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Report: Trump Makes Big Concession for Vague North Korean Promise; Trump Says Human Rights Abuser Kim Loves His People; The Body Language of Trump and Kim; Ivanka and Jared by $82 Million While in The White House. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired June 12, 2018 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:00:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Hi there, I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. Thank you so much for being with me. Right now, President Trump is on his way back home following this historic handshake with the leader of North Korea there in Singapore. I know, we were all watching. But imagine this -- Kim Jong Un at the White House. Yes, President Trump said he would, quote unquote, "absolutely extend the invitation to Kim," perhaps to convey that these negotiations are just phase one of this entire process and that the agreement signed by both leaders here was simply an agreement to keep working toward what President Trump describes as a, quote unquote, "complete denuclearization of North Korea," although the deal is short on concrete details.

Trump insists that all he gave up is his time, but he also announced he's ending decades of joint military exercises with South Korea. Let's be clear, that is an enormous concession. Nevertheless, the President heaped praise on the dictator he once referred to as little rocket man holding this hour-long news conference his first since February 2017.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He is very talented. Anyone who takes over a situation like he did at 26 years of age and is able to run it and run it tough --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You trust him.

TRUMP: I do trust him, Yes. Really, he's got a great personality. He's a funny guy. He's a very smart guy. He's a great negotiator. He loves his people.

I believe it's a rough situation over there. There's no question about it. We did discuss it today pretty strongly, I mean knowing the main purpose of what we were doing is, de-nuking, but discussed it at pretty good length. We'll be doing something on it. It's rough. It's rough in a lot of places, by the way.

He's de-nuking the whole place and he's going to start very quickly.

Can you ensure anything? Can I ensure you're going to be able to sit down properly when you sit down? You can't ensure anything. I also will be inviting chairman Kim at the appropriate time to the White House. I think it's really going to be something that will be very important. And he has accepted. We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see that the future negotiation is not going along like it should. But we'll be saving a tremendous amount of money. I may be wrong. I may stand before you in six months and say I was wrong. I don't know that I'll ever admit that, but I'll find some kind of an excuse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: All right. So, my next guest has nearly 40 years of experience with South Korea's military. He is retired lieutenant general In-Bun Chum. General, thank you so much for all your years. Thank you for joining us in the middle of the night your time, sir. Let me just begin with you heard the concessions, you heard the compliments that the U.S. President just made. Your initial reaction to that.

IN-BUN CHUM, RETIRED LIEUTENANT GENERAL: Well, I'm glad that President Trump likes chairman Kim personally, but once the negotiations and hard dealings start, I'm sure that Mr. Trump's business instincts will come in and he'll be a strong fighter for the interests of not only the United States but all of her allies.

BALDWIN: It is worth reminding everyone single person watching though when we talk about North Korea and we see these handshakes, this is a brutal, murderous regime. That's what a note for everyone the findings, this is from a 2014 UN report. These crimes against humanity entail extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence, persecution and knowingly causing prolonged starvation.

General, when you hear the President lavish praise saying Kim's people love him, what are you thinking?

IN-BUM: It is quite mixed feelings. I have to admit that Kim Jong Un inherited that monstrous country. Maybe he's going to be the futuristic leader that is going to change all of that and that is why I guess people like myself and a lot of other Koreans and a lot of other people are giving him the benefit of the doubt. But let's not be mistaken. What you just stated about that system is correct. It is everything that exemplifies the opposite of all of our values. So, no matter what the impression, the personal impression that Kim Jong Un has given to the world, I'm sure he's a great guy but, he himself is a slave to his own organization.

[14:05:00] BALDWIN: Let me just ask you before we get into the concessions on the military drills, I was in South Korea last fall, talked to a lot of people, military and non. My biggest takeaway when you asked people who were they worried about most, is it Kim Jong Un or President Trump, every single one of them said it's President Trump. How do you feel today?

IN-BUM: You know, a lot of people when they are asked that question instinctively think of capability. So, they think that when they're asked that question, not the intent but who has the greater capability of a military action. And of course, compared to the little state of North Korea, the United States has the military capability, so that's probably why people -- a majority of those people answered that way without thinking about that in that aspect. But there is the person, the state that caused all this problem is North Korea and the leader is Kim Jong Un. There should be no mistake about this.

BALDWIN: And the biggest concession, sir, halting the U.S. military drills, these are complex drills designed to keep the U.S. and South Korean forces at the ready. First, do you even understand what kind of exercises will be cancelled? Will it be all of them?

IN-BUM: Yes, that's exactly what we don't know. So, when I first read the text, I thought this was a misreporting. Then when I actually heard President Trump in his own saying that he is going to cancel these war games, I was quite surprised. I hope that Mr. Trump realizes that these exercises are required to maintain readiness and they are defensive, although -- and he understood that North Korea might see them as provocative, we can tailor the exercise to make sure there are no misunderstandings about that, but it is not an offensive exercise. It is needed to maintain readiness, and I think now the cost that President Trump mentioned, it's like, you know, not sending your kids to school to save money. I mean, in the end it's an investment, an investment towards stability and everybody wants -- this is a very rich region.

