We’re going to wrap up the live blog for now. We’ll be back with you soon with reports on Thursday’s meetings between Trump and Kim.
Senator Lindsey Graham tells CNN that Donald Trump is upset there are “dueling shows” featuring his North Korea summit and Michael Cohen’s testimony.
Sen. Lindsey Graham tells @sunlenserfaty he spoke to President Trump last night. “I think he was upset he was gonna have dueling shows here," Graham said. "That it did bother him there's going to be a split screen between Michael Cohen and Kim Jong Un."
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) February 27, 2019
NPR spoke to a Hanoi couple - the husband from Vietnam, the wife from North Korea - who spent years fighting authorities who tried to block their relationship.
They first met while working at a fertilizer plant in North Korea in the 1970s.
“It was love at first sight for me. I fell for him immediately,” said the wife, Ri Yong Hui.
Her now-husband, Pham Ngoc Canh, said he had to take seven buses and then walk two miles to pay her a visit at home.
Canh had to leave North Korea months later, but managed to get invitations to return with visiting delegations over the years. But with the relationship forbidden by their countries, they had no direct contact for a decade.
Eventually, Canh sent a letter making his case to Vietnam’s president, who brought it up with North Korean officials on a state visit there. North Korea took the rare step of allowing one of its citizens to marry a foreigner.
They both say they’re closely watching the summit and hoping for improved relations.
The White House Correspondents’ Association is condemning the Trump administration’s barring of reporters from the dinner between Trump and Kim.
The group “strenuously objects to the capricious decision to exclude some journalists,” president Olivier Knox said.
“This summit provides and opportunity for the American presidency to display its strength by facing vigorous questioning from a free and independent news media, not telegraph weakness by retreating behind arbitrary last-minute restrictions on coverage,” he said.
#WHCA Statement on Hanoi summit coverage pic.twitter.com/lbp7KlSVUe
— WHCA (@whca) February 27, 2019
Donald Trump appears to be awake and watching the Michael Cohen testimony from Hanoi. He has just retweeted his own tweet from earlier in the day calling Cohen a liar.
Michael Cohen was one of many lawyers who represented me (unfortunately). He had other clients also. He was just disbarred by the State Supreme Court for lying & fraud. He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time. Using Crooked’s lawyer!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 27, 2019
Updated
Vendors in Hanoi are taking full advantage of the Trump-Kim summit to hawk everything from T-shirts to haircuts, NPR reports.
Truong Thanh Duc was selling t-shirts from a street-side stall with a beaming Donald Trump and an impassive Kim Jong Un, above the words “Peace Hanoi Vietnam 2019.”
“I believe that this summit will be better than the last one in Singapore,” he told NPR. “And this summit will bring peace to the world. No more nuclear war.”
Some barber shops are offering hair cuts similar to Trump and Kim’s coifs, and offering to shave the men’s faces into the back of customers’ heads.
And food stalls are selling cupcakes, burgers and pizzas decorated with images of Trump and Kim.
For all of the optimistic talk in front of the cameras, there is broad concern that Trump, eager for an agreement, would give Kim too much and get too little in return, the Associated Press reports:
Trump could agree to a peace declaration for the Korean War that the North could use to eventually push for the reduction of U.S. troops in South Korea, or sanctions relief that could allow Pyongyang to pursue lucrative economic projects with the South.
A deal like this, skeptics say, would leave in place a significant portion of North Korea’s nuclear-tipped missiles while robbing the United States of its negotiating leverage going forward: If the North has already gotten a good deal of what it wanted, and kept part of its nuclear program, what would be the point of giving up the rest?
Asked if this summit would yield a political declaration to end the Korean War, Trump told reporters: “We’ll see.”
Trump’s latest tweets have done little to dispel those fears.
This does not look like the product of someone in the midst of trying to drive a hard bargain on an existential threat to U.S. national security and willing to walk away if the deal isn't good enough. https://t.co/QVRFnpuUd1
— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) February 27, 2019
Updated
The Associated Press released a statement condemning the White House’s move to exclude reporters from the Trump-Kim dinner. Spokeswoman Lauren Easton said the company “decries such efforts by the White House to restrict access to the president. It is critically important that any president uphold American press freedom standards, not only at home but especially while abroad.”
The full remarks from Michael Cohen, addressing Trump’s trip to Vietnam and his efforts to avoid the draft decades ago:
“During the campaign, Mr. Trump said he did not consider Vietnam veteran and prisoner of war Senator John McCain to be ‘a hero.’ At the same time, Mr. Trump tasked me to handle the negative press surrounding his medical deferment from the Vietnam draft.
“Mr. Trump claimed it was because of a bone spur, but when I asked for medical records, he gave me none and said there was no surgery. He told me not to answer the specific questions by reporters, but rather offer simply the fact that he received a medical deferment. He finished the conversation with the following comment: ‘You think I’m stupid, I wasn’t going to Vietnam.’ I find it ironic, Mr. President, that you are in Vietnam right now.”
Updated
Michael Cohen addressed Trump directly in his congressional testimony, saying: “I find it ironic, Mr. President, that you’re in Vietnam right now,” in light of his avoidance of serving in the Vietnam War.
It’s almost 11pm in Hanoi, but a White House official told CNN the president is expected to stay up overnight to watch the testimony at his hotel.
Cohen looks direct to camera and addresses the president, "I find it ironic, Mr. President, that you're in Vietnam right now," talking about his draft deferment. It's close to 11 p.m. there. Is he watching?
— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) February 27, 2019
Updated
Streets around the summit venue at the Metropole are under security lockdown and blocked off, according to photos posted by the head of the Korea Risk Group.
Streets outside Metropole summit venue - and this tent around the entry KJU used - all very quiet now. But under security lockdown and totally blocked.
