The Patriot Post® · Trump Kim II

President Trump is on his way to Vietnam for a second summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. As Trump was preparing to leave Washington, Chuck Schumer and a handful of Senate Democrats sent the president a going away present — a letter making all kinds of demands about what they say must be included in any agreement with North Korea. 

The chutzpah on the left is breathtaking!

These same people sat on their hands during the Obama Administration’s eight years as the North Korean regime moved day after day toward developing nuclear weapons. The Obama White House had no policy for confronting North Korea. 

In fact, Obama’s going away present to Donald Trump was to warn him that North Korea was going to be Trump’s biggest problem.

When Trump took office, Kim was threatening Guam, Japan, South Korea and the U.S. homeland with nuclear devastation. Trump bluntly warned him to back off, telling reporters:

“North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and the fury like the world has never seen.”

Democrats screamed that Trump was going to get us into a nuclear war. They introduced legislation limiting the president’s authority over the use of nuclear weapons and preventing him from launching a pre-emptive strike on North Korea.

But we didn’t go to war. Instead, the Trump/Pence Administration assembled the toughest sanctions regime ever imposed on North Korea. And since then there have been no more missile tests, no more nuclear tests and no more saber rattling from Kim Jong Un. 

Instead of war, hostages were freed and the remains of U.S. soldiers who died during the Korean War were returned home.

This president has already accomplished what the last three presidents could not. 

By the way, the same people who are upset that he hasn’t yet stopped North Korea’s nuclear program are also upset that he withdrew from a missile treaty with Russia that Putin has been violating for years. 

And they were upset when he withdrew from a treaty that didn’t end Iran’s nuclear program but legitimized Iran’s nuclear program.

One of the most important things you can do for your mental health is to ignore the so-called “foreign policy experts” on the Sunday talk shows, including the many #NeverTrumpers, who have been running America’s foreign policy for the past 30 years. It was under their “leadership” that North Korea became a nuclear power!

Pence In Columbia

As President Trump heads to Vietnam, Vice President Mike Pence was in South America yesterday for a meeting of the Lima Group — 14 Western hemisphere nations that have joined together to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. 

That crisis reached a critical mass in recent weeks when Juan Guaido, the leader of the Venezuelan National Assembly, declared himself to be the nation’s interim president. The United States and dozens of nations quickly recognized Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela.

Predictably, socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro has responded with brute force. In recent days, Maduro closed his country’s border crossings to prevent humanitarian aid from coming in. His people are starving yet Maduro refuses to accept help. 

Four people were killed and hundreds were wounded in clashes with military forces this weekend. The Trump Administration announced yesterday that it was imposing sanctions on top Venezuelan officials responsible for blockading humanitarian aid shipments.

In his address to the Lima Group, Pence warned that “even stronger sanctions on the regime’s corrupt financial networks” would be imposed in coming days. Pence also encouraged the Venezuelan people to continue their resistance against Maduro’s socialist tyranny. Below are some excerpts of the vice president’s remarks.

“We gather here to reaffirm our commitment to freedom in this hemisphere… As the people of Venezuela prepare to take to the streets again, we say from our hearts to the freedom-loving people of Venezuela, know that you do not go alone. You go with the support and the prayers of the American people…

"And I also believe that as you stand for freedom, you go with the grace of the Author of freedom, who said in those ancient words, ‘Do not be afraid.’ … for where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty…

"I believe with all my heart, the day is coming soon when Venezuela’s long nightmare will end and Venezuela will once more be free… Vayan con Dios. [Go with God.]”

Changing Hearts & Minds

Here’s some encouraging news: New polling data strongly suggests that the Democrats’ pro-abortion extremism is repelling many Americans and changing their minds about abortion.

In January, a Marist poll found that 55% of Americans identified as pro-choice while 38% identified as pro-life. But after seeing Democrats in New York celebrate late-term abortions and seeing Virginia Democrats embrace infanticide, the latest Marist poll finds the country is now evenly divided — 47% pro-life and 47% pro-choice. 

That’s a 17-point swing in one month!

I also believe President Trump deserves tremendous credit for repeatedly defending the sanctity of life in recent weeks. When many politicians stick a finger in the wind and allow themselves to be swayed by public opinion or dodge controversial issues entirely, this president is leading the charge for the pro-life cause.

Trump’s bold remarks in the State of the Union address, at the National Prayer Breakfast and at a special White House event were spot on and a perfect example of the power of the bully pulpit to change public opinion.

Speaking Of Changed Minds…

The House of Representatives is expected to vote this week, perhaps as early as today, on a resolution disapproving President Trump’s emergency declaration at the southern border. I hope every member of Congress will listen to Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who just returned from an Air National Guard deployment in the Tucson sector.

Kinzinger told “Face The Nation” that he was undecided on the president’s emergency declaration before his tour, but he supports it now. Kinzinger said:

“I think if this was just an issue of immigration it wouldn’t constitute a national emergency. But what I saw was really disturbing… I do think this is a security threat.  It’s a security threat with the amount of drugs coming over the border and the human trafficking that I’ve seen.”

Kinzinger’s support in this case is noteworthy because he is often critical of President Trump. He refused to endorse Trump in 2016, and he broke ranks with the White House on the latest government shutdown over border security funding.