# North Korea suspending missile testing and closing nuclear site; Trump the statesman? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 20, 2018, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829 "2018-04-20T23:09:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/341 "2018-05-24T16:24:04Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > [The letter canceling the summit](https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/24/politics/donald-trump-letter-kim-jong-un/index.html) is a wonder to behold, and I don’t mean that in a good way. It has be a new low in diplomacy. It is, in fact, so riddled with awkward phrasing, bad grammar, and incomprehensible logic that a two-bit tinpot dictatorship would have been embarrassed by it. It’s so awful that I’m thinking Trump himself must have written parts of it, or else everyone working for him is both incompetent and illiterate in equal measure. And this. > [@](#): > > I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters This is an amazing letter. So poorly written, and so incoherent. Once again, Trump lives up to his motto: _Malice, tempered by incompetence._ ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/342 "2018-05-24T16:24:38Z")
TLDR version: “Look what you made me do.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/343 "2018-05-24T16:54:08Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > [source](http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/04/20/north-korea-announces-end-to-missile-testing-as-trump-cites-big-progress.html) > > I’m rather pleasantly surprised with the progress Trump has made on the North Korean front. This appears, at least to me, to be the most significant progress towards denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula that has made in the last couple of decades. Am I missing something here, or is this good news? You missed something here: the party representing the United States is lead by Donald Trump. How did you forget this, Ditka? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/344 "2018-05-24T16:55:46Z")
The White House Gift Shop website [dropped the price on the Trump/Kim commemorative coins from $89 to $24,](https://splinternews.com/white-house-gift-shop-is-still-selling-coins-for-the-no-1826295622) and posted a disclaimer: > [@](#): > > The Coin Will be Made Whether or Not the Summit Occurs as Scheduled > > Because the Theme is > > Coming Closer to Peace and Celebrates the Act of Communication Among Countries > > If Summit Does Not Occur You can Request a Refund but Most Supporters Have Said They Want This Heirloom of Political History Regardless of Outcome. The kicker is, when the media picked up on the story, [the gift shop website mysteriously went dark.](http://www.whitehousegiftshop.com) ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/345 "2018-05-24T17:01:29Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > The White House Gift Shop website [dropped the price on the Trump/Kim commemorative coins from $89 to $24,](https://splinternews.com/white-house-gift-shop-is-still-selling-coins-for-the-no-1826295622) and posted a disclaimer: > > The kicker is, when the media picked up on the story, [the gift shop website mysteriously went dark.](http://www.whitehousegiftshop.com) I did not know the White House had a gift shop. (and I’ve been there twice) Ignorance fought ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/346 "2018-05-24T17:05:45Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > [The letter canceling the summit](https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/24/politics/donald-trump-letter-kim-jong-un/index.html) is a wonder to behold, and I don’t mean that in a good way. It has be a new low in diplomacy. It is, in fact, so riddled with awkward phrasing, bad grammar, and incomprehensible logic that a two-bit tinpot dictatorship would have been embarrassed by it. It’s so awful that I’m thinking Trump himself must have written parts of it, or else everyone working for him is both incompetent and illiterate in equal measure. > > A few choice bits: > > _We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant._ > What??? I repeat, what??? WTF does this even mean? > _Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, …_ > Nice move. The first thing to do in any diplomatic communication is insult the other party by blaming them for everything and calling them a bunch of angry and hostile meanies. > _Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place._ > “Please let this letter serve to represent” is not a phrase I have ever seen in any language that I speak. This is then followed by the inscrutable observation that canceling the summit is somehow good for the US and North Korea, but terrible for the rest of the world. > _You talk about nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used._ > This has to be the first time in history that a US diplomatic communication has ever stated “mine is way bigger than yours” and “we is so big and mighty youse don’t wanna mess with us”. This has “Trump” written all over it. It has to be. > _Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you._ > That would be “I very much look forward to meeting you someday”. But, hey, what’s two ungrammatical word transpositions and one spelling mistake for every ten words, other than it sounds like it was written by a newly arrived immigrant from one of those famous African shitholes who was just starting his ESL course? > _If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write._ > Wait a minute. Who’s the one doing the canceling here? How does this make even the remotest bit of sense? Also, “if you change your mind having to do with …” is not actually English, but at this point it hardly even matters. Please let this post serve to represent that I muchly am in a very appreciative aspect considering the analyzing you done did concerning the letter from our esteemed presidential officeholder of the presidency. