Senate

Schumer: Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader ‘one of the worst few days’ in American diplomacy

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized President Trump’s weekend meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, describing it as “reality show foreign policy.” 

“This was one of the worst few days in American foreign policy, in American diplomatic history, in a long time,” Schumer said Monday in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

Trump made history Sunday as the first sitting U.S. president to cross into North Korea.

But Schumer called out the president for calling Kim “a friend” without the country making any concessions on nuclear power.{mosads}

“They have more nuclear bombs than they’ve had in the past. They are a danger to the United States and he pats the guy on the back and gets nothing in return,” Schumer said.

Schumer said Trump used to criticize past presidents for being unable to denuclearize North Korea, but said Trump’s “erratic” policies are even more detrimental to the U.S. 

“It’s reality show foreign policy. He wants that photo op, he wants that little hit,” Schumer said. “He had no strategic, long-range sense of where to go or what to do, and if anyone thinks this doesn’t hurt America in the short term and the long run they’re sadly mistaken.” 

Schumer’s remarks echo comments Democrats seeking the 2020 nomination made Sunday, panning the president’s North Korea visit.