Trump said if he ends up being wrong about Kim Jong Un, he probably won't admit it and will find 'some kind of an excuse'
- President Donald Trump conceded that he could end up being wrong about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's pledge to denuclearize, but said he'd probably never admit it and will likely find "some kind of an excuse" if it comes to that.
- The president said he trusts the North Korean leader to live up to his word in terms of the "comprehensive" agreement they signed at the summit in Singapore.
- Many critics contend the agreement is vaguely worded and lacks a specific outline for how North Korea will denuclearize.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday conceded that he could end up being wrong about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's pledge to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, but said he'd probably never admit it and will likely find "some kind of an excuse" if it comes to that.
"I may be wrong, I mean I may stand before you in six months and say, 'Hey I was wrong,'" Trump said at a press conference after his historic meeting with Kim.
"I don't know that I'll ever admit that, but I'll find some kind of an excuse," Trump added.
The president said he trusts the North Korean leader to live up to his word in terms of the "comprehensive" agreement they signed at the summit in Singapore.
The agreement has four main ingredients: the US and North Korea agreed to establish new relations for the "peace and prosperity" of the two countries; the US and North Korea will work together to establish a "lasting and stable peace regime" on the Korean Peninsula; North Korea committed to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula; the US and North Korea commit to recovering prisoner of war / missing in action remains and the immediate repatriation of those already found.
Trump also agreed to cease joint military exercises between the US and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula, though that decision seemed to surprise both Seoul and the Pentagon.
The deal Trump made with North Korea could end up fundamentally changing the state of relations between the US and North Korea, but many critics contend it's vaguely worded and lacks a specific outline for how Pyongyang will denuclearize.
'The document is short on details'
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday criticized the lack of specificity in the agreement and noted that similar pacts with North Korea have fallen apart in the past.
"The document is short on details," Schumer said. "As we have learned in the wake of the collapse of the 1994 and 2005 agreements, North Korea is liable to backtrack on vague commitments as soon as it's in their interest."
"It is worrisome, very worrisome, that this joint statement is so imprecise," Schumer added.
Trump was also criticized for being too flattering is his language toward Kim, who leads one of the most repressive regimes in the world, after saying the North Korean leader is a "talented man" who "loves his country very much."
Schumer said Trump's meeting with Kim gave "a brutal and repressive dictatorship the international legitimacy it has long craved."