DONALD THE DIPLOMAT – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:  There is no question that the president, who can often get in his own way, is emerging as a major international diplomat.  Remember, the liberal press crowd laughed at Reagan as well.  From Fox:   

President Trump, at the start of his meeting Saturday in Germany with Chinese President Xi Jinping, called the Asian nation a “great trading partner” and said the increasing North Korea nuclear threat will eventually be resolved “one way or the other.”

The much-anticipated meeting is one of several Trump and top administration officials are having Saturday with world leaders at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. But it is considered perhaps the most critical.

China is North Korea’s largest trading partner, which gives the country considerable influence over Pyongyang and its growing threat, which includes developing a nuclear warhead and launching long-range missiles to transport them.

Trump said putting an end to North Korea’s nuclear missile testing “may take longer than I'd like, it may take longer that you'd like. But there will be success in the end one way or the other."
“Something has to be done,” the president also said.

COMMENT:  Trump is now laying down a marker.  He widely criticized Barack Obama for drawing a red line in Syria, then doing nothing when it was crossed.  Trump cannot repeat that performance.  He either takes down the North Korean nuclear program or subjects himself to well-deserved ridicule.  He knows the risk he is taking. 

July 8, 2017