If you thought a one-day summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presented more than enough logistics and security nightmares to go around, you’d be right. But what if the meeting actually goes longer?
Sources familiar with the upcoming Singapore summit have informed CNN that US officials have already laid the groundwork for Trump and Kim to carry on their meetings for a second day should they want to continue their discussions. They might even make time for a round of golf.
The current plan is for the Donald to meet his North Korean counterpart at Capella Hotel next Tuesday and return home the following day. But according to the sources, there is a contingency plan that would allow the two leaders to continue their talks beyond the scheduled June 12 date.
Trump has yet to confirm he’s willing to extend the historic sit-down for a Day 2, but what is clear is that verifiable denuclearization (which to be honest, we’re still seeing as the longest of long shots) may not be something that can be bargained in a single day.
Trump himself seems to have softened on the idea that Kim would be willing to swiftly surrender his nuclear arsenal, presumably after being informed by advisers that the goal is wildly unrealistic.
“We’re going to start a process. And I told them today, ‘Take your time,’” Trump said last Friday following a meeting with North Korean envoy Kim Yong-chol at the White House. “I think it’s a ‘getting to know you’ meeting, and that could be a very positive thing,” he noted about the upcoming summit.
And what better way to get to know the North Korean dictator than Trump’s favorite pastime: grabbing ‘em by — sorry, golf. The US president has floated the idea of hitting the links with Kim if they end up getting along, according to a senior Trump administration official who spoke to The Daily Beast.
The president has indicated that he is open to inviting the North Korean leader to a follow-up summit at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. But if they turn out to be fast friends in Singapore, they could always tee off immediately since a couple of golf courses already exist in Sentosa island, where they’ll be meeting. The Kim family is, of course, historically great at golf, with the dictator’s father once (according to super trustworthy North Korean sources) hitting 11 holes in one. No, really.
Then again, Kim’s sport of choice appears to be basketball. That’ll be tough on Trump, who’s known to conduct diplomacy on the golf course — probably a little too much, actually. Of course, they could always call in their mutual friend Dennis Rodman for some zany entertainment.