— Chad O'Carroll (@chadocl) February 27, 2019
We are staying in the security cordon area - though not much to see now! pic.twitter.com/XmBP62ZnMN
Donald Trump said in a tweet that he had “great meetings and dinner tonight in Vietnam with Kim Jong Un of North Korea.”
The tweet was accompanied by a video reel, set to music, of Trump and Kim shaking hands, and the two smiling as they walk and chat.
Great meeting and dinner with Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam tonight. Looking forward to continuing our discussions tomorrow! #HanoiSummit pic.twitter.com/J3x6lUGzjS
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 27, 2019
The White House has scheduled a signing ceremony for a “joint agreement” and Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un’s meetings tomorrow. What they’ll be signing, presumably, will be hashed out at the summit. After the ceremony, Trump is scheduled to have a press conference.
White House says there will be morning of Trump-Kim meetings, tomorrow in Hanoi, then a lunch before noon, then a "joint agreement signing ceremony" just after 2 followed by a Trump presser at 3.50.
— Julian Borger (@julianborger) February 27, 2019
The White House announces there will be a signing ceremony tomorrow after the Trump-Kim meeting. Conditions TBD. pic.twitter.com/O3wjvYYwS3
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) February 27, 2019
#TrumpKimSummit resumes 09:00ICT Thursday (02:00GMT) and a news conference is scheduled for 15:50ICT (08:50GMT), according to the @WhiteHouse. pic.twitter.com/Iz08MNIHwa
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 27, 2019
Senator Lindsey Graham calls it a “new low” for Democrats to be holding hearings with Michael Cohen testifying while Trump is in Vietnam to meet with Kim.
New Low for House Democrats:
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 27, 2019
Holding hearings with Michael Cohen while President @realDonaldTrump negotiates with North Korea about giving up their nuclear arsenal.
Democrats hatred of Trump is undercutting an important foreign policy effort and is way out of line.
Kim Jong Un said he had a “very interesting dialogue” with Trump tonight, according to a pool report.
“Boy, if you could have heard that dialogue, what you would pay for that dialogue? It was good,” Trump said.
Via the White House pool:
— Julian Borger (@julianborger) February 27, 2019
KIM: We had exchanged a very interesting dialogue with each other --
TRUMP: We did.
KIM: -- for about 30 minutes.
TRUMP: Boy, if you could have heard that dialogue, what you would pay for that dialogue? It was good.
Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen is expected to testify today that Trump had a flimsy medical pretext for avoiding service in Vietnam, and told him, “You think I’m stupid? I wasn’t going to Vietnam.”
CNN’s Jim Sciutto, in town for the summit, visited the Hanoi Hilton where US prisoners including John McCain were held, and notes the contrast.
Today Cohen will testify Trump told him “You think I’m stupid? I wasn’t going to Vietnam.” These are cells at the notorious “Hanoi Hilton” where US POWs were held, including John McCain, whose flight suit is still there. pic.twitter.com/cFZaxlSbsU
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) February 27, 2019
Here’s a shot of the streets of Hanoi, which were packed with onlookers as the Trump and Kim motorcades left the dinner.
Streets of Hanoi on a Wednesday night as Pres Trump motorcades back to hotel after dinner with Kim Jong Un. They resume talks on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/kjKIttwKkX
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 27, 2019
Trump and Kim dined on grilled sirloin with pear kimchi, shrimp cocktail, and chocolate lava cake, according to a menu posted by Voice of America. They had a dried persimmon punch to drink.
#TrumpKimSummit dinner menu, as released by the @WhiteHouse. pic.twitter.com/1VEvRxvzjf
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 27, 2019
Only one US print reporter, the Wall Street Journal’s Vivan Salama, was allowed in to the dinner between Trump and Kim Jong Un. Four others were barred. The White House had attempted to bar all reporters, but relented after photographers said they would not cover the event if reporters were not allowed in, according to the Associated Press, whose correspondent was among those barred.
The North Korean press, meanwhile, was allowed in to the dinner. In that repressive state, leaders can be assured that reporters will not ask unwanted questions.
North Korean reporters were allowed in the Trump-KJU dinner tonight. US print reporters were blocked by the White House after shouted questions at an earlier event. Needless to say, the North Korean reporters do not shout questions.
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) February 27, 2019
White House blocked most print reporters from Trump-Kim Jong Un dinner after reporters shouted questions at Trump in earlier meeting. Then, in dinner, Trump praised a photographer for his good pictures. Then, he joked that the "media make us look very good!" Per pooler @vmsalama
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) February 27, 2019
“The White House’s move to restrict press access was an extraordinary act of retaliation by the U.S. government, which historically has upheld the rights of journalists while a president travels overseas,” the Washington Post writes of the move. “It was especially remarkable because it came during Trump’s meeting with the leader of a totalitarian state that does not have a free press.”
To the still photographers’ credit, they refused to shoot the dinner if no reporters were allowed in, which was the initial WH response. Because of that solidarity, a print and radio pooler were allowed in with the stills. Four print/wire reporters were still barred.
— Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) February 27, 2019
Updated
Summary of the first day of the summit
- At 6:30pm President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met for a brief private discussion and dinner at Hanoi’s historic Metropole hotel, marking the commencement of their second summit to discuss the denuclearisation of North Korea
- Eight months after their first encounter, Trump and Kim Jong-un looked pleased to see each other, with Trump calling his North Korean counterpart “a great leader” and offering to help give his country a “tremendous future”
- Speaking to the press before they had a 20 minute one-to-one chat, Trump told reporters that he and Kim Jong-un have a “great relationship” and that they had made “great progress”
- Pushing back on criticism that the first summit had made little concrete progress towards denuclearisation, Trump said he thought this second summit will be “very successful”, possibly “even greater” than their first meeting last year
- Trump added that North Korea has “has tremendous economic potential” and that the US would help it progress
- Asked whether this summit would see an official end to the Korean war declared, Trump said: “We’ll see”.
