Earlier this week Donald Trump boasted about the “beautiful letter” he received from his good buddy Kim Jong Un.
What was in that letter you ask? Oh, it was nothing more than a birthday card.
According to CNN [1], Trump said he received the letter from Kim on Monday, the first since the February summit in Hanoi, which both leaders left empty-handed.
An administration official described the letter as a “birthday greeting.” Trump’s birthday is Friday and the official says Kim wished Trump good health.
After months of stalled diplomacy Trump declared that North Korea was “not ready to negotiate” last month, but Monday’s letter appeared to prompt him to take a more optimistic stance on the possibility of future talks.
“We have a very good relationship together,” Trump said of Kim as he stood outside the White House on Tuesday. “Now I can confirm it because of the letter I got yesterday, and I think something will happen that’s going to be very positive. But in the meantime, we have our hostages back, the remains keep coming back, we have a relationship.”
Trump officials view the letter as a “reset” and setting the tone for a possible third summit. The administration official says the US is prepared for a third summit but is waiting to hear more from the North Koreans.
On Wednesday Trump called the letter “very nice” and “unexpected” but wouldn’t elaborate on what was in it.
“Maybe in 100 years from now you’ll see what was in that letter,” he told reporters in a Rose Garden news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Trump’s reaction was not out of the ordinary and the president has previously described notes from the North Korean dictator as “love letters.” But in the past they have served as vehicles to plan — or cancel — summits between the two leaders.