With the 24-hour news cycle, you may have already forgotten who Otto Warmier is. To refresh your memory, he was a college student traveling abroad who in December 2015 visited North Korea. There, he was accused of stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel room. For this insignificant crime, he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labor. In March 2016, he suffered a severe neurological injury that put him in a comatose state. After 17 months in captivity, Warmier returned to the United States, but died on June 19, 2017.
Going back to 2013, Kim Jung-un, the North Korean dictator, had called President Trump a “rogue” and a “dotard.” Later, he would say that our president was “mentally deranged” and a “gangster.” But this name-calling was to change abruptly. When the two leaders met face-to-face, this is how one Canadian journalist described it: “President Donald Trump shook his hand for 13 long seconds, patted him on the back and led him down a rich red carpet.” Trump declared himself honored. The “bromance” had begun. The picture of the two world leaders standing in front of American and North Korean flags elevated the Asian dictator in the eyes of the world.
Why would an American president deign to praise a violator of human rights when in 2018 the North Korean government was held liable in a U.S. federal court for Warmier’s torture and death. In 2019, Trump said, without equivocation, he accepted Kim Jung-un’s explanation that he was not responsible for Warmier’s death. It has been pointed out that in a dictatorship like North Korea, nothing could transpire without Kim’s knowledge. So, again, the logical question: What was Trump thinking?
I am on record as believing that Trump has severe mental problems. Mental healthcare professionals have called him a casebook narcissist, but I will go one step further. He admires dictators. Why? Because he aspires to be one. A look at his relationship with Putin and Kim substantiate this. Examine his relationship with Abdel Fattah al Sisi, the Egyptian strongman. Al Sisi is responsible for extra-judicial killings, detention of tens of thousands and the disappearance of hundreds. Yet, Trump tells us that he is “a fantastic guy.” Finally, recall Trump’s statements about John McCain. Trump’s tells us that his heroes don’t get captured.
This is all of a piece. Trump tries to govern America the way he ran his business enterprises. Tom Steyer repeatedly calls for his impeachment. Bill Maher believes that if Trump loses the presidential election in 2020, he will not go quietly. I don’t concur with this bleak assessment, but I worry about Trump’s dictatorial tendencies. Fortunately, our Constitution calls for co-equal branches of government and we still have a free press. Each and every one of us must be vigilant so that after the 2020 election there is a peaceful transition of power.
I think it only fitting that this letter end with the words of Cindy and Fred Warmier (Otto’s parents). “We have been respectful during this summit process. Now we must speak out. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that.”
President Trump invited the Warmiers to attend his State of the Union address. They were used as “props.” I doubt if Trump will get their votes in 2020.
Dr. Hal Sobel
Great Neck