- Kim Jong-un was also optimistic. He said that “a lot of obstacles” had to be overcome for the summit to take place but he is “confident there will be a good result”
- The pair then sat down for an intimate dinner, with Trump accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, while Kim Jong-un brought the vice chairman of the Worker’s Party of Korea Kim Yong Chol and the minister of foreign affairs Ri Yong Ho.
- Meetings between the two to discuss denuclearisation and further engagement between the US and North Korea will start in full on Thursday morning
- However, the talks look set to be overshadowed after explosive allegations about Trump were published by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, ahead of a Congressional committee meeting tomorrow. Cohen is set to give evidence to a House committee on Wednesday, and has released his statement ahead of time.
- In his statement, Cohen alleges Trump is a “conman”, a “racist” and “liar” who knew about the WikiLeaks trove of hacked Clinton campaign emails before they were released and lied about negotiating a real estate project in Russia during his presidential campaign.
- Trump took to Twitter to respond to the allegations, calling Cohen a liar and a fraud. He refused to answer questions about it from the press pool, however.
Updated
The dinner is over and Trump’s motorcade has headed back to his hotel. He and Kim Jong-un will meet tomorrow morning for the first of a series of discussions over denuclearisation scheduled for Thursday.
Relations between the two seemed jovial. Speaking to the press as he and Kim Jong-un sat down to dinner, Trump said their brief one-to-one before the meal had already been fruitful as he affectionately touched Kim Jong-un’s elbow. “Boy, if you could’ve heard that dialogue,” said Trump. “What you would pay for that dialogue. It was good.”
There has been some consternation among the press pool covering Trump and Kim Jong-un’s first meeting after two print reporters, who asked Trump several questions in the first press conference, were prevented from entering the room where the dinner was taking place due apparently to the “sensitivity of the meeting”
It appears wire reporters @JonLemire & @jeffmason1 were punished for asking questions — which is their job — during Trump’s first availability with Kim Jong Un. They were cut out of the pool covering Trump-Kim dinner “due to the sensitive nature of the meeting,” per Sarah Sanders
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) February 27, 2019
Past US presidents and their aides who didn’t quite love the press corps also understood the importance of upholding the notion of a free press, particularly in the presence of a dictator. https://t.co/7IeX3lPVJf
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 27, 2019
The wire reporters who asked those questions in the earlier Trump-Kim photo opp (the ones about denuclearization and Michael Cohen) are now being excluded from the next one. @jeffmason1 @JonLemire pic.twitter.com/KvUoIjgGqK
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) February 27, 2019
Updated
Donald Trump hails ‘great leader’ Kim Jong-un at Hanoi summit
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un have begun their second summit in Hanoi, with the US president calling his North Korean counterpart “a great leader” and offering to help give his country a “tremendous future”.
The two leaders advanced towards each other and shook hands in front of a dozen US and North Korean flags, set up in the city’s Metropole hotel, in a tableau near-identical to the backdrop to their first meeting, eight months ago in Singapore.
In his remarks to the press, Trump addressed criticism that the first summit had not lived up to his claims that it was a breakthrough that would lead to North Korea’s disarmament and end the nuclear threat the country posed.
“It is an honour to be with Chairman Kim. It’s an honour to be together in a country, Vietnam, where they have rolled out the red carpet and they are very honoured to have us,” Trump told reporters as the two men sat alongside each before brief introductory talks.
“It’s great to be with you. We had a very good first summit … Some people would like it to go quicker, but I’m satisfied. You’re satisfied. We want to be happy with what we’re doing.”
“I thought the first summit was a great success,” the president added. “And I think this one hopefully will be equal or greater than the first. And we made a lot of progress … I think the biggest progress was our relationship, which is really a good one.”
Trump continued the approach he has pursued since Singapore, which was to flatter Kim and hold the prospect of great prosperity for North Korea if he agreed to disarm.
“I think your country has tremendous economic potential – unbelievable, unlimited. I think you will have a tremendous future with your country – a great leader. And I look forward to watching it happen and helping it to happen.”
In his own remarks, Kim returned the compliment, saying he ”truly believes this successful summit is because of courageous decision by Trump”.
Updated
For some background on the historic Metropole, which is hosting the first encounter between Trump and Kim Jong-un, here is Julian Borger’s brilliant piece on the hotel which has played host to everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Jane Fonda and was once a temporary home for Graham Greene
According to Kim Jing-un, during their 20 minute chat before sitting down to dinner, he and Trump “shared a lot of interesting stories”
North Korean media dial up excitement for Trump-Kim summit
As Kim Jong-un prepared for his second meeting with Donald Trump to discuss denuclearisation, the North Korean media were playing up the prospects for a breakthrough, describing the country as “boiling like a crucible” with expectation.
Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ party of Korea, devoted its entire front page to Kim’s arrival in Hanoi the previous day, replete with colour photos designed to burnish his credentials as an emerging global leader. In the accompanying story, prominence was given to the “enthusiastic” greeting Kim had been given by the Vietnamese people.
The official KCNA news agency first “broke” the summit to North Korean citizens at the weekend, reporting ruling party officials’ “sincere wishes” for successful negotiations with Trump. On Wednesday, it offered more details about Kim’s itinerary, including his decision to stay in Vietnam until the weekend as part of an “official goodwill visit”.
The relative detail in which the North Korean media has reported Kim’s visit mirrors Kim’s growing visibility on the international stage over the past year following meetings with Trump, the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping.
The Rodong Sinmun’s coverage of this week’s summit reached fever pitch as Kim completed his long journey by train and limousine from Pyongyang to Hanoi. All of North Korea, the newspaper said in an editorial on Tuesday, was “boiling like a crucible” in anticipation of the talks. “All parts of the country are missing him.”