BALDWIN: Sure. There's a huge difference if I may between curtailing, obviously you are for these joint military exercises. But we see what the U.S. has felt, we see what the U.S. president has promised. The U.S. military is waiting for that concrete order. If they are to stop them, the next ones are up in August. I think it's a huge story and it impacts thousands and thousands of people in the region, not just Americans. But the South Koreans as well.

Retired Lieutenant General In-Bum Chum, thank you so much. I really appreciate your perspective on all of this.

This is certainly not the first time the U.S. has sought to denuclearize North Korea. See if you notice any similarities. Let me take you back to 1994. The U.S. and North Korea signed this agreed framework promising to "consistently take steps to implement a denuclearization pact." But North Korea violated that deal with missile testing. 2005, North Korea agreed we join the Nonnuclear Proliferation Treaty. President Bush agreed remove the country from the state-sponsored terror list. But they conducted a nuclear test. And the six party talks stopped. And you see a list that goes on and on.

[14:10:00] Let's start there. Elizabeth Sherwood Randall served as a top national security council official under Obama. And as a former White House coordinator for defense policy and weapons of mass destruction in the Obama administration. Also, with me, Lindsey Ford, the director of political security affairs for the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former senior advisor for the Defense Department.

Ladies, welcome to both of you. You heard my conversation with the general there, which is quite fascinating on the military exercises point but on this whole agreement, Lindsey, isn't this the same as these previous agreements, right? You have these vague promise, tentative language like work toward and take steps toward. Why not demand stronger language?

LINDSEY FORD, THE DIRECTOR OF POLITICAL SECURITY AFFAIRS FOR THE ASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTE: I think the simple reason and you saw the President sort of cop to this yesterday was they don't have time. And that's part of the huge down side of the very rushed way that the President chose to go about this particular meeting and to throw out a leader's level meeting first before actually allowing the negotiators to test out what the other side was willing to give, where they could find points of agreement. You saw in this particular case the negotiators were still scrambling down to the 11th hours trying to figure out if they could bridge the gap and they couldn't do it in the amount of time they had.

BALDWIN: Listening to you and thinking about the notion of halting these military drills, I was in the seventh fleet again last fall and the notion of stopping them, I mean, Elizabeth, what has North Korea, is it that? Is it more? What have they gotten out of this?

ELIZABETH SHERWOOD RANDALL, TOP NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL OFFICIAL UNDER OBAMA: You've made the most important point, Brooke, which is while diplomacy is laudable, in this case there are no specifics in exchange for major concessions. We have said we'll cancel the military exercises, we've offered security guarantees to North Korea. We've invited Kim Jong Un to the White House and yet there is nothing specific in four key areas, one is the nuclear warheads themselves and the associated delivery systems, two is the fissile material both the stockpiles currently of highly enriched uranium and plutonium, and the capacity to continue to produce that fissile material. Three is what happens to the production sites and plants and test facilities? Four is what about monitoring intrusive inspections and verifications. So, on those four topics we have nothing concrete and yet we've already given major concessions upfront. That seems to me to be a mistake.

BALDWIN: Do you think the U.S. offered up too much? Did they offer up too much at first?

RANDALL: We don't have enough concrete commitments on the part of the North Koreans to trust them.

BALDWIN: Got it. On the just even visuals, Lindsey, the visuals of the North Korean and American flags there draped next to one another, what did you think when you saw that?

FORD: It was jarring. I got to be honest. I think especially coming off of the G7 summit recently. You see these photos that are making the rounds from the G7 summit. President in what looks to be very difficult conversations with some of our closest allies and then immediately you juxtapose that with these shots of the American and North Korean flags right next to each other and the President shaking hand with Kim Jong Un. More than just the optics of it, the President's own words repeatedly referring to him as smart, tremendous, he has a great personality, a wonderful guy. While I recognize that there's something to be said for personal diplomacy, on the other hand, we can't forget this is the same man who sent -- his regime sent Otto Warmbier home in a medically induced coma, a man who assassinated his half brother in a public airport. We've handed him a propaganda coup in this whole situation.

BALDWIN: That's why I was reading some of the findings from the 2014 UN report. There's so much more to this country that we have to remind people of the murders and the rapes and the gulags. As I am thinking about North Korea, Elizabeth, do you think in this whole summit and beyond, are they thinking long game strategy do you think?

[14:15:00] RANDALL: I'm thinking the most significant development here in a long game question is the implication for the U.S. presence in the region. The Chinese have a strong interest in seeing the U.S. presence reduced. When we think about the outcome of yesterday's conversation in Singapore, it could mean we front run the process and reduce our readiness in the region, our presence in the region, with no evident gain. What I know from experience from denuclearizing three former soviet states working to build down our own nuclear weapons program after the end of the Cold War, and having responsibility for the implementation of the Iran agreement, is how much time and specific attention to detail it actually takes to denuclearize. This is not something you do quickly. You don't do it in a casual way. It's deeply serious work that will take years to achieve. We should in no way be reducing our presence if we're playing a long game in the region.

