasing an unnamed analyst. “So, it does look like we're headed to if not a photo-op something that is far, far short of anything the President had promised,” he deduced.
If this was President Obama they were talking about they would give him every benefit of the doubt. And instead of speculating about failure, they would be speculating about success.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC
Sunday Today
June 3, 2018
8:06:43 AM Eastern(…)
WILLIE GEIST: Meanwhile, though Chuck, a huge moment at the White House this week, where the President sat down with the general the right-hand man of Kim Jong-un, gave him an audience there at the White House, and gave him the photo-op. We're just now ten days away from that meeting in Singapore, nine days actually, on July the 12th. Where is this headed? Is this headed to another photo-op, but just in Singapore or is there movement on denuclearization and the things the United States wants here?
CHUCK TODD: It looks like the movement is on the United States side. There doesn't seem to be much movement on the North Korean side. You have the President saying he is not going to talk about maximum pressure when it comes to sanctions. You have a president now talking about maybe we would have a phase-in of this. As one analyst pointed out this morning, essentially President Trump looks like he is about to agree to the same thing Bill Clinton agreed to in the '90s with Kim Jong-un's father, which led us nowhere. Which got us nowhere, it was sort of an agreement to a temporary freeze that eased some sanctions and was essentially buying time. So, it does look like we're headed to if not a photo-op something that is far, far short of anything the President had promised.
GEIST: Before I let you run Chuck, the G7 this week in Canada of all places on a week when the President of the United States and the White House instituted tariffs on steel and aluminum against our allies, including Canada. You sat down with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It seems to me, in the bits I’ve seen of your interview, he has begun to lose diplomatic patience with this president.
TODD: That's exactly right. He’s, I would call it, concern and confusion, not quite anger. This is a Canadian, mind you, very polite. He didn't get angry. But he’s—it’s like wait a minute, why are you treating Canada the same way you treat China. We’ve been with you through thick and thin. We understand you have a dispute with China. Why are you bringing us into it? And then, of course, it’s sort of like—And I asked him, “do you know what President Trump wants?” He said, “I don't know.”
GEIST: Wow. Chuck, your show is always must watch but a little extra must this week.
TODD: Thank you. A little extra musk-- and a little extra must.
GEIST: I hope so.
(…)