Some more photos emerging from the dinner where it appears all parties are squashed around a single round table. As they sat down together for what trump said would probably be a very “quick dinner”, Trump reiterated his comment to Kim Jong-un that “our relationship is a very special relationship”
The dinner party. Photo from White House pooler @vmsalama of WSJ. pic.twitter.com/2CLIiKl0Qm
— Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) February 27, 2019
Updated
Reportedly both Trump and Kim Jong-un have their eyes on a Nobel Peace Prize at the end of these nuclear negotiations.
According to comments given to Radio Free Asia’s Korean service by a North Korean government official, talk of Kim Jong-un receiving a Novel is a “hot topic” in North Korea.
“After the first U.S.-North Korean summit, the authorities began saying during propaganda lecture sessions that Kim Jong Un is a front-runner for the Nobel Peace Prize,” RFA reported.
“Because the two US-North Korean summits are being held one after the other, the authorities began distributing ‘educational materials for the greatness of our highest leader’, including a lot of propaganda about the Nobel prize”.
Trump has already said he deserves to win the Nobel peace prize for his work on North Korea. It was recently alleged that the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe had nominated Trump for the prize at the US’s request
Updated
Trump and Kim Jong-un have now headed into the dinner, Trump accompanied by secretary of state Mike Pompeo and his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, while Kim Jong-un has brought the vice chairman of the Worker’s Party of Korea Kim Yong Chol and the minister of foreign affairs Ri Yong Ho.
A 3rd photo op as Pres Trump and Kim Jong Un sit down to dinner with key aides. "Nothing like having a nice private dinner," says @POTUS facetiously as press contingent squeezed into the room for photos. pic.twitter.com/Lo0ReWqJSX
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 27, 2019
Updated
Here is the moment Trump and Kim Jong-un met for the second time, this time in Hanoi, marking the beginning of the second nuclear summit.
Interestingly, Kim Jong-un appears to speak to Trump in English
Updated
Trump and Kim Jong-un looked genuinely pleased to see each other as they shook hands to mark the beginning of the second nuclear summit. They will have a brief discussion now before a dinner and then full meetings and discussions will begin tomorrow
U.S. President Donald Trump has dinner with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, in Hanoi. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
U.S. President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
Updated
Both Trump and Kimg Jong-un lavished praise on each other as they spoke to reporters in the press pool. Kim Jong-un described the summit as a “courageous decision” by Trump
Trump calls Kim a great leader: "I think your country has tremendous economic potential. Unbelievable. Unlimited. I think you will have a tremendous future with your country – a great leader. And I look forward to watching it happen and helping it to happen."
— Julian Borger (@julianborger) February 27, 2019
Updated
Asked if he had any response to the explosive testimony of his former lawyer Michael Cohen, which was published earlier today, Trump only shook his head
Following Trump’s comments, Kim Jong-un said that “a lot of obstacles” had to be overcome for the summit to take place but he is “confident there will be a good result”.
He added that the past few months had required a lot of patience and “painstaking effort”. Kim Jong-un has also, it seems, been literally counting the days since he and Trump last met, reminding reporters it had been 261 to be precise
Updated
Trump tells reporters that he and Kim Jong-un have a “great relationship” adding that he thinks this second summit will be “very successful”, possibly “even greater” than their first meeting last year
In comments made before the pair went for their private chat, Trump said he thought North Korea has “tremendous economic potential” and there has been “a lot of progress” in the relationship between the US and North Korea
The US President said that despite complaints about the pace of progress towards denuclearisation, he was “satisfied” with how things had gone so far
Trump: "It is an honour to be with Chairman Kim. It's an honour to be together in a country, Vietnam, where they have really rolled out the red carpet and they are very honoured to have us."
— Julian Borger (@julianborger) February 27, 2019
Updated
When asked by press pool reporters whether he has rolled back on his calls for full denuclearisation by North Korea, Trump says: “No”
When asked about the pair coming to a possible peace deal, Trump tells reporters: “We will see.”
Trump and Kim Jong-un have now headed into a scheduled one-to-one chat for twenty minutes before they will sit down to dinner
Updated
Trump and Kim Jong-un meet for the second time as summit kicks off
Trump and Kim Jong-un have met for the second time, shaking hands at the Metropole hotel
Kim Jong Un and @POTUS meet again. #TrumpKimSummit pic.twitter.com/YEEkGupZqN
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 27, 2019
Updated
Trump’s motorcade has arrived at the Metropole hotel
Motorcade arrives at Metropole #TrumpKimSummit pic.twitter.com/QxC8La7inK
— Motoko Rich (@motokorich) February 27, 2019
Trump, his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney have left their hotel and are en route to the Metropole hotel where tonight’s first summit meeting will happen over dinner
.@POTUS @realDonaldTrump en route to the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam. #HanoiSummit pic.twitter.com/66mCQcoSJM
— Dan Scavino Jr. (@Scavino45) February 27, 2019
Updated
Trump and Kim Jong-un are due to arrive at the Metropole hotel in around 15 minutes for their first meeting of the summit and the crowds and security are building up outside. For all the anticipation that had built up around the summit, it has ended up falling down the news agenda today in the wake of the escalating tension and skirmishes between India and Pakistan and the publication of the incendiary testimony Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, is due to give to a House committee later today- accusing Trump of being conman, a racist and a cheat
Still, in Hanoi at least, the summit remains the main attraction:
Updated
Trump has now tweeted to deny media reports that, going in to the summit, his negotiating position is less than strong and he is preparing to make concessions to North Korea in exchange for only vague promises of nuclear disarmament
All false reporting (guessing) on my intentions with respect to North Korea. Kim Jong Un and I will try very hard to work something out on Denuclearization & then making North Korea an Economic Powerhouse. I believe that China, Russia, Japan & South Korea will be very helpful!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 27, 2019
Updated
And here it is: Trump has dived into the Cohen allegations on twitter, accusing his former lawyer of lying and fraud (and also referring to himself in the third person)
Michael Cohen was one of many lawyers who represented me (unfortunately). He had other clients also. He was just disbarred by the State Supreme Court for lying & fraud. He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time. Using Crooked’s lawyer!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 27, 2019
More details have emerged about the dinner at the Metropole Hotel tonight, which will be the first official meeting of the summit.
