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The allegations appear in the currently unpublished book “Rage,” of which South Korean news agency Yonhap has obtained access to excerpts. The book was written by renowned Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward and will be published Tuesday.
Trump wanted to make a “surprise visit” to the demilitarized zone between South and North Korea in November 2017, at a time when North Korea was constantly displaying military strength with, among other things, missile launches and nuclear tests. As a result, relations between the United States and North Korea became strained.
North Korean President Kim Jong-un’s mention of Trump as “the little rocket man” didn’t help either.
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Secret visit to the border
During a visit to South Korea, however, he decided to make the journey to the northern border, without North Korea’s knowledge.
However, on the way to land with the Marine One helicopter in the middle of a muddy fog, the president is said to have been unsure whether the North Koreans really did not know about the visit.
– You know I’m coming, right? Trump should have said.
General Vincent Brooks, who at the time was also serving as commander of US forces in Korea, is said to have assured the president that there was no indication that North Korea was aware of the visit.
– I got up this morning, Melania said, I kissed her goodbye and said, ‘I may not see you again. It’s not that I’m worried about myself, “Trump is said to have said aboard the helicopter, before adding:
– If something happened to the president of the United States, it would be the worst thing that could happen to us as a country.
– So fake and disgusting
The country never
However, Trump never landed in the demilitarized zone because the weather forced the helicopter back. Trump is said to have feared the U-turn would put him in a bad position.
– I know you have to make this decision. You have to make a safe decision. This makes us look weak, Trump is said to have said according to the book.
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in had plans to meet Trump in the area, which serves as both a border and a buffer zone between South Korea and North Korea. However, he also had to return due to bad weather.
Became historical
Yet just two years later, in June 2019, Trump’s visit to the North-South Korean border became a reality. This time, too, it was no secret, and Trump was the first American president to cross the border into North Korea from the demilitarized zone. According to him there was also Kim Jong-un himself.
“It was a great honor to cross that border, great progress has been made, great friendships have been formed and this friendship is especially great,” Trump said.
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The leaks of Woodward’s book “Rage” have occurred steadily in recent weeks. As recently as last week, the Washington Post and CNN were able to reveal details of interviews conducted with Trump at the start of the pandemic. Here, Trump is said to have admitted how he deliberately downplayed the dangers of the coronavirus, which has cost more than 195,000 American lives.
The book “Rage” is the second book on the Trump presidency by Bob Woodward. The first book, “Fear,” appeared in 2018 and carried largely harsh criticism from several close Trump employees. Woodward and former Washington Post colleague Carl Bernstein are known as the journalists behind the Watergate scandal, which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.
