Either Fox News just got tired of winning under Donald Trump or else not even Trump TV could find a way to turn his epic fail with North Korea into any kind of success.
Fox’s report began with what seemed like a bit of intentional snark from non-sycophant anchor Leland Vittert. He played a clip of Trump saying he hoped the threatened “Christmas gift” from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be “a beautiful vase.”
Vittert added, “President Trump striking a [dramatic pause] positive note perhaps on his dealings with Kim Jong-Un, an assessment that could be put to the test.”
Since then, Vittert noted, North Korea has warned it “could resume nuclear and long-range missile testing.”
Vittert tossed to Fox’s Benjamin Hall, who is “following this from our London newsroom.” It speaks volumes about Fox’s “news” operation that its London reporter covers North Korea.
Hall considerately didn’t mention Trump’s “Mission Accomplished” moment of 2018 when he tweeted, “There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea.”
Hall also did his best to suggest that Kim was merely responding to Trump’s tough negotiation tactics:
HALL: Kim Jong-un has always said that unless he got concessions from the U.S. that he would resume these tests. And in a Workers Party meeting, he has now warned of unspecified shocking actions, saying that his country will soon reveal a new strategic weapon to the world as it tries to bolster its nuclear deterrent in the face of what it is calling gangster-like U.S. pressure.
It is the latest example of Kim sounding increasingly impatient as diplomacy with President Trump has failed to bring about the benefits he so wanted, in particular the lifting or the easing of sanctions.
But not even Hall could get around the fact that while Trump was boasting that he and Kim “fell in love,” (also thoughtfully omitted from the report) lover boy was beefing up his arsenal.
HALL: It is believed however, that Kim has used this diplomatic stalemate of the last couple of years to expand his military capabilities. His arsenal is now estimated to include 40 to 50 nuclear bombs and various delivery systems, including ICBMs which are potentially capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. And it’s believed that in 2020, North Korea’s going to reach out more positively towards Russia and China. In fact, we’ve seen those two countries try to argue against sanctions at the U.N.
That is another way of pressurizing the U.S. President Trump, however, is standing firm in the face of those calls.
Watch it below, from the January 1, 2020 America’s Newsroom.
Signed: Kim jong un, yours for never”.