A few days ago Trump greeted the three Korean Americans released by North Korea as their plane landed.  It made for a great photo and tv op for Trump.  He even said that is the all time high rating for 3 a.m.  He maybe right about that.  At least one of the man required an interpreter when answering questions from the media and talking with Trump.  I think Trump is thinking:  I thought the prisoners were Americans!  It didn't matter, he will take any victory at this point.

This shows that Kim, like most dictators, are rational and cunning.  He did not change from a man who killed his uncle and brother and many of his countryman to a man who releases prisoners because he is compassionate.  He knows that Trump likes to be praised and get big ratings, so he gave him those.  Noticed the support Trump gave Saudi Arabia after he was lavished with praise when visiting there.  Kim, rightly believes, that he will get a better deal if he makes Trump look good.   He will promise to get rid of the nuclear program in exchange for rid of sanctions and get economic help.  But he will never really give up his nukes.

Kim won't give up his nukes because it is his only assurance for survival.  No country has ever given nuclear weapons after it has fully developed them.  After Trump backed out of the Iran deal, Kim will never trust the U.S. on any deal.  He will try to get as much as possible and may stop the nuclear program for awhile, but he will never give it up.  There maybe a deal between the U.S. and North Korea after Trump and Kim meet.  But the deal will not be as good as the Iran deal.  But Trump will claim victory no matter what.

An U.S. trade delegation led by Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin just returned from China.  There was apparently no agreement which was expected given the American side made demands as if China was a small nation under the American thumb.  For example, the U.S. demand that China unilaterally cut the trade surplus with the U.S. by $200 billion which is more than half of the surplus.  There was demand that China stopped its support of Xi Jinping's Made in China 2025 industry policy.  The U.S. also demanded that China cannot retaliate or sue the U.S. for slapping tariffs or investment restrictions on China.  Those are all absurd demands that no nation would kowtow to.  Given the history of Chinese humiliation at the hands of western nations with unequal treaties and the rise of China to big power status now, China would consider these demands to be insults if not something to be laughed at. 

I think this is just typical of Trump playing to his base.  Just like saying Mexico will pay for the wall when no nation would do that.  But is his base calling him out on that?  He also promised to label China a currency manipulator as soon as he took office.  But he did not and his base did not call him out on it.  So these demands will not be met by China and the base will not call him out on it.  The risk here is that we will go to a trade war with China.  I think Trump will pull back from the blink, at least his advisors will tell him to.  But if he doesn't, and a trade war happens, his base will call him out on THAT because they will be hurt in the pocket for sure.

The attendees at the NRA convention speech by Trump were not allowed to carry guns into the hall.  I thought Trump and the NRA believe that the more people carry guns, the safer it is?  The NRA respond to this irony by saying that it is the Secret Service who made the rules of no guns.  You mean Trump could not tell the Secret Service to allow guns?  You mean the Secret Service believe it is safer that everyone do not carry guns, contrary to Trump and the NRA?   Doesn't the NRA always rail against government interference on their Second Amendment rights?  How come there is no massive protests against the Secret Service at the convention?