WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump drew criticism after footage emerged of him saluting a North Korean general while the communist nation’s leader Kim Jong Un looked on.
The odd moment was captured during Trump’s visit to Singapore for a summit with Kim this week, with North Korean state television broadcasting the footage on Thursday.
In the interaction, Kim is seen introducing Trump to a North Korean general.
The US president puts out his hand for a shake, but the general instead salutes Trump. In an awkward-seeming moment, Trump then briefly salutes the general.
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The interaction prompted disbelief among some Trump critics, who already have said the president appeared to accommodate to Kim and his autocratic regime, which is accused of gross human rights violations.
“To no one’s surprise, North Korea used our President for their propaganda campaign,” Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said on Twitter.
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Randall John Bryce, a Democratic candidate for 2018, mid-term elections Tweeted: “Trump showing more respect to a North Korean general than he did to American”
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“Kim Jong Un is pocketing immediate concessions and not making any concrete commitments. Nauseating to see Trump stiff our allies in Canada and then praise Kim while saluting his generals.”
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump was merely being polite.
“It’s a common courtesy when a military official from another government salutes, that you return that,” Sanders added.
Former President Barack Obama sparked outrage from his Republican opponents when in 2009 he bowed to Japanese Emperor Akihito.
Conservative also media blasted Obama when he bowed that year to Saudi King Abdullah, and he was assailed again in 2014 for saluting while holding a cup of coffee.
