Trump Critic on MSNBC: ‘Partisan,’ ‘Illogical’ Not to Credit President for North Korea

Appearing on MSNBC Live With Velshi & Ruhle on Friday to promote his new book, Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism, foreign policy expert and Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer, a frequent critic of President Trump, went out of his way to credit the President for the major diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea. He even admonished those refusing to give credit where credit was due.

“Ian, I want to start with North Korea. Because it was you last week who said we’ve got to give President Trump credit for making the progress we have thus far,” noted co-anchor Stephanie Ruhle at the top of the segment. Bremmer reiterated that sentiment: “There’s no question that if it wasn’t for Trump we don’t have this opening with the North Koreans.”

 

 

A week earlier, Bremmer took to social media to hail the President for the start of the historic Korean peace process, even proclaiming: “Trump, Xi, Moon and Kim together get my vote for the Nobel Peace Prize.”  

On MSNBC, he proceeded to explain how Trump got the North Koreans to the negotiating table:

A lot of people are saying, “Oh, is it about his tweets? Is it about ‘fire and fury’?” It’s not. It’s about him pressing the Chinese, it’s about him sitting down with Xi Jingping in Mar-a-Lago, doing that first summit, and saying if – “I got elected on the back of, you know, beating on the Chinese, and that’s what I’m prepared to do. Unless you help me on North Korea, I’m going to make it a priority.” And the Chinese, who are less happy with the North Koreans, actually started really ramping up sanctions. 90% of North Korea’s economy is China. If it wasn’t for that implementation, we don’t get this movement, period.  

Ruhle seemed frustrated that such progress could not have happened under the Obama administration: “Can I just ask why now? Because the sanctions existed during the Obama administration. Why didn’t the Obama – why was the Obama administration unsuccessful in pushing China to make these moves?” Bremmer bluntly replied: “It wasn’t a priority.”

Moments later, Bremmer again praised Trump, while acknowledging that he has been one of the President’s biggest critics:

But we have to give him credit. Look, as you know, I’ve been critical of President Trump probably 90% of the foreign policy decisions he’s made since he’s become president. Not the whole administration, but certainly stuff he said. But on this issue, on North Korea, the only way you say that Trump isn’t part of it is if you’re just a partisan, if you’re just being illogical. And that’s not – I mean, I understand that that’s good for eyeballs, but it’s not good for our country.

Surprisingly, even Ruhle agreed: “Good point.” Bremmer added: “It’s not useful.”

When someone like Bremmer can freely credit Trump for a foreign policy success and even get a liberal MSNBC host to agree, that’s pretty remarkable.

Here is a transcript of the May 4 exchange:

11:49 AM ET

STEPHANIE RUHLE: Ian Bremmer, president and founder of The Eurasia Group, his latest book, you’ve got to get it, titled, Us Vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism.

ALI VELSHI: It’s a great book, by the way. This is one of those must reads.

RUHLE: Ian, I want to start with North Korea. Because it was you last week who said we’ve got to give President Trump credit for making the progress we have thus far.

IAN BREMMER: Yeah, I am hearing from the Trump administration that they have confirmation that we’re going to get those three hostages actually released, so that looks good. There’s no question that if it wasn’t for Trump we don’t have this opening with the North Koreans.

A lot of people are saying, “Oh, is it about his tweets? Is it about ‘fire and fury’?” It’s not. It’s about him pressing the Chinese, it’s about him sitting down with Xi Jingping in Mar-a-Lago, doing that first summit, and saying if – “I got elected on the back of, you know, beating on the Chinese, and that’s what I’m prepared to do. Unless you help me on North Korea, I’m going to make it a priority.” And the Chinese, who are less happy with the North Koreans, actually started really ramping up sanctions. 90% of North Korea’s economy is China. If it wasn’t for that implementation, we don’t get this movement, period.  

RUHLE: Can I just ask why now? Because the sanctions existed during the Obama administration. Why didn’t the Obama – why was the Obama administration unsuccessful in pushing China to make these moves?

BREMMER: It wasn’t a priority, right? I mean –  

RUHLE: Why?

BREMMER: Number one, because I think President Obama didn’t want – or President Bush –  didn’t want to open that box. They recognized that that’s a risk-acceptance strategy. You’re going to start pushing the Chinese, the Chinese can push you back. It’s like why didn’t Obama want to whack Syria after he said the red line on chemical weapons? Because, well, potentially you’ll kill some people and how much is it going to accomplish? None of them wanted the potential, even if it was a small percent, of starting confrontation with either the Chinese or with the North Koreans.

And President Trump has been un – he’s not as concerned about that. There was potential downside here, there was real risk. We could be sitting here and saying, “Dammit, he’s gotten us in this trouble and we’re at the brink of war. Instead, there’s a greater likelihood of a breakthrough.

But we have to give him credit. Look, as you know, I’ve been critical of President Trump probably 90% of the foreign policy decisions he’s made since he’s become president. Not the whole administration, but certainly stuff he said. But on this issue, on North Korea, the only way you say that Trump isn’t part of it is if you’re just a partisan, if you’re just being illogical. And that’s not – I mean, I understand that that’s good for eyeballs, but it’s not good for our country.

RUHLE: Good point.

BREMMER: It’s not useful.

(…)