Trump will bring secretary of state Mike Pompeo and his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney as his two guests.
Kim Jong-un will be accompanied by vice chairman of the Worker’s Party of Korea Kim Yong Chol and the minister of foreign affairs Ri Yong Ho.
After initial introductions at 6:30pm, the two leaders will spend ten minutes meeting just the two of them (and their translators)
The dinner will then start at 7pm and last a very specific 1 hour and 35 minutes
However, as indicated in an earlier post, what they will be eating at the dinner is less clear
Updated
As expected, Trump is using his four hours of “executive time” to take to Twitter. No direct response yet on the explosive Cohen testimony which has been published ahead of his appearance before the House committee later today. Instead, continuing a personal vendetta, the president yet again ripped into the wartime record of democratic senator Richard Blumenthal- referring to him using the derogatory nickname Trump gave him last year- who was a Marine Corps reservist during the Vietnam War
However, it could be an attempted distraction from Cohen’s testimony, where Trump’s former lawyer said that Trump had faked his injury to get out of serving in Vietnam
I have now spent more time in Vietnam than Da Nang Dick Blumenthal, the third rate Senator from Connecticut (how is Connecticut doing?). His war stories of his heroism in Vietnam were a total fraud - he was never even there. We talked about it today with Vietnamese leaders!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 27, 2019
Updated
Trump may have declared himself “in love” with Kim Jong-un but it appears their opposing food tastes are causing friction already. According to sources who spoke to CNN, White House officials keep intervening with this evening’s dinner menu to keep it “super simple” to suit Trump’s palette (his favourite food famously being a McDonalds Big Mac)
Dinner drama: A source close to the planning of tonight’s Kim-Trump dinner tells CNN that as of a few hours ago the chefs were struggling to get a menu approved because officials from both countries —especially the White House — kept adjusting the menu to make it “super simple”
— Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) February 27, 2019
Updated
A statement released by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has provided a summary of the meaty issues discussed during Trump’s meetings earlier today with Vietnam’s President Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. They included the strengthening of the economic and strategic ties between the two countries and Vietnam’s agreement to buy over $21bn worth of US-built airplanes and jet engines:
- The leaders agreed on the need for continued progress toward the final, fully verified denuclearisation of the DPRK
- They discussed ways to strengthen the United States—Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership, including by deepening political, security, economic, and people-to-people ties, and through cooperation on humanitarian and legacy of war issues.
- The leaders also committed to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific with shared principles of respect for sovereignty, peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, and freedom of navigation and overflight.
- They welcomed the growing commercial relationship between these two countries, as demonstrated by today’s contract signings worth over $21 billion between United States companies Boeing, GE/CFM, and Sabre Corporation; and Vietnam companies VietJet, Bamboo Airways, and Vietnam Airlines.
Updated
That’s it from me, I’m handing over to my colleague Hannah Ellis-Petersen.
Updated
What we know so far
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Donald Trump is due to meet with Kim Jong-un tonight to discuss denuclearisation and engagement between the two countries. The two leaders arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday.
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This is the second summit between the two leaders, following the historic first meeting between the leaders in June last year in Singapore.
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They are due to meet at 6:30pm local time for dinner and discussions, before continuing their talks tomorrow.
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Trump has spent the morning meeting with Vietnamese leaders and signing commercial trade agreements with Vietnam. He has four hours free before his scheduled meeting with Kim Jong-un.
- The talks look set to be overshadowed after explosive allegations about Trump were published by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, ahead of a Congressional committee meeting tomorrow. Cohen is set to give evidence to a House committee on Wednesday, and has released his statement ahead of time.
- In his statement, Cohen alleges Trump is a “conman”, a “racist” and “liar” who knew about the WikiLeaks trove of hacked Clinton campaign emails before they were released and lied about negotiating a real estate project in Russia during his presidential campaign.
- Donald Trump, who is currently in his hotel with a clear afternoon in his schedule ahead of his meetings this evening, has not commented on Cohen’s allegations.
Kim impersonator kicked out of Vietnam
An Australian Kim Jong-un impersonator, Howard X, was deported from Vietnam earlier this week ahead of the summit.
Howard X arrived in town with Trump impersonator Russell White last week, staging a fake summit on the steps of Hanoi’s opera house amid a swarm of press and hired security guards.
The Kim lookalike was questioned by Hanoi police on Friday and informed he would be put on a plane back to his home in Hong Kong.
The impersonator was told by Vietnamese immigration officials his visa was “invalid”, but said he received no further explanation.
“The real reason is I was born with a face looking like Kim Jong-un, that’s the real crime,” he told reporters on Monday as three plainclothed officials took him from his hotel to Hanoi airport.
White will be permitted to stay in the city but has been asked to stop appearing in costume in public.
The Trump doppelganger has been stopped on his Hanoi walkabouts by locals and tourists eager to snap a selfie with “The Donald”.
Howard X said he thought he was being deported because the real Kim “has no sense of humour”.
The full story is here.
Updated
What is Japan hoping for from the summit?
Japan shares South Korea’s unease about any weakening of the US military presence in the region, despite assurances from Washington that Trump has no plans to use troop reductions as a bargaining chip in his talks with Kim.
Tokyo has a particular interest in seeing progress towards denuclearisation. Last year its defence ministry referred to North Korean missiles as a “serious and imminent threat”, and in late 2017 Pyongyang launched missiles over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Missiles aside, Tokyo is desperate for a breakthrough in the cold war abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korean spies. The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has has asked Trump to help secure the return of 12 remaining abductees and opposes the lifting of sanctions unless there is clear progress on the issue.
