- Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy on Tuesday ripped into President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and said its “BS” to contend people can’t criticize the president’s actions.
- Murphy said the disparity between Trump’s behavior toward US allies at the G7 summit and Kim Jong Un in Singapore represented an “international relations disaster.”
- “I’m fine with POTUS talking to our enemies, but not right after you savaged your friends,” the senator tweeted.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy on Tuesday ripped into President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and said its “BS” to contend people can’t criticize the president’s mission.
Murphy, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was particularly critical of the disparity between Trump’s demeanor toward Kim in Singapore and traditional US allies at the G7 summit in Canada last weekend.
The senator took to Twitter to express his frustrations.
“Trump wants supporters of diplomacy, like me, to get caught in a trap where we can’t criticize Singapore. I call BS,” Murphy tweeted. “Trump isn’t Obama. North Korea isn’t Iran. And the context of the G7 disaster matters.”
Trump's appearance at the G7 summit was full of tension with US allies, especially Canada. At the conclusion of the meeting, Trump refused to sign onto a joint statement among the leaders who attended and sent a series of tweets attacking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Among other things, Trump said Trudeau had been "meek and mild" at the summit and accused him of making "false statements" at a press conference.
Days later, Trump described Kim - the leader of a repressive regime that primarily maintains power through a system of brutal prison camps - as a "talented man" who "loves" his country and people.
Murphy described this succession of events as an "international relations disaster."
"The syrupy photo op with Kim, on the heels of the brutal treatment of our closest allies at the G7, is an international relations disaster. I'm fine with POTUS talking to our enemies, but not right after you savaged your friends," the senator tweeted.
In a subsequent tweet, Murphy said Trump has sent a clear message to the world: "If you're a historic U.S. ally, you get humiliated. If you've been a bad actor, you get rewarded, even if you show no meaningful sign of reform."
Murphy said this will send a "chill" down the spine of any nation asked to help the US in the future.
Finally, Murphy criticized the lack of specificity in the agreement Trump signed with Kim and tweeted it proves the president "doesn't have the chops to get a final deal that's good for us." He also said Trump got "NOTHING" from Kim in return for agreeing to cease joint military exercises between the US and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula.