SINGAPORE (CBSNews) — President Trump arrived in Singapore on Sunday (June 10) ahead of talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in one of the most highly anticipated international summits in recent memory. Mr. Trump arrived after departing a G-7 meeting in Quebec early to take part in discussions with Kim over the country’s nuclear program. Mr. Trump will become the first sitting U.S. president to meet with a North Korean leader when he sits down with Kim Tuesday morning.
Mr. Trump landed at 8:21 p.m. local time at the Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore before making his way to the Shangri-La Hotel. Kim arrived earlier Sunday. After departing Air Force One, Mr. Trump shook hands with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and the entire Singapore delegation on the tarmac. When asked by reporters how he felt about the summit, Mr. Trump replied, “very good.”
According to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, during the flight the president “spent time meeting with his staff, reading materials, and preparing for his meetings in Singapore.”
Before his departure, the president called the meeting a “one-time shot” for Kim to make North Korea “great.” The U.S. goal for this week’s talks is complete, permanent and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. What that means and how it’s achieved are still open questions as both leaders head into the talks.
Meanwhile, during his flight to Singapore, Mr. Trump made waves with the international community after reneging on a joint statement out of the G-7 that he initially agreed to.
And after saying his relationship with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was “outstanding” and a “10” out of 10, the president excoriated him on Twitter saying Trudeau acted “so meek and mild” and made “false statements” at his news conference. Their dispute is over what appears to be a forthcoming trade war.