The North, though, has said the abductions issue has been resolved and is not up for discussion. Abe’s unwavering support for Trump - including, according to reports, nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to denuclearise North Korea - have at least kept him in the loop. Trump will brief Abe by phone soon after his talks with Kim end in Hanoi, and is due to visit Tokyo in late May.
We have an update from the pool reporter travelling with Trump’s team.
The motorcade arrived back at the hotel at 1:35pm local time after an uneventful ride through the streets of Hanoi.
We have a lunch lid until 3pm Hanoi time.
This means that there will be no further press releases or official updates until 3pm local time (about 50 minutes from now). It does not mean there will be no news in that time, so stay tuned.
Updated
The summit: what is on the table?
Donald Trump has said that when he meets Kim Jong-un in Hanoi’s Metropole Hotel on Wednesday evening, the potential for a deal is “awesome”.
Few would argue with that. A move to limit the North Korean arsenal and begin to re-integrate the country back into the international community, would be a significant step away from the brink of nuclear war.
If the past is any guide, Trump will declare the meeting a brilliant triumph whatever happens, especially at a time he knows that any news from Hanoi will be sharing a split-screen with his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, saying devastating things about the president.
Trump’s character, his past eagerness to please despots, and his political difficulties at home have raised alarm that he may give away significant concessions in Vietnam, and thereby surrender US leverage over North Korea.
Full story here.
What is South Korea hoping for from the summit?
South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, has been instrumental in laying the foundations for denuclearisation talks between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, with whom he has held three summits since last April. But any deal struck in Hanoi this week comes with risks for Seoul.
As Kim and Trump prepared for their second meeting, some in South Korea are wondering what the president is willing to concede in return for, say, a North Korean commitment to dismantle its main nuclear complex. Trump has repeatedly complained about the cost of maintaining US troops in South Korea, and some fear that he will agree to a weakening of the US military presence there.
Trump has insisted that troop reductions will not be on the table in Hanoi, but he is capable of surprising even his closest allies: at the end of his first meeting with Kim last June, he shocked military officials in Seoul and Washington by announcing the suspension of joint drills involving US and South Korean forces.
Moon would much rather see Trump officially declare an end to the 1950-53 Korean war to encourage the North to denuclearise. The conflict ended in an armistice but not a peace treaty. Moon told the Council on Foreign Relations last September that for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, “the US and the international community must end the hostile relations and also they need to provide security guarantees to the North Korean regime”.
What is China hoping for from the summit?
Beijing appeared coolly supportive of the second summit. On Tuesday, Chinese foreign spokesperson Lu Kang said his country “was pleased to see that the situation is developing in the direction that China has advocated”, adding a note of skepticism about the outcome.
“From the reports we can see that the government and people of Vietnam have made thoughtful preparations for this meeting. We hope that the outcomes of the meeting will be worthy of such preparations.”
On Wednesday, state media covered the events of the summit live and state-run editorial in the Global Times proclaimed: “Nothing is impossible to overcome.”
Beijing’s ease about the summit likely stems from confidence that China will remain a key player in the process, as a facilitator and advisor to North Korea, according to analysts. Through multiple visits to China before and after the first summit with Trump, Kim has signalled China’s continued role in the process.
Kim visited Beijing in January when negotiations for the second summit were underway and this weekend he traveled to Hanoi by way of a two-day train journey through China - similar to his grandfather Kim Il-sung who traveled through China before arriving in Vietnam to meet Ho Chi Minh in 1958. When Kim traveled to Singapore for the first summit, the young leader traveled in a Boeing 747 operated by China’s national carrier Air China.
“It does not only indicate the unique status China plays as a facilitator, but also proves to Beijing Kim’s willingness to expose vulnerabilities only to the Chinese, entrusting them with his safety,” Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center wrote in the blog38 North.
China is also counting on the fact that the process will not be easy. An editorial in the Global Times this week noted: There is a serious lack of mutual trust between the US and North Korea... Both sides have been playing the game with their own chips from the outset, making the denuclearisation process somewhat fragile.”
“As long as the process is gradual and incremental, it is seen as manageable for China, creating numerous channels [and] opportunities for Beijing to exert influence,” Sun wrote.
While we wait for a response from Donald Trump to the explosive allegations from Michael Cohen, let’s return to the actual subject of the summit. Our correspondents have assessments of how South Korea, Japan and China are feeling about today’s discussions between the US and North Korea.
Jonathan Lemire, the White House reporter for AP, reports that Trump has left after his with Vietnamese officials and is now heading back to his hotel, where he has four hours free before dinner with Kim Jong-un.
View from Trump motorcade as president departs meetings with Vietnamese officials.
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) February 27, 2019
He now has four-plus hours of unscheduled time - during which he could catch up on Cohen coverage - before dinner with Kim Jong Un pic.twitter.com/8VHi0riFmC
Michael Cohen is to accuse Donald Trump of being a “conman” and a “cheat” who had advanced knowledge that a longtime adviser was communicating with WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign, according to opening testimony he will deliver to Congress on Wednesday.
Cohen’s prepared remarks, confirmed by the Guardian, include a series of explosive allegations about the presidential campaign.
The president’s former lawyer, who will publicly testify before the House oversight committee on Wednesday, will state that Trump was told by Roger Stone that WikiLeaks would publish emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
“In July 2016, days before the Democratic convention, I was in Mr Trump’s office when his secretary announced that Roger Stone was on the phone. Mr Trump put Mr Stone on the speakerphone,” Cohen’s opening statement reads.
“Mr Stone told Mr Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian Assange and that Mr Assange told Mr Stone that, within a couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Mr Trump responded by stating to the effect of ‘wouldn’t that be great.’”
The remarkable allegations by Cohen go further than what has been made public thus far by the special counsel investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign in Moscow.
The full story is here.