BALDWIN: Elizabeth and Lindsey, thank you so much. Staying in North Korea here, how much about this? Condos in the beach? That was part of the pitch from the President to Kim Jong Un about what could be in North Korea. Plus, it was said that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump were sacrificing being in Washington and yet we just learned they made at least $82 million last year. The new questions that raises. Antitrade advisor who said there is a special place in hell for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is now changing his tune. What Peter Navarro just said about his remarks.

You're watching CNN, I'm Brooke Baldwin.

[14:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We're back, you're watching CNN. When President Trump and Kim Jong Un first approached each other, obviously a lot was on the line in the first few moments. It's a walk, it's a handshake but for everyone, diplomacy, policy, body language experts, what you're watching here is a complex display of power. One of those experts is Chris Ulrich, a senior instructor at the Body Language Institute. Chris, hello. We were all watching. I watched TV until way too late last night. I am so fascinated by this. Jumping right into the moment, you see them walk on to the red carpet, the walk, the handshake. What did you see?

CHRIS ULRICH, SENIOR INSTRUCTOR, Body Language Institute: it is interesting it starts all the way back out. They walk in, they meet exactly at the middle, they're framed by the flags, shaking hands. The person who is left of

picture, Kim Jong Un in the particular moment has the position of power. The power on the left will always be seen as the person in the power position. For Trump, it takes 13 seconds through that handshake, he'll ultimately grab and do an upper arm grab over here on Kim Jong Un.

BALDWIN: Which he seems do a lot. You see the President do the shake, grabs the other arm, but he felt like he dropped it quickly, almost as though realizing, OK, not too much, not too much.

ULRICH: It's a little awkward in that moment, too. At the same time, it's reestablishing dominance. You will see what he is doing there. So, he can turn Kim Jong Un any way he wants to reestablish that power. As they shift, they both stand open. All their power zones, neck, bellybutton and their lower regions are open. Very powerful standing posture.

Then President Trump will open to an open palm, requesting, giving the suggestion we're going to work on this together and then he points off and Kim Jong Un follows. But Trump does something very interesting. He pats him on the back and guides him out. This is again establishing dominance.

BALDWIN: It seems to me from these pictures at least that the President is leading him. Whether it's turning him toward the cameras, leading him down a hallway. He seems to be in charge. It's almost as though they're in Mar-a-Lago or walking out of the board room.

ULRICH: Again, body language is all about perception. The President wants to be seen as guiding this other leader, who has been elevated to the world stage. As you watch them walk, they're walking at the same pace as they walk. It's almost like they're in sync, two world leaders meeting for the first time. Very controlled and measured. We've seen in the past where if Putin walks, he walks with a bravado. Sometimes try to dominate through his walk. Both of these men both very measured in their approach and giving a message of in sync as they meet to talk about the issues before them.

BALDWIN: I felt like every time Kim -- often when Kim was looking at Trump, he's smiling at him yet when he turns to the cameras, he gives the serious look. And he looks back to Trump and he smiles. It's almost like he's smitten.

ULRICH: Again, it's about that perception. Where we see Donald Trump with this low steeple that he does, power authority, he's in a sprinter's pose ready to go. It's his baseline that we see. For Kim, he's kind of leaning in toward the President, giving much more of a relaxed atmosphere.

[14:25:00] He's smiling. In Asian cultures, especially in Korea, a smile may mask other emotions. You're right, Kim in that moment is a little more relaxed in that moment. The President when he steps back, he does a thumbs up. We see the President also smile in that moment. A classic Trump moment.

BALDWIN: Was Kim wearing heels?

ULRICH: It's a good question. It's hard to tell from these pictures. I would love to zero in on those. That's a great point. When they meet in the middle and they're in that long handshake, one of the things that Trump has over him is stature, is size. He commands as presence that Kim Jong Un doesn't in that particular moment. If he did have heels, he's still a little on the shorter size. Trump wins the height battle in that moment.

BALDWIN: Chris Ulrich, thank you so much for that.

ULRICH: Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: You got it. Coming up next, the Trump family talks a lot about the sacrifices they've made in order to work in the government, the White House. New financial disclosures show that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump made at least $82 million last year. Let's talk about that.

And as the president is praising a dictator he is launching new insults a good, good friend. And why the President says Justin Trudeau will cost Canada a lot of money.

[14:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Yes, they are government employees, but Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's status within the White House did not prevent them from making millions of dollars last year. The couple's financial filings were just released, and they revealed lucrative assets and income earned from investments and family-related businesses. Their empire includes real estate and fashion investments. Add to those the couple earned --