***To read the full blog, please check out the complete post on NewsBusters***
Broadcasting live from Hanoi, Vietnam for the U.S./North Korea summit on denuclearization, NBC kicked off Tuesday’s Nightly News with a report giving a rundown of the current state of the negotiations after last year’s historic summit. But towards the end of that report, which was delivered by anchor Lester Holt, he shared concerns from “critics” who feared Kim Jong-un would “flatter” his way to major concessions from President Trump with little in return.
“Back then Kim promising to work towards denuclearization, but taking few concrete steps since. While Kim has stopped nuclear testing and missile launches, the President's own intelligence officials warning he has not given up his nuclear ambitions,” Holt reminded viewers.
Holt noted that Trump was “counting on personal chemistry to get a deal done”, but quickly parroted the naysayers. “But some critics, concerned about what President Trump may be willing to concede in this second summit and whether Kim could flatter him into giving up too much,” he added.
Immediately following that worry, Holt brought on chief White House correspondent Hallie Jackson to talk about what Americans back home could expect from the summit. “Lester, the White House has really tried to tamp down expectations for what this summit could be, with multiple sources close to the process telling us what could be on the table to get Kim to agree to, for example, opening up a nuclear facility to inspection,” she explained.
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