Washington, D.C. – VOA contributor and host of weekly show Plugged in, Greta Van Susteren, caught up with President Trump after Tuesday’s historic summit with North Korean leader Kim.
In the interview, the U.S. president told Van Susteren he believes other “good things are going to happen for North Korea,” in the days and weeks after the summit, but noted that U.S. sanctions against North Korea will remain in place until the nation proves it is actually dismantling its nuclear program. “…the sanctions are going to remain on until such time as we see, you know, this is going to happen.”
VOA Director Amanda Bennett says, "interviews like this with a U.S. President make a huge difference in the effort to give closed societies like North Korea more of what they need - an accurate picture of the outside world.”
President Trump said that he and Kim liked each other. But he also said that the North Korean leader “knows that we want to do business, we have to do business and we will do business,” and suggested that is a big change from previous administrations.
Van Susteren pressed the President on Kim’s human rights abuses after he said of Kim: “He’s smart, loves his people, he loves his country.” Susteren called out the nation’s human rights record: “But he’s starved them. He’s been brutal to them. He still loves his people?” “Look, he’s doing what he’s seen done…” President Trump responded, while acknowledging that Kim has been a “rough guy” in the past.
