NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SUMMIT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “It was an unlikely bromance that began last summer in Singapore. The relationship seemed ready to blossom even more this week in Vietnam — until, suddenly, the date went sour. President Trump, who prides himself on his negotiating skills, began his second summit meeting with Kim Jong-un — the North Korean dictator who is believed to have ordered the killings of both his own uncle and half brother — with ardent wooing…As Mr. Trump spoke glowingly of North Korea’s economic potential, the two men seemed to mirror each other in body language. Both sat slightly forward in their chairs, one hand on one knee and the other leaning casually on the table between them, prompting analysts in South Korea to extrapolate closer and closer ties…But just a few hours later, both men had abruptly pulled out of a planned lunch, leaving elegant place settings in a restaurant at the Metropole untouched. There would be no deal, and what had started as a day of harmony ended with both leaders speeding off in their motorcades with nary a final handshake for the cameras.”
–Motoko Rich, “Trump and Kim Started With Dinner and Praise. They Ended Without a Handshake.,” The New York Times online, February 28, 2019