Win McNamee/Getty Images(SENTOSA ISLAND, Singapore) — President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that he showed Kim Jong Un a “tape that was done on the highest level of future development” and made the pitch to the North Korea dictator that his country, which is struggling financially, “could have the best hotels in the world” instead of spending money on testing ballistic missiles.
Trump, who called his historic meeting with the North Korean leader “honest, direct and productive,” has always argued that his experience as a businessman would help him negotiate as president and it seems that the former real estate mogul did just that in Singapore.
“As an example, they have great beaches. You see that whenever they’re exploding their cannons into the ocean, right?” Trump said while speaking with reporters at the press conference in Singapore. “I said boy, look at that beach. Wouldn’t that make a great condo behind? And I said instead of doing that you could have the best hotels in the world right there. Think of it from a real estate perspective.”
The four-minute tape, which Trump said was shown in both English and Korean and was made from the perspective of the United States, was released by the White House and it is a Hollywood-style movie trailer produced by a fake production company, “The Destiny Pictures Productions.”
The trailer-style video features dramatic music and a voiceover narrator and flashes between images of iconic scenes from around the world, stock images of scientific and technological innovation and videos of Trump and Kim — the lead characters — waving, smiling and addressing the people.
“Destiny Pictures presents a story of opportunity. A new story, a new beginning. One of peace. Two men, two leaders, one destiny,” the narrator says.
“On this day. In this time. At this moment. The world will be watching, listening, anticipating, hoping. Will this leader choose to advance his country and be part of a new world? Be the hero of his people? … Which path will be chosen?” the narration continues. “Featuring President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un…. in a meeting to remake history. To shine in the sun. One moment, one choice, what if? The future remains to be written.”
Kim’s father, North Korea’s late Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il was a well-known movie buff and a huge Hollywood fan with an enormous collection of thousands of movies.
Trump said that while North Korea “may not want that” and may want to expand at a smaller scale, he added that Kim “looked at the tape, he looked at that iPad and I’m telling you, they really enjoyed it, I believe.”
Trump praised Kim in an exclusive interview with ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos just hours after the intense negotiations.
“I do trust him, yeah,” Trump said. “Maybe in a year you’ll be interviewing and I’ll say I made a mistake. It’s possible. We’re dealing at a high level, a lot of things can change a lot of things are possible.”
When pressed by Stephanopoulos on his previous criticism of North Korea’s human rights abuses Trump said, “I think that he really wants to do a great job for North Korea.”
“I think he wants to de-nuke, without that, there’s nothing to discuss. It was on the table from the beginning, and you see a total denuclearization of North Korea – so important.”
When asked if there was talk of pulling U.S. troops out of South Korea, Trump said the topic didn’t come up.
“We didn’t discuss that, no. We’re not going to play the war games… I thought they were very provocative. I also they’re also very expensive,” he said.
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