Trump brags about North Korea as UN reports 'grave concern' about nukes

In Trump’s fantastical telling, he is a hero who single-handedly stopped North Korea’s nuclear program through sheer force of will and a meeting with dictator Kim Jong Un.

But in the real world, evidence continues to mount that North Korea is continuing on with its nuclear ambitions, including a new report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency.

First, the facts. Despite North Korea’s pledge to denuclearize, the IAEA has “not seen any indication that nuclear activities in North Korea have stopped,” reports Agence France Presse (AFP).

The further development of North Korea’s nuclear program, and rhetoric from North Korea, are “cause for grave concern,” says the report, which is set to be submitted to the IAEA board in September. Further, the report found “indications consistent with the use of the reported centrifuge enrichment facility.”

Yet when Reuters talked to Trump, Trump could not refrain from bragging and misleading about North Korea.

“I stopped (North Korea’s) nuclear testing,” Trump said. “I stopped (North Korea’s) missile testing.”

Trump didn’t stop there.

“Trump has hailed the Singapore summit as a success and went as far as saying North Korea no longer posed a nuclear threat,” reports Reuters.

Even before the recent U.N. report, experts warned that North Korea was not an honest broker.

In late June, U.S. intelligence agencies said North Korea was ramping up fuel production for nuclear weapons.

In late July, the Washington Post reported satellite evidence of North Korea building long-range missile facilities. In early August, several outlets reported North Korea repeatedly rejecting timetables for denuclearizing that were proposed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Yet Trump defiantly ignores reality, determined to brag about his meeting with North Korea’s dictator and the imagined successes that came from it.

Americans are presented with two contradictory claims: The U.N. agency responsible for keeping an eye on nuclear issues around the globe reports North Korean activity is a cause for grave concern; and the former reality television star, who is reportedly confused by the concept of time zones, says North Korea is no a threat at all.

It seems there are plenty of reasons for grave concerns.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.