Trump jokes that a North Korean TV anchor who heaps praise on Kim Jong Un should work on cable news in the US
- President Donald Trump noticed how positively North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was being portrayed by the regime's news anchor on North Korean television.
- While in Singapore for his summit with Kim Jong Un, Trump compared the TV anchor, whose name is Ri Chun-hee, to someone who could work for Fox News in the US.
- The joke is a nod to Fox News' coverage of Trump, which has frequently been criticized as overly deferential to the president.
President Donald Trump watched a bit of North Korean television while he was in Singapore for his summit with Kim Jong Un, and the coverage of the North Korean leader impressed him, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The North Korean news anchor, Ri Chun-hee, delivers propaganda on behalf of Pyongyang's leadership. North Korean news, which is entirely state-run, solely consists on statements that shine a positive light on Kim and the country. As Trump watched, according to The Post's report, he remarked about her praise of Kim and suggested she could work for Fox News.
It is no secret that Fox News is friendly to Trump, and the president frequently touts the network on social media. Occasionally, Trump has repeated talking points made by Fox News hosts, and others, like Politico's Matthew Gertz, have taken notice, too.
Following the meeting, Ri appeared on North Korean TV and hailed it as a success: "The historic meeting pioneered a new history," Ri said on Wednesday. "The great leader of our party, the nation, and military, Kim Jong Un, adopted a joint statement with the president of the United States."
Trump's summit with Kim marked the first time a sitting US president met with a North Korean leader. The two shared laughs and firm handshakes as they signed a broad agreement to "work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," and to "[commit] to provide security guarantees to [North Korea]."