And, if you’re interested, here’s what Trump and Nguyen Xuan Phuc the Vietnamese prime minister are eating for lunch.
At least Trump is getting a good feed before he has to head out to face questions.
Menu for @POTUS working lunch now underway with prime minister of #Vietnam. pic.twitter.com/D5qLOnIHF4
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 27, 2019
According to the daily schedule, right now, Trump is in an “expanded working lunch” with the prime minister of Vietnam. That is due to continue for another 40 minutes or so. We may have to wait until after the conclusion of this lunch for a reaction from Trump to this Cohen news.
After the lunch, Trump has nothing in his schedule for four hours. He is then due to head to the Metropole Hotel for a photo op, dinner and talks with Kim Jong-un.
This feels like a good moment to resurface this post from earlier.
Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr accused Democrats of trying to distract his father during his summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
Trump Jr told Fox News on Tuesday that he believed the Democrats deliberately scheduled the congressional testimony of Michael Cohen, the president’s former fixer, opposite the summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Trump Jr said that the Democrats were trying to “counterprogram the kind of progress” that could be achieved in the Vietnam gathering and that it was evidence of the “disdain” they hold for the president.
He also argued that it was proof the Democrats were more interested in scoring political points than in national security by attempting to “stymie” the denuclearization talks.
Explosive allegations from Michael Cohen look set to overshadow summit
Michael Cohen has made extraordinary allegations against President Trump in a statement published by the New York Times, that he is set to deliver to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday. These allegations could well derail the discussions in Hanoi.
In the statement, Cohen says of Trump: “He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat.”
Cohen also alleges in the statement:
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Trump knew about the release of the hacked Democratic National Committee emails ahead of time. Cohen says: “In July 2016, days before the Democratic convention, I was in Mr. Trump’s office when his secretary announced that Roger Stone was on the phone. Mr. Trump put Mr. Stone on the speakerphone. Mr. Stone told Mr. Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian Assange and that Mr. Assange told Mr. Stone that, within a couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Mr. Trump responded by stating to the effect of ‘wouldn’t that be great.’”
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Trump makes racist statements in private. Cohen said: “While we were once driving through a struggling neighborhood in Chicago, he commented that only black people could live that way. And, he told me that black people would never vote for him because they were too stupid.”
- Cohen paid off an adult film star with whom he had an affair. Cohen said he was also submitting a copy of a check Trump wrote from his personal bank account – after he became president - to reimburse Cohen for the hush money payments I made to cover up his affair with an adult film star and prevent damage to his campaign. He said one of his biggest regrets was lying to the First Lady, whom he calls “a kind, good person. I respect her greatly – and she did not deserve that”.
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Trump was still negotiating the Moscow Tower project in Russia through the campaign. Cohen admitted he had previously lied to Congress about when Trump stopped negotiating the Moscow Tower project in Russia. Cohen says he stated they had stopped negotiating in January 2016. “That was false – our negotiations continued for months later during the campaign.” He also said that Trump’s personal lawyers reviewed and edited his statement to Congress about the timing of the Moscow Tower negotiations before he gave it.
- Trump directed Cohen to write letters threatening his high school, colleges, and the College Board not to release his grades or SAT scores
- Trump never intended to win the election, but saw the chance to run for president as a good marketing opportunity. “Mr Trump would often say, this campaign was going to be the greatest infomercial in political history.’ He never expected to win the primary. He never expected to win the general election. The campaign – for him – was always a marketing opportunity,” said Cohen.
Updated
Michael Cohen to say he finds it 'ironic' that Trump is in Vietnam after deferring military service
An extraordinary moment in Michael Cohen’s planned testimony to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform to be held on Wednesday.
His statement, which has been published, contains Cohen’s version of his conversation with the president about handling bad press around Trump’s deferment of military service in Vietnam. The statement says:
“He finished the conversation with the following comment. ‘You think I’m stupid, I wasn’t going to Vietnam.’ I find it ironic, President Trump, that you are in Vietnam right now.”
Michael Cohen on Trump deferring his Vietnam service.
— Kate Lyons (@MsKateLyons) February 27, 2019
Blimey. pic.twitter.com/f4cfvDJP4e
The full statement is here, courtesy of the New York Times.
Updated
Earlier today, Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr accused Democrats of trying to distract his father during his summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
Trump Jr told Fox News on Tuesday that he believed the Democrats deliberately scheduled the congressional testimony of Michael Cohen, the president’s former fixer, opposite the summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Trump Jr said that the Democrats were trying to “counterprogram the kind of progress” that could be achieved in the Vietnam gathering and that it was evidence of the “disdain” they hold for the president.
He also argued that it was proof the Democrats were more interested in scoring political points than in national security by attempting to “stymie” the denuclearization talks.
Here are Trump’s remarks at the beginning of the bilateral meeting with Vietnamese president Nguyen Phu Trong. This is courtesy of the pool reporter attending the event, who cautioned that the microphones weren’t great and so this is her best record of his comments:
The US like your country is doing very, very well. Our economy is probably as good as it has ever been, maybe the best it’s been. Unemployment and all the figures you would look at are at historically positive numbers and so I just see what you’ve done and I’m very proud of what you’ve done.
And I’m very proud to have left here last year, we had a very good meeting. We had a meeting with a lot of representatives some from Boeing and some others. We are going to be signing some very big trade deals, buying a lot of different products from the United States, l which we appreciate.
We are reducing the deficit very substantially, as are many countries, but I very much appreciate the hospitality. Really something special. I got off of Air Force One last night and I drove down the boulevards and I saw all the buildings under construction and how Vietnam is thriving.
And very importantly we have a very big dinner tonight, as you probably, and meetings with North Korea-Chairman Kim. We both felt very good about having this very important summit in Vietnam because you really are an example of what can happen with good thinking. And on behalf of the United States I want to thank you very much for hosting and hopefully great things later on with meetings but a lot of good things are happening before with the signing of trade deals, so we appreciate it very much.
