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New video shows President Trump saluting North Korean general

Atomic Kid

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/north-korea/new-video-shows-president-trump-saluting-north-korean-general-n883076



WASHINGTON — North Korean state television aired video on Thursday from the historic summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un that included a surprising moment when the American president saluted a North Korean general. Trump reached out to shake the general's hand, and the general responded with a salute. Trump reciprocated, saluting the general back before the men shook hands.

The video is now running over and over on North Korean state television with an enthusiastic anchor track.

Social media exploded with outrage about Trump's salute.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, a senior adviser to the advocacy group VoteVets.org, said, "It is wholly inappropriate for the commander in chief of our armed forces to salute the military of our adversary, especially one which is responsible for a regime of terror, murder and unspeakable horror against its own people."

Col. Jack Jacobs, a Medal of Honor recipient and an NBC News analyst, said that the North Korean general's salute was a sign of respect but Trump's salute "seemed like a reflexive action."

"If I had been his military aide I would have told him, 'They're going to salute you, but don't return the salute, just move smartly down the line.'"

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss told NBC News that "one test of a leader is that he knows what message a public gesture sends. In this case, either he made a mistake or he was trying to send the message that he doesn't take the human rights abuses by the North Korean military as seriously as many other Americans do."

In the military a salute is a sign of respect, with a junior officer or junior enlisted service member always saluting first.

While civilians do not return a salute from a military member, the President is the Commander in Chief and will generally return a salute from U.S. military service members but not military from other nations.

In 2009 during his first visit to Japan as president, Barack Obama bowed deeply from the waist when greeting Japanese Emperor Akihito, eliciting criticism from conservatives who said the gesture projected weakness on the world stage.

Trump was quick to criticize Obama a few years later when he bowed during a greeting of Saudi King Abdullah in 2012. "@BarackObama bowed to Saudi king in public — yet the Dems are questioning @MittRomney's diplomatic skills," Trump tweeted.

Can you imagine what the Repubs would be saying if Obama had done this? The hypocrisy is never ending.
 
Obama constantly failed with North Korea as he failed in most things because he is lazy and because his judgment is crap, so we never found out.

Trump is fine here.

Oh looky here. A conservative hypocrite shows up to defend his imbecilic orange God right on cue. Do you people have a messaging service or something?
 
I noticed the NK General looked down when he saluted. I wonder what that means, if anything. I do know that would not be acceptable in our military.

Looks to me like he was looking down as if to say; Handshake? Salute me first bitch and then i'll shake your hand. And what do you know? Trump did.
 
Looks to me like he was looking down as if to say; Handshake? Salute me first bitch and then i'll shake your hand. And what do you know? Trump did.

A sign of respect is given eye to eye. Not as that was done. And personally, our president has no business saluting a member of the NK military. For any reason.
 
Oh looky here. A conservative hypocrite shows up to defend his imbecilic orange God right on cue. Do you people have a messaging service or something?

I am not, and have not since 1983 been, a conservative.
 
I am not, and have not since 1983 been, a conservative.

Well i don't know about that . If you quack like a duck and walk like a duck. As far as I'm concerned you're a duck.
 
Well i don't know about that . If you quack like a duck and walk like a duck. As far as I'm concerned you're a duck.

When I tell you that I promote nationalizing the entire medical system for 20 years and nationalizing the railroads indefinitely you will sing a different tune.

Documentation:
https://able2know.org/topic/267070-71
 
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When I tell you that I promote nationalizing the entire medical system for 20 years and nationalizing the railroads indefinitely you will sing a different tune.

Documentation:
https://able2know.org/topic/267070-71

I don't need any of that. I'm just going on what I have observed from your posts. You don't have to be so defensive or evasive about it. It's ok to be a conservative you know. Just not a hypocritical one.
 
I don't need any of that. I'm just going on what I have observed from your posts. You don't have to be so defensive or evasive about it. It's ok to be a conservative you know. Just not a hypocritical one.

JSYK: I would have been more impressed had you been found interested in getting to know me for reals.
 
Can you imagine what the Repubs would be saying if Obama had done this? The hypocrisy is never ending.

You know what? I am NOT going to make a lot of political hay out of this.
Yeah sure, Trump made a dumb, klutzy move saluting the guy, it's bad optics over here for a good many but in the end, it's really not a big deal.

THE BIG DEAL is the fact that little fat Kim played Trump like a whorehouse piano.
THAT is what's worth cranking up the sirens about.

He saluted, when he should have...what?
Walked by and acted like he had a big stick up his ass?
Not diplomatic. Bad optics over there instead.

And Obama BOWED because that's what dignitaries do IN THAT COUNTRY, everyone bows to each other, again SO WHAT.
 
Well i don't know about that . If you quack like a duck and walk like a duck. As far as I'm concerned you're a duck.

I'll defend Hawkeye on that. Ronald Reagan was a Conservative. Hawkeye is not, and admits it. :mrgreen:
 
Just more evidence of what an idiot our president is.

I'm surprised they all didn't break out in a Kabookie Dance! LOL! Blahahahaha!
 
You know what? I am NOT going to make a lot of political hay out of this.
Yeah sure, Trump made a dumb, klutzy move saluting the guy, it's bad optics over here for a good many but in the end, it's really not a big deal.

