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Trump criticizes Obama in tweet after North Korea summit

By Elizabeth Shim
President Donald Trump tweeted Monday former that President Barack Obama (R) "got nowhere" on North Korea. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI
President Donald Trump tweeted Monday former that President Barack Obama (R) "got nowhere" on North Korea. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo

June 18 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's summit with North Korea was largely hailed a success in Asia, but back home Trump is being met with measured criticism, a development the president noted in a tweet Monday morning.

"If President Obama [who got nowhere with North Korea and would have had to go to war with many millions of people being killed] had gotten along with North Korea and made the initial steps toward a deal that I have, the Fake News would have named him a national hero!" Trump tweeted.

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Following Tuesday's meeting with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, former Obama administration officials have noted the joint statement signed by the two leaders had few specifics and did not chart new territory.

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Susan Rice, President Barack Obama's former national security adviser, said Sunday on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS the summit was a bigger win for Pyongyang.

Kim "committed to less than his father and grandfather. He got an equally broad security commitment from the United States, very vague," Rice said.

During his press conference in Singapore after the summit, Trump suggested he succeeded where past administrations had failed.

"It would have been -- for me, it would have been much easier if this were 10 years ago or five years ago. And I'm not just blaming President Obama. I mean, this goes back -- for 25 years, this should have happened. I was given a very tough hand," Trump said.

On Sunday, Trump said Asia is "celebrating" the summit.

"The denuclearization deal with North Korea is being praised and celebrated all over Asia. They are so happy! Over here, in our country, some people would rather see this historic deal fail than give Trump a win, even if it does save potentially millions & millions of lives!" the president tweeted.

Behind the scenes, the Trump administration continues to coordinate with stakeholders on issues of the Korean Peninsula.

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Tass reported Monday that Washington requested a phone call between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The diplomats are expected to discuss plans for a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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