Isn't it fair to say that President Trump has had more success so far with North Korea than any President in the last quarter-century...if not the last 60 years?

Having scorned the Clintons for practically my entire adult life, I won't begrudge anyone their ill feelings toward Donald Trump.  I remain fascinated, however, at how little respect his critics have for the abilities a man exponentially more successful in almost every material way than 99% of them put together.

Mike

But, I just can't see much that he HAS done. Kim started talking with South Korea - but I think that was more due to the Olympics.

Trump has had discussions with Kim and prior presidents haven't - but presidents SHOULDN'T be the first point of communication with other nations. That's why we have (had?) a State Department. Presidents have a cabinet because there are so man critical choices to be made that they cannot track everything. It would take a genius to track everything... and I've seen no evidence that Trump has any type of superior intellect.

Trump has threatened and insulted the government of North Korea, which other presidents managed to avoid. That's not the kind of communication we need... in fact, we need to avoid it like the plague.

But evidently you do see something that I am missing. Please point out the details to me... I really may have overlooked Trump's successes. And I am willing to admit that I'm wrong, if I am.

2016 $4.5 billion

2017 $3.5 billion

2018 $3.1 billion

How does that exponential bit fit in there?

Furthermore, the lack of respect doesn't stem from his success in his personal bank balance, which is not traditionally a value by which people judge a political leader, but from what he says and does

It's hard to respect someone who says he has all the best words and then goes on to be one of the least articulate people on the world stage; someone who fails to condemn neo-nazis; someone who calls other countries shit holes; someone who tells obvious lies about the number of people who watched his inauguration or says that thousands of people in New Jersey openly celebrated the 9/11 attacks; someone who cheats on his wife with a pornstar and talks about grabbing women by the pussy; someone who is so thin-skinned and narcissistic that they insist on creating a false doctor's report on the state of their health; someone who mocks disabled people; someone who urges the EPA to loosen air quality rules and puts someone in charge of the EPA who has undisclosed links to the fossil fuel industry; someone who calls a US servicemen who was captured behind enemy lines and spent two years in solitary confinement as a POW a 'loser'.

And the list goes on and on.

Problem is, he’s bankrupted a fair few companies. What happens when these tactics go that far wrong? 

It doesn't work like that when you command a nuclear arsenal that could destroy the world ten times over. Surprise: being president of the world's most powerful country requires an above-average level of control and thoughtfulness and comes with a huge burden of responsibility.

 

The action required to stop North Korea becoming a nuclear player was (and is) to tackle China, it's backer.

Previous administrations have failed to tackle the root cause of what makes North Korea problematic and I see no difference with the Trump administration.

What success? NK offering to stop testing? They’ve done that before. Offering to meet one-on-one with Trump? That’s what North Korea has wanted with every US President. You understand that’s a /concession/, not an accomplishment. 

You do realize that his successes are based on fucking people over, yes? From the Black renters he and his father discriminated against in the 70s to the many investors of his failed businesses to all the contractors and vendors that have complained about non-payment to the “students” of Trump University who had to sue to get their money back. Am I supposed to respect success based on assholry?

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Trump is redefining success as we know it, just as he is redefining draining the swamp by filling the pool with swampwater.

I think there is. I think that diplomacy is what creates treaties, agreements, and compromises. Such discussions do not have to take place widely and publicly on the world stage, and really good statesmen can arrange statements so that it seems as if everyone has acted with aplomb and good grace, so that no one loses face.

But our State Department has been so pillaged and denuded that we DO NOT HAVE DIPLOMATS anymore. Trump dumped them, and the senior, qualified people that could have done this - met with North Korea quietly backstage - are no longer around. So it seems that Trump is the one doing the actual negotiating - and too much of it is insulting and derogatory, and on Twitter or in the "fake" media. What possible kind of diplomacy can result from threats of fire and fury, and name calling? Kim may be a monster, but if someone attacks... he has no choice but to defend.