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/347 "2018-05-24T17:08:12Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [QUOTE=White House Gift Shop] > Because the Theme is > > Coming Closer to Peace and Celebrates the Act of Communication Among Countries [/QUOTE] If that incredible letter sent to Kim canceling the summit is an example of “Communication Among Countries”, I wouldn’t be celebrating it. I’d be cowering in a bomb shelter. > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > The kicker is, when the media picked up on the story, [the gift shop website mysteriously went dark.](http://www.whitehousegiftshop.com) Just like the “We the People” petition website. I notice that the petition website is back up again, but since one of the most prominent petitions is for Trump to resign, I imagine it will get closed down again, or just ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/348 "2018-05-24T17:09:02Z")
> [@](#): > > …but Most Supporters Have Said They Want This Heirloom of Political History Regardless of Outcome. Doesn’t that just perfectly encapsulate the entire problem with Trump Supporters? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/349 "2018-05-24T17:10:56Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > The White House Gift Shop website [dropped the price on the Trump/Kim commemorative coins from $89 to $24,](https://splinternews.com/white-house-gift-shop-is-still-selling-coins-for-the-no-1826295622) and posted a disclaimer: > > The kicker is, when the media picked up on the story, [the gift shop website mysteriously went dark.](http://www.whitehousegiftshop.com) Apparently Putin didn’t like something they were selling. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/350 "2018-05-24T17:19:09Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Please let this post serve to represent that I muchly am in a very appreciative aspect considering the analyzing you done did concerning the letter from our esteemed presidential officeholder of the presidency. Thanking to you immensively for most kindness sayings. We were informed that this post was made by you yourself, but that to us is totally irrelevant. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. Although I have a very big schlong and you probably don’t. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/351 "2018-05-24T17:38:28Z")
He almost said “Our words are backed with NUCLEAR WEAPONS”. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/352 "2018-05-24T17:41:22Z")
Trump was getting suckered into a summit he was completely unprepared for. I just wonder who convinced Trump to back out of it, and how that final discussion went down. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/353 "2018-05-24T18:01:14Z")
You know how dumb people, when talking to somebody who speaks English as a second language, will drift into fractured language or an accent, in some weird way to try to help the discussion along? I’ve seen Trump do it when he over-exaggerates the names of places (like Puerto Rico). This letter reads like it is a bad translation. It’s almost like they took a letter, had google translate it into Korean, and then back into English. So weird. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/354 "2018-05-24T18:04:37Z")
Cancelling the summit is, in fact, a good move. The summit would probably turn into an embarrassing debacle, either devolving into acrimony, or Trump giving away the store to the North Koreans because they flattered him. But it’s like getting credit for taking up smoking and then giving up smoking. “There was something stupid and irresponsible that I was going to do, but now I’m not going to do it. Where’s my Nobel Prize?” It’s just sad that certain people aren’t here to applaud this masterful diplomatic move by a master statesman. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/355 "2018-05-24T18:05:48Z")
My guess is that Trump gets pissed off if something he writes gets “cleaned up” to the point where it’s clearly not him. Competent staffers probably refuse to touch his copy anymore, so his dictation got handed off to somebody whose primary qualification for writing official material is that they’ve seen a bunch of episodes of Judge Judy. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/356 "2018-05-24T18:16:45Z")
I believe it was around the time of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO, that one of the principals (perhaps Shimon Peres), when questioned about the advisability of entering into an agreement with the PLO, pointed out that (paraphrased) _“You don’t hold peace talks with your friends; you hold them with your enemies.”_ ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/357 "2018-05-24T18:18:07Z")
Well, that’s what happens when you try negotiate with a crazy, erratic, egotistical leader, surrounded by sycophants and warmongers. I’m sure Kim has learned a valuable lesson. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/358 "2018-05-24T18:22:44Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > You missed something here: the party representing the United States is **lead** by Donald Trump. > > How did you forget this, Ditka? “LED by,” damnit! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/359 "2018-05-24T18:29:06Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > “LED by,” damnit! Light Emitting Diodes? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/360 "2018-05-24T18:37:39Z")
Light emitting diodes are smarter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829.md?page=19)