OXON HILL, MARYLAND—President Donald Trump further clarified comments he made in Vietnam about Otto Warmbier, a 22-year old American who was returned to the United States in a vegetative state in 2017 after being imprisoned in North Korea.
“I am in such a horrible position, because in one way, I have to negotiate, in the other way, I really love Mr. and Mrs. Warmbier, and it’s a very very delicate balance,” he said at the Conservative Political Action Conference better known as CPAC on March 2.
While in a joint press conference with Kim Jong Un in Vietnam on Feb. 28, Trump said he didn’t believe that Kim was responsible for Warmbier’s death.
“I did speak about it,” he said, referring to Warmbier’s death in conversations with Kim. “And I don’t believe that he would’ve allowed that to happen. Just wasn’t to his advantage to allow that to happen. Those prisons are rough. They’re rough places. And bad things happened. But I really don’t believe that he was, I don’t believe he knew about it.”
Warmbier’s parents said in a statement after Trump’s meeting that Kim and his “evil regime” share responsibility for their son’s death.
“Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that,” they said in a statement to CNN.
On March 1, Trump wrote on Twitter that his remarks at the press conference had been misinterpreted.
“Of course I hold North Korea responsible for Otto’s mistreatment and death. Most important, Otto Warmbier will not have died in vain. Otto and his family have become a tremendous symbol of strong passion and strength, which will last for many years into the future. I love Otto and think of him often!”
I never like being misinterpreted, but especially when it comes to Otto Warmbier and his great family. Remember, I got Otto out along with three others. The previous Administration did nothing, and he was taken on their watch. Of course I hold North Korea responsible….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2019
Trump, who was fresh off his trip to Hanoi after a two-day summit with Kim, called the talks they had “very productive.”
“But sometimes you have to walk, and this was just one of those times,” he said about the lack of a consensus on how to move forward.
Starting a week before the trip, the North Koreans began asking the United States to lift all sanctions that “impede the civilian economy,” which meant almost all U.N. sanctions except for those on armaments, in exchange for closing off part of the Yongbyon nuclear complex, a senior State Department Official told reporters.
Trump said that was not a deal he would accept.
On Twitter and in speeches, Trump has made the case that North Korea could become an “economic powerhouse” if it gives up its nuclear weapons, the United States precondition to lifting sanctions.
At CPAC, Trump said that based on statements made by North Korean media, he thinks North Koreans are starting to come around in their understanding of how the United States is willing to negotiate.
“We’ll see how it goes, but I think it’s going well,” he said. “The relationship seems to be very, very strong, and that’s very and important thing when we’re dealing with this type of a situation.”
