Trump: Kim Jong Un 'felt very badly' about death of Otto Warmbier
President Donald Trump said Kim Jong Un “felt very badly” about student Otto Warmbier, who was imprisoned in North Korea and died after being returned to the U.S. in a vegetative state in 2017.
Speaking at a press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday after the two leaders failed to reach a nuclear agreement, Trump said he believed Kim.
“Those prisons are rough, they’re rough places and bad things happened. But I don’t believe he knew about it,” Trump said. “He tells me he didn’t know about it and I will take him at his word.”
"I don't think the top leadership knew about it. Those prisons are rough"
President Donald Trump says Kim Jong-un "felt very badly" about the death of US student Otto Warmbier who was imprisoned in North Korea#Hanoisummit latest: https://t.co/CbibiArgBipic.twitter.com/QhKUA1XbMK— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 28, 2019
Trump said he didn’t think it was in the North Korean leader’s best interest to have allowed something like that to happen to Warmbier.
Critics on Twitter immediately began comparing this statement to Trump taking other authoritarian leaders at their word over the recommendations of his own intelligence agencies:
1. KIM JONG UN had US student Otto Warmbier imprisoned and tortured in N. Korea
2. PUTIN interfered in US elections.
3. MBS ordered the murder of US journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
That's 3 Brutal Authoritarian Leaders who Trump believes over his own intelligence agencies.— Wajahat "Wears a Mask Because of a Pandemic" Ali (@WajahatAli) February 28, 2019
At presser in Vietnam, Trump says he believes Kin Jong Un did not know about Otto Warmbier being mistreated.
“He tells me that he didn’t know about it, and I will take him at his word," Trump says.
Kim joins a selective list of people who Trump has given benefit of the doubt.— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) February 28, 2019
Trump says he believes Kim Jong Un was not responsible for what happened to Otto Warmbier.
"Those prisons are rough...He tells me that he didn’t know about it and I will take him at his word.”
Echoes of Trump previously taking Vladimir Putin at his word.— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) February 28, 2019
Can add responsibility for the death of Otto Warmbier as something a strongman or dictator has rejected and President Trump has agreed to take them at their word.
— Micah Grimes (@MicahGrimes) February 28, 2019
Trump doesn’t think Kim had anything to do with Otto Warmbier’s death. “He felt bad about it.” About as bad as he felt after killing his brother and uncle, I bet. 🙄
— shauna (@goldengateblond) February 28, 2019
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.