President Trump said “of course” North Korea bears the blame for the death of American student Otto Warmbier, a day after he told reporters he believed Kim Jong Un, the country’s leader, wasn’t aware of Warmbier’s torture under captivity.
“I never like being misinterpreted, but especially when it comes to Otto Warmbier and his great family. Remember, I got Otto out along with three others. The previous Administration did nothing, and he was taken on their watch. Of course I hold North Korea responsible for Otto’s mistreatment and death,” Trump said in a pair of tweets Friday.
“Most important, Otto Warmbier will not have died in vain,” Trump wrote. “Otto and his family have become a tremendous symbol of strong passion and strength, which will last for many years into the future. I love Otto and think of him often!”
….for Otto’s mistreatment and death. Most important, Otto Warmbier will not have died in vain. Otto and his family have become a tremendous symbol of strong passion and strength, which will last for many years into the future. I love Otto and think of him often!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2019
Trump did not mention Kim’s name in the tweets.
Trump, who met with Kim in Hanoi, Vietnam, earlier this week to discuss North Korean denuclearization, told reporters in a press conference Thursday after the summit abruptly ended that the two leaders had spoken about Warmbier’s death. According to Trump, Kim “felt badly about it.”
“In those prisons and camps, you have a lot of people, and some really bad things happened to Otto,” Trump told reporters. “Some really, really bad things. But [Kim] tells me that he didn’t know about it, and I will take him at his word.”
Trump received backlash for the remarks from members of his own party, including former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who said the comments were “reprehensible.” Trump’s former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, didn’t directly address the president but noted that “Americans know the cruelty that was placed on Otto Warmbier by the North Korean regime.”
Earlier on Friday, Warmbier’s parents issued a statement blaming Kim and his “evil regime” for their son’s death.
“We have been respectful during this summit process. Now we must speak out,” Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement. “Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuse or lavish praise can change that.”
Warmbier was arrested in January 2016 in Pyongyong, accused of trying to steal a propaganda poster from his hotel, and was sentenced that March to 15 years’ hard labor. The Trump administration secured his release in June 2017, but he returned home in a coma and died days later. Doctors determined that he had major loss of tissue in all areas of his brain.
