President Donald Trump was very optimistic as he got on Air Force One to head over to Vietnam for what he promises will be a “very productive summit” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who himself was headed to Hanoi in an armored train.
Trump sent a tweet from Air Force One: “Heading over to Vietnam for my meeting with Kim Jong Un. Looking forward to a very productive Summit!”
This is the second sit down that both leaders will have and will run for two days.
During a meeting with the nation’s governors at the White House before he left, Trump optimistically said, “I think we could have a very good summit. I think we’ll have a very tremendous summit. We want denuclearization, and I think he’ll have a country that will set a lot of records for speed in terms of an economy.”
Denuclearization will likely be the main topic of the summit, a subject that Trump has been promoting as a means for North Korea to become an “Economic Powerhouse.”
“Meeting for breakfast with our Nation’s Governors – then off to Vietnam for a very important Summit with Kim Jong Un. With complete Denuclearization, North Korea will rapidly become an Economic Powerhouse. Without it, just more of the same. Chairman Kim will make a wise decision!” the president tweeted.
However, Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo doesn’t share the same enthusiasm, cautioning that a third summit might be needed because Trump and Kim “may not get everything done this week.”
In an interview with Fox News, Pompeo said, “There may have to be another summit. We may not get everything done this week. We hope we’ll make a substantial step along the way.”
Pompeo’s comments certainly set a more measured tone compared to the president’s.
“The U.N. Security Council has demanded, not the United States, but the U.N. Security Council has demanded that Chairman Kim give up these weapons systems. It’s in the best interest of his country and I hope we can make a real substantive step forward this week. It may not happen but I hope that it will,” Pompeo added.
He also said at CNN’s “State of the Union”: “We have always known this would take time and it would be a step forward, and slower than the world has demanded, right? This is a U.N. Security Council resolution that we’re attempting to achieve by getting North Korea fully denuclearized.
“I’m hopeful that, when President Trump and Chairman Kim get together, they will make a big step towards realizing what Chairman Kim promised. He promised he would denuclearize. We hope he will make a big step towards that in the week ahead.”
Recommended Video – “Melania Trump’s ‘Horrified’ Reaction After Shaking Hands With Vladimir Putin Goes Viral”