Just what the world needs right now: a rogue superpower in the hands of a moron

President Donald Trump said Monday that his predecessors have “all been outplayed” by North Korea over the years, a justification for the close-to-the-vest approach he has taken in dealing with the repressive communist state.

First as a candidate and now as president, Trump has often expressed his preference for keeping all options, military and otherwise, on the table and pointedly refusing to discuss what plans he might be considering. He has stuck to that model in dealing with North Korea, which in recent weeks has ramped up its saber-rattling by launching missile tests and engaging in what appeared to be preparations for a sixth test of a nuclear weapon.


“I hope things work out well. I hope there’s going to be peace, but they’ve been talking with this gentleman for a long time. You read Clinton’s book and he said ‘Oh, we made such a great peace deal’ and it was a joke,” Trump said in a Monday interview with Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” that aired Tuesday morning. “You look at different things over the years with President Obama. Everybody has been outplayed. They’ve all been outplayed by this gentleman.”

It was not immediately clear to whom Trump was referring when he said “this gentleman,” given that former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama dealt with different leaders in North Korea’s dynastic chain — the former with Kim Jong Il and the latter with Kim Jong Un. Both North Korean leaders have stuck to similar governing styles, favoring repressive and insular policies paired with bellicose rhetoric aimed most often at the U.S., Japan and South Korea.

North Korea’s most recent bout of brinkmanship fits squarely into its larger pattern of behavior, which often includes a flurry of activity surrounding the April birthday of the nation’s founder, Kim Il Sung. After launching one missile earlier this month, North Korea attempted another missile test last weekend that failed shortly after takeoff.

Asked by Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt whether the U.S. had sabotaged the North Korean missile, Trump said “I don’t want to comment on it.”

Now, what am I going to do? Start a trade war with China while in the middle of him working on a bigger problem, frankly, with North Korea? So, I’m dealing with China with great respect,” Trump told Fox News’s “Fox & Friends” in an interview that was taped Monday and aired Tuesday morning.

“They’re not dealing the same way. Nobody’s ever seen it like that,” the president continued. “Nobody’s ever seen such a positive response on our behalf from China, and then the fake media goes ‘Donald Trump has changed his stance on China.’ I haven’t changed my stance. China’s trying to help us.”

The president, who met with China’s president, Xi Jinping, earlier this month in Florida, called his Chinese counterpart “a terrific person” with whom he had “a good chemistry.” During last year’s presidential campaign, Trump was also quick to praise China’s leaders, but only relative to those in the U.S., who he said were being taken advantage of by the Chinese.

As a candidate, Trump pitched himself as the antidote to what he said had become a one-sided relationship with China. He promised to label China a currency manipulator on day one of his administration, something he has now said he has no immediate plans to do, and to make more even the trade relationship between the two nations.

In the interview that aired Tuesday, Trump left open the possibility that China might ultimately be unable, or unwilling, to apply sufficient pressure on North Korea.

“Now, maybe he won’t be able to help. That’s possible. I think he’s trying. But, maybe he won’t be able to help, and that’s a whole different story. But, we’ll see what happens,” Trump said of China’s President Xi. “Do I want to start heavy, heavy trade or currency manipulation statements against someone who’s out there trying to stop what could be a very bad situation? You understand that.”