President Trump responded to criticism Friday over his apparent acceptance of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s denial he had any knowledge of his regime’s ill treatment of American student Otto Warmbier that led to his death.
“I never like being misinterpreted, but especially when it comes to Otto Warmbier and his great family,” the president wrote in a pair of tweets Friday afternoon. “Remember, I got Otto out along with three others. The previous Administration did nothing, and he was taken on their watch.”
“Of course I hold North Korea responsible for Otto’s mistreatment and death,” he continued. “Most important, Otto Warmbier will not have died in vain. Otto and his family have become a tremendous symbol of strong passion and strength, which will last for many years into the future. I love Otto and think of him often!”
I never like being misinterpreted, but especially when it comes to Otto Warmbier and his great family. Remember, I got Otto out along with three others. The previous Administration did nothing, and he was taken on their watch. Of course I hold North Korea responsible….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2019
Trump and Kim met this week in Hanoi, Vietnam for their second summit to discuss the dismantling of the North’s nuclear weapons, which ended abruptly when Trump left early,
“In those prisons and camps, you have a lot of people, and some really bad things happened to Otto,” Trump said, adding that Kim “felt very badly” about Warmbier’s fate. “Some really, really bad things. But [Kim] tells me that he didn’t know about it, and I will take him at his word.”
The president’s comments regarding Kim’s denial drew bipartisan criticism, including from former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, who represents Warmbier’s parents’ Ohio district.
“Americans know the cruelty that was placed on Otto Warmbier by the North Korean regime,” Haley said in a tweet. “Our hearts are with the Warmbier family for their strength and courage. We will never forget Otto.”
Brown said Trump’s remark “sends a message to dictators.”
Otto’s parents reacted critically to the president’s comments earlier on Friday, blaming Kim himself for their son’s death.
“We have been respectful during this summit process. Now we must speak out,” read a statement from Fred and Cindy Warmbier. “Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuse or lavish praise can change that.”
Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was returned home from North Korea in a coma with severe injuries in June, 2017 after being arrested and detained for a year and a half for allegedly tried to steal a propaganda poster from his hotel.