Kim Jong Un does not take President Trump seriously or literally

It's obvious that Trump's confused braggadocio has not deterred the North Korean leader. Now what?

President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
(Image credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images, KNS/AFP/Getty Images)

To the extent that there is a Trumpian ideology, it's that Donald Trump can and will accomplish anything by virtue of the fact that he is Donald Trump. This worldview assumes that the president has a quasi-mystical capacity to shape observable reality according to his desires. His 2016 campaign message was studded with promises that Trump — and only Trump — possesses the power to resolve every problem America faces at home and abroad. He offered no explanation for how this was possible beyond hyping his alleged deal-making prowess and promising to be "so tough" and "so smart."

This Trump ethos got an early and urgent test from North Korea and its rapidly accelerating nuclear weapons program. Not surprisingly, in the first clash between reality and Trumpian fantasy, reality came out on top.

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Simon Maloy

Simon Maloy is a political writer and researcher in Washington, DC. His work has been published by The Huffington Post, The American Prospect, and Salon.