- Bob Woodward has released new tapes from his conversations with Donald Trump.
- In them, Trump rejects a CIA assessment that Kim Jong Un is “ultimately stupid.”
- Trump has spoken highly about Kim for many years and claimed that he has the ability to evaluate US enemies.
Donald Trump, a former president, dismissed a CIA characterization calling Kim Jong Un “stupid.” He claimed that his “chemistry” was with the dictator which gave him a deeper understanding.
Bob Woodward, a veteran journalist, released audio of interviews he conducted with Trump during his time at the White House.
In the Conversations, the ex-president boastsbecause of his warm relations with authoritarian foreign leaders such as Kim, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Turkey.
In one exchange, Woodward questionedTrump’s relations with Kim. Kim is the leader of one of most oppressive and brutal regimes in the globe and has threatened the US with nuclear attacks.
Woodward claimed in the exchange, “The CIA says Kim Jong Un’s ‘cunning crafty but ultimately stupid’.”
Trump said, “I disagree.” He’s cunning. He’s crafty. He’s also very intelligent. You’re right.
“Why does the CIA believe that?” Woodward countered.
“Because it’s not clear. Okay? They don’t know. They don’t even know. They don’t know that I am the only one who knows. He only deals with me. Trump stated that he won’t do business with anyone else and then went on to explain his personal relationship with Kim.
“The word chemistry. If you meet someone and have good chemistry, it is called chemistry.
Trump described the relationship as a love story, saying that “You meet a girl.” You can tell in a second whether it will all happen or not.
Trump has always praised authoritarian leaders and seems to have valued the personal connection with them as president of the most powerful democracy in the world.
In his transactional leadership style he would rather value insights from personal “chemistry”, with other leaders, than the opinions of officials.
He was proud of the “love notes” he sent to Kim and organized high-profile summits that the US won few diplomatic concessions and were called press stunts by critics.
Recent weeks have seen renewed interest in Kim’s relationship with him, following the controversy surrounding it. Kim’s letters were one of the reasons he wrote to Kim.Trump brought with him documents from government agencies in violation of federal laws after he left office.
Even admitting to Woodward. In one conversation, the letters were takenIt could have been illegal.
Woodward recorded the tapes in 2019 and 2020 as he was researching his 2020 book “Rage.” The recordings were made into an audiobook called “The Trump Tapes,” which is available for sale on Tuesday.
