Former Director of National Intelligence: North Korean Dictator ‘May Have Met His Match’ With Trump

Director of National Intelligence nominee James Clapper testifies during the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on his nomination on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

During an interview with Dana Bash on today’s edition of CNN’s “State of the Union, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said that North Korean dictator “Kim Jong Un may have met his match” with President Donald J. Trump

Clapper made his unusual remark saying something positive about President Trump in response to Bash asking Clapper what he thought about the ongoing back and forth about the summit meeting between President Trump and the North Korean dictator.

Here’s a transcript of the exchange:

BASH: What is your interpretation of this back and forth that’s been going on over the summit?

CLAPPER: I’ve been long an advocate for, and this is typical North Korean, two steps forward, one step back. That’s what they always do. Kim Jong Un may have met his match here with our very unconventional president.

What I’ve been long an advocate for is let’s first establish the conduit, the apparatus for communicating, which I think that would be a real plus for the summit. And by that, I mean establishing interest sections in both Washington and Pyongyang. What this means is a diplomatic presence below the level of a full embassy, much as we did in Havana, Cuba, for decades. This would facilitate, would be reciprocal, would facilitate dialogue we would gain a lot more insight and understanding about what is going on in North Korea would promote information flow into North Korea and importantly give the North Koreans a measure of security. And if they could agree to tone down the rhetoric and use that conduit instead that would be an improvement.

Just a note on denuclearization. Denuclearization coud also be a “two-way street” That is applied to the United States as well, where the North Koreans could expect us to restrict our nuclear umbrella, meaning no more B-1s, B-2s or B-52s deploying on the peninsula or within operational proximity.

Bash also asked Clapper if he thinks it is better for the President to have this summit regardless of whether there is no agreement to just establish the dialogue?” Clapper responded, “I do. Having gone this far, there’s value in meeting and greeting, gripping and grinning and just establishing a rapport. Yes, I think it would be important to have the summit.”

Both of Clappers remarks saying something positive about President Trump, that the north Korean Dictator might have met his match with President Trump and that Trump is right to have the summit even without a denuclearization agreement, are very unusual. Someone must have forgotten to give Clapper the Democrats talking points.

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