White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders on Friday mocked the press for suddenly being worried about North Korea’s duplicitous nature as it prepares to start high-level talks with the U.S., especially after many reporters were cuddling up to North Korea during the Olympics.
Sanders was asked why President Trump would want to legitimize North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un by agreeing to a summit with him, but replied that it was the press that seemed to want to elevate North Korea last month.
“I’m glad that you guys are acknowledging a lot of the problems of North Korea, because just a couple of weeks ago, a lot of members of the press were actually elevating North Korea, and some of the members of the regime, and comparing to people in the United States and in this administration,” she said.
“I think that is actually what put North Korea on a similar stage,” she said. “No action by this administration has even remotely demonstrated a level of rise that the media did during the Olympics and through some of those stories.”
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, attended the Olympics, and many in the press were enamored with her just for showing up. One CNN headline said Kim’s sister was “stealing the show” at the Olympics, and Reuters said her presence meant that North Korea was “judged winner of diplomatic gold” at the event.
Sanders said the proposed summit would not be giving Kim what he wants, and stressed again that the U.S. would not agree to the meeting without concrete actions from North Korea.
“I think that the president is getting exactly what he wants,” she said. “He is getting the opportunity to have these North Koreans actually denuclearize.”