THE BIG DEAL is the fact that little fat Kim played Trump like a whorehouse piano.
THAT is what's worth cranking up the sirens about.

He saluted, when he should have...what?
Walked by and acted like he had a big stick up his ass?
Not diplomatic. Bad optics over there instead.

And Obama BOWED because that's what dignitaries do IN THAT COUNTRY, everyone bows to each other, again SO WHAT.

But you know what makes it kind of a big deal is that we got this video from a foreign news service of the most repressive state in the world. Instead of our home media and why should that ever be? Kind of reminds you of the time he met in the Oval Office. Alone with the Russian Ambassador and Foreign Minister, which had never happened before, with just the Russian media allowed in while totally excluding the American media. A meeting in which he disparaged Comey as being a "nutjob" and now that is he rid of him this 'Russian thing' is off of his back.While also revealing to them highly classified information that we had received via an ally. And disgracefully enough we had to learn of this first via the Russians first. That wasn't a good look then and neither is this now. So no wonder they are running this video on North Korean tv.
 
When Trump was promising "Fire and Fury" against "Little Rocket Man", the Leftards on here were outraged at the threat to poor innocent North Korea.

When I pointed out to them that poor innocent Kim led a socialist dictatorship that oppresses its population, Leftards here responded that the evil US-led embargo was the real reason for the North Korean people's suffering.

When the North Korean regime reacted to Trump by calling him a "dotard", the Leftards on here happily adopted Pyongyang's insult as their preferred slur against the president.

Now that Trump is shaking hands with Kim, suddenly the Leftards have realized that Kim's a dictator again.

George Orwell was very right to satirize the Left - he must be laughing in his grave right now.
 
George Orwell was very right to satirize the Left - he must be laughing in his grave right now.

Orwell was no anti-socialist or anti-leftist, in fact, he often showed his support for democratic socialism. The book 1984 was about totalitarianism and ignorance in general, not the left or right.
 
But you know what makes it kind of a big deal is that we got this video from a foreign news service of the most repressive state in the world. Instead of our home media and why should that ever be? Kind of reminds you of the time he met in the Oval Office. Alone with the Russian Ambassador and Foreign Minister, which had never happened before, with just the Russian media allowed in while totally excluding the American media. A meeting in which he disparaged Comey as being a "nutjob" and now that is he rid of him this 'Russian thing' is off of his back.While also revealing to them highly classified information that we had received via an ally. And disgracefully enough we had to learn of this first via the Russians first. That wasn't a good look then and neither is this now. So no wonder they are running this video on North Korean tv.

I cannot confirm it but I suspect that Trump limited press coverage to ONLY those outlets which he knew were "loyal to him" which is his custom. That's because we are increasingly NORMALIZING the idea that acting like a dictator is OKAY in a country known previously for its free press.

Goddam that orange virus, goddam him to Hell, and goddam all the people who think what he does is normal.
 
Trump did not have to return the salute but did so as a matter of détente. Had he ignored the salute the left wingers here would have been decrying how he insulted a General when he was supposed to be building peaceful negotiations.
 
Looks to me like he was looking down as if to say; Handshake? Salute me first bitch and then i'll shake your hand. And what do you know? Trump did.

But he didn't salute first. He returned a salute and he did so mockingly.
 
But he didn't salute first. He returned a salute and he did so mockingly.

I didn't see mocking. I saw appreciating the gesture. He was a little embarrassed at the confusion (not his fault, no reason to predict a salute) but proud and with a snap to his heels returning the salute.
 
Oh, good grief, this is going to get exaggerated. The North Korean rendered a sloppy salute, by which Trump returned a mockingly sloppy salute in hasty reaction. It is not that inappropriate for the U.S. President to return a salute to a North Korean general. Let's go to my favorite word, "context:"

1) A salute normally involves a subordinate rendering a salute to a senior; and the senior returning the salute. This is not just about respect, but about establishing a hierarchy. Here, we see a North Korean General rendering the salute to a U.S. President. The North Korean was demonstrating respect. And if you understand the Korean culture, respect is a very serious matter.

2) At the Japanese Surrender Ceremony on September 2, 1945, it was normal for U.S. sailors and Japanese officials (military and civilian) to exchange salutes. One may simply look at the official video of the event. And before anybody tries to argue about that being the back end of a war, we are still technically trying to end a war with North Korea.

Regardless, what Trump did was not ceremonial at all and was very much in the moment. It would have been insulting and possibly damaging had Trump ignored his little salute. So, just like ending the military exercises, Trump is not wrong here.
 
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I didn't see mocking. I saw appreciating the gesture. He was a little embarrassed at the confusion (not his fault, no reason to predict a salute) but proud and with a snap to his heels returning the salute.

He pursed his lips, immediately made a look of extreme seriousness to exaggerate the other, and then immediately dropped it back to the smile as if that was fun. His point was surely not to mock and I am sure the intent was not insult. The insult would have been Trump not returning the salute. But that's exactly what happens when somebody gets caught off guard when another is more serious in the moment than the other. It does come off as mocking. It's a petty thing, but Democrats will present the scenario as some sort of serious moment in which Trump just proved his love affair for dictators. It was not a serious salute.
 
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