President Trump and North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un just had their first face-to-face meeting in Singapore, and while many are cheering this historic moment, it is clear that there are some who are none too happy about it. One would think that our vaunted media establishment would be happy that an American president was finally able to get a North Korean leader to the negotiating table.

Unfortunately, the news media’s overwhelming hatred of President Trump prevents most of them from offering any positive comments on the matter. Indeed, they responded to the meeting by looking for any valuable nuggets they could use to slam the president.

Face-To-Face

After shaking hands, the two leaders exchanged pleasantries, then they got down to business. At the end of the summit, they signed a preliminary agreement detailing some of the objectives they would work towards to establish a peaceful solution.

While most of the stipulations outlined in the document were necessarily vague, North Korea did agree to work towards denuclearization while President Trump agreed to suspend military training exercises with South Korea. Soon after the meeting, left-leaning journalists and politicians sprinted to the nearest microphone or laptop to excoriate the president. What were they so angry about?

The Establishment Media Wasn’t Happy

Vox published the headline “Trump just struck a shockingly weak deal with North Korea.” In the piece, the author contends that the agreement is “more of a symbolic achievement than a substantive one.” They also quote experts who are “concerned that Trump has conceded far too much to Pyongyang without receiving enough — if anything — in return.” Vox also argues that the decision to suspend military exercises are a “huge and unreciprocated giveaway to Kim.”

The Washington Post echoed Vox’s arguments, but they also attacked Trump’s rhetoric toward the North Korean leader. When speaking with Kim, Trump said: “It’s my honor, and we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt.” The Post’s Jennifer Rubin had her Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) on clear display, she wrote:

“An honor to meet the man who maintains slave labor camps, who periodically attacks the ships of our ally South Korea and whose regime is responsible for the death of Otto Warmbier? That should stun Warmbier’s parents — and every decent human being. Trump envisions a ‘terrific’ relationship with a country that conducts mass hacking, is arguably the worst human rights violator, threatens us with nuclear weapons, detains our people and seeks the reunification of the Korean peninsula under its rule of terror.”

Apparently, Rubin thinks Trump and Kim plan to have beers and play golf on the weekends. After all, Trump couldn’t possibly be trying to take a diplomatic approach to the situation, right?

Not to be outdone, CNN joined in on the fun. Everyone’s favorite anti-Trump news organization published a piece in which they interviewed several experts — all of whom were critical of Trump.

One expert stated that watching Trump and Kim shake hands was “both stunning and chilling.” She also claimed that having the meeting legitimizes Kim’s nuclear weapons program as a way to gain access to Trump.

Surprisingly, The New York Times published a mostly-balanced peace on the summit. Many of Trump’s critics in the media are making it appear that by suspending military exercises, the president is giving away the whole farm. The Times asserted that this type of move isn’t as significant as others have made it seem:

“Mr. Trump was setting a policy that analysts refer to as “freeze for freeze,” in which the United States freezes the exercises and North Korea freezes its weapons tests. It’s meant to reduce tensions and create space for more meaningful concessions. Though not all analysts support such a policy, it is a mainstream idea and hardly radical.”

Will They Ever Stop?

The reality is that the first meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un was never meant to iron out each detail of the denuclearization process. Indeed, the president never set that expectation. It was a preliminary conversation to establish a working relationship between the two leaders.

The New York Times is right — President Trump’s decision to suspend military exercises isn’t as big of a concession as the media wants us to believe. It was a good-faith gesture in response to Pyongyang’s suspension of their missile activity and their release of hostages. Moreover, the military could start conducting the exercises again if it is warranted.

When it comes to Trump’s comments about Kim, it’s easy to see that the president is attempting to strike the right diplomatic tone. Jennifer Rubin’s criticisms are completely unfounded — and she’s been in the game long enough to know it. It’s obvious that Trump isn’t trying to become best friends with the dictator — he is simply trying to position himself to negotiate the best deal possible.

Reagan complimented Gorbachev during the Cold War. Roosevelt was cozy with Stalin. Trump’s actions are not much different from his predecessors, who refused to insult their enemies to gain more ground in their negotiations. Unfortunately, the media’s irrational Trump hate prevents them from reacting in a way that doesn’t involve unhinged ranting and disingenuous criticism, and it doesn’t appear that they will be stopping any time soon.