President Donald Trump is calling the relationship between the US and Vietnam an “example” of what can become of North Korea if it gives up its nuclear weapons.
Trump met with Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong ahead of his meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, scheduled for later today.
“We both felt very good about having this very important summit in Vietnam because you really are an example as to what can happen, with good thinking,” said Trump.
The Vietnamese leader said his country has “been making all necessary preparations to ensure the best conditions for the success of this very special meeting.”
“Our country like yours doing very very well,” he said. “I see what you’ve done and I’m very proud of what you’ve done.”
Trump described seeing buildings going up in the motorcade and noted, “Vietnam is thriving”.
Trump also thanked Vietnam for agreeing to new trade deals with American companies, including Boeing, which will be signed after the bilateral meeting.
In case you missed it, there was a rather extraordinary story this morning about Dutch customs officials seizing 90,000 bottles of vodka believed to be destined for the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, and his army chiefs.
The discovery was made after Dutch authorities flagged up the suspicious route and records of a Chinese-owned container ship, Nebula.
Sigrid Kaag, the Dutch minister for trade, who ordered the seizure, said: “The security council of the United Nations has imposed clear sanctions on North Korea, so it is important to enforce those sanctions. The sanctions also govern the import of luxury goods and so customs was completely justified in unloading that container.”
Kim, who was educated in Switzerland, is known to have a taste for the high life. Last year, it was claimed he had has spent more than $4bn (£3bn) on importing luxury products from China since taking power in 2011.
His family is said to have imported a seaplane, musical instruments, watches and furs, with luxury items accounting for 17.8% of North Korea’s total imports from China in 2017, according to a South Korean analysis.
And what has Kim Jong-un been up to since he arrived in Hanoi on Tuesday?
Yesterday he was photographed visiting the North Korean embassy in Hanoi. As well as holding meetings, Kim took the time to pose for a photo with embassy staff in front of a truly extraordinary painting.
After giving the embassy a warm pep talk, wishing them all well with their important work as well as success and health in the future, Comrade Kim Jong Un had a photo session with them. pic.twitter.com/Z3aNcm8zZR
— Comrade Natalie 🇰🇵 (@NatalieRevolts) February 27, 2019
And here the two presidents are posing for photographs.
JUST IN: Trump has arrived at Vietnam's presidential palace where he is meeting with his counterpart. "Thank you," says Trump, and gives a thumbs up. https://t.co/2PY7ijnwDQ pic.twitter.com/KRFgAwL7Vx
— Bloomberg (@business) February 27, 2019
Trump has met with Nguyen Phu Trong, the Vietnamese president and head of the Communist Party.
President Trump meets Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnamese President and head of Communist Party
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) February 27, 2019
A bust of Ho Chi Minh provides the backdrop pic.twitter.com/PcNDEO2iMx
The pair will now participate in an expanded bilateral meeting, before signing agreements for commercial trade. Their various meetings and signings will be wrapped up in the next hour.
How the day will unfold
This summit is running over two days, with Trump and Kim meeting tonight for dinner and discussions. That meeting will take place at 6:30pm local time (10:30pm Sydney time, 11:30am London time, 6:30am New York time). They will meet again for further discussions tomorrow.
Before then, Trump will participate in various events including an expanded bilateral meeting with the General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and a signing ceremony for commercial trade agreements with Vietnam.
Here is Trump’s schedule for his evening events with Chairman Kim, with times in local time and east coast US time.
6:15PM/6:15AM THE PRESIDENT arrives at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
6:30PM/6:30AM THE PRESIDENT participates in a greeting with the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
6:40PM/6:40 AM THE PRESIDENT participates in a 1:1 conversation with the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
7:00PM/7:00 AM THE PRESIDENT participates in a social dinner with the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
8:35PM/8:35AM THE PRESIDENT departs the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi en route to the RON
Updated
‘Tremendous crowds, so much love!’ – Trump’s tweets
Here are the president’s tweets since he landed in Vietnam 12 hours ago. In them, Trump has praised Vietnam and thanked its people for the “great reception” he has received, as well as suggesting North Korea could thrive in the same way as Vietnam “if it would denuclearize”, writing North Korea’s “potential is AWESOME”.
He has also taken a swipe at Democrat critics who he says “should stop talking about what I should do with North Korea and ask themselves instead why they didn’t do “it” during eight years of the Obama Administration.”
Just arrived in Vietnam. Thank you to all of the people for the great reception in Hanoi. Tremendous crowds, and so much love!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 26, 2019
Vietnam is thriving like few places on earth. North Korea would be the same, and very quickly, if it would denuclearize. The potential is AWESOME, a great opportunity, like almost none other in history, for my friend Kim Jong Un. We will know fairly soon - Very Interesting!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 27, 2019
The Democrats should stop talking about what I should do with North Korea and ask themselves instead why they didn’t do “it” during eight years of the Obama Administration?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 27, 2019
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the second summit between US president Donald Trump and North Korean chairman Kim Jong-un. The summit, which will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam over the next two days, follows the pair’s historic meeting in Singapore in June last year.
Donald Trump hailed the first summit as a great success, repeatedly saying that his discussions with Kim had averted a war between the two countries. Trump has also claimed that Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the North Korean leader.
At the Singapore summit, Kim Jong-un agreed to the “denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula” but it soon became clear that the US and North Korea had very different interpretations of what the phrase meant.
Since then, the North Korean state has carried out demolition work at a nuclear test site and a missile test facility, but according to US intelligence estimates, has taken no substantial steps towards disarmament, despite high hopes.
On Sunday, Donald Trump said the US will be “happy” if North Korea simply agrees to continue its moratorium on nuclear and missile testing at this week’s summit in Hanoi, which represented a lowering of already modest expectations for this second meeting.
Updated
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