North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is coming to the table because with President Donald Trump, he’s found a tough enemy, but the United States should still be cautious over the upcoming summit, Sen. Tim Scott said Monday.
"The last 30 years plus, North Korea has been trying to find a way to deceive the American people and the rest of the world into assuming they will give up their nuclear weapons, nuclear program, if we 'fill in the blank,'" the South Carolina Republican told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" co-host Bill Hemmer.
"The reality of it, is the bully from North Korea finally met a president he couldn't deceive, [and] it's why he is coming to the table."
Trump has done a good job in negotiating the terms for their meeting, while applying more sanctions and isolating North Korea, and as a result, Kim is coming closer to the table, said Scott, but still, "we should be cautious in our optimism."
"We can't send a signal we're jubilant about the North Korean leader coming to the table," said Scott. "He needs to sit down, have a conversation and show us discernible steps taken to denuclearize the DMZ. Without that we should continue to apply the pressure and frankly increase sanctions against the North Korean regime."
The good news, though, is "we're finally pushing them to the table through isolation and economic sanctions," said Scott. "If we all want world peace, the best way to get there is apply the kind of pressure that requires the North Korean regime to come to the table, to bring back the curtains and let us watch closely what they do next. Let us not listen to the words of the regime, let us watch the actions."
Scott said he also does not believe the Trump administration will remove troops from South Korea, as that would create more volatility in the Korean peninsula and embolden the North Korean regime.
"If part of the negotiations is a requirement that we remove our troops, that is bad news for South Korea and even worse news for our country and the world," said Scott.
Scott also responded to news reports stating that Republicans seeking office are concentrating on the economy rather than Trump, and a tweet from the president warning the party to be tough and smart in the wake of the Russia investigation.
"I think we are definitely as a party a very tough party and we are certainly smart," said Scott.
"The question is, are we good at marketing? That question needs to be answered by proving to the American people that the successes we have seen from a policy perspective we ought to highlight that."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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