Trump promises NoKor’s Kim can stay in power
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump tried to put his summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un back on track yesterday, offering the North Korean leader guarantees of staying in power if he abandons nuclear weapons.
As prospects for a historic summit next month between the two leaders dimmed, Trump told reporters that if the meeting were to go ahead successfully, Kim "will get protections that will be very strong."
"He'd be in his country and running his country. His country would be very rich."
But the pledge came barbed with a warning that if talks fail, Kim could suffer the same fate as Libya's Moamer-Kadhafi, who was overthrown by rebels and murdered.
Trump's comments came as Pyongyang appeared to cool to the idea of the sit-down in Singapore on June 12, blaming US demands for "unilateral nuclear abandonment."
Trump suggested Kim's about-face may have been at the behest of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
"It could very well be that he's influencing Kim Jong Un," Trump said, citing a recent meeting between the pair, their second in a month's time. "We'll see what happens."