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State of the Union: Trump announces second North Korea summit | State of the Union: Trump announces second North Korea summit |
(35 minutes later) | |
US President Donald Trump has announced in his State of the Union speech that he will hold a second nuclear summit with North Korea's leader this month. | US President Donald Trump has announced in his State of the Union speech that he will hold a second nuclear summit with North Korea's leader this month. |
In an address to the nation with the theme "Choosing Greatness", he vowed once again to build a border wall. | In an address to the nation with the theme "Choosing Greatness", he vowed once again to build a border wall. |
While appealing for political unity, the Republican president also said "ridiculous partisan investigations" could damage US prosperity. | While appealing for political unity, the Republican president also said "ridiculous partisan investigations" could damage US prosperity. |
In a rebuttal, Democrats accused Mr Trump of abandoning US values. | In a rebuttal, Democrats accused Mr Trump of abandoning US values. |
His primetime address came less than a fortnight after he backed down to end the longest US government shutdown in history when Democrats refused to fund a US-Mexico border wall. | His primetime address came less than a fortnight after he backed down to end the longest US government shutdown in history when Democrats refused to fund a US-Mexico border wall. |
Another shutdown could happen if no spending plan is agreed by the end of next week. | Another shutdown could happen if no spending plan is agreed by the end of next week. |
What did he say about North Korea? | What did he say about North Korea? |
The president said in his 82-minute speech on Tuesday night that he would meet Kim Jong-un in Vietnam from 27-28 February. | |
"If I had not been elected president of the United States," Mr Trump said, "we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. | |
"Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one." | |
Plans for a second summit have been in the works since the two leaders' historic talks last year. | Plans for a second summit have been in the works since the two leaders' historic talks last year. |
Mr Trump and Mr Kim's meeting last June in Singapore was the first ever between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. | Mr Trump and Mr Kim's meeting last June in Singapore was the first ever between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. |
While Pyongyang has not conducted any atomic or ballistic missile tests since last summer, it has yet to agree to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme. | |
What might a second summit achieve? | |
Analysis by Laura Bicker, BBC News, Seoul | |
Mr Trump's goal will be to extract pledges from Kim Jong-un without giving too much ground. The Trump administration has said it is not willing to lift sanctions, but it has mentioned helping out the North's economy. | |
However, handing over such aid to a secretive state which has yet to declare a list of its weapons facilities or allow in independent inspectors is bound to raise more than eyebrows. So Mr Trump has to extract a written pledge from Mr Kim. Otherwise these summits will be seen as all show, and very little substance. | |
As for Mr Kim's bargaining chips, we have been told he could be prepared to give up his nuclear production site known as Yongbyon. | |
I've also been told by some sources close to Pyongyang that Mr Kim does want to achieve something his father and grandfather never did. A peace treaty. | |
The prospect of becoming the US president who ended the 68-year long Korean War is bound to be a tantalising one for Mr Trump. | |
What did he say about unity? | |
After two years of rancorous partisanship, Mr Trump on Tuesday night repeated calls for political unity that he has made in his last two annual speeches to Congress. | |
"Together, we can break decades of political stalemate," he said. "We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions." | "Together, we can break decades of political stalemate," he said. "We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions." |
Mr Trump raised potential areas of agreement, such as infrastructure improvements, lowering prescription drug costs and fighting childhood cancer. | Mr Trump raised potential areas of agreement, such as infrastructure improvements, lowering prescription drug costs and fighting childhood cancer. |
But he added: "An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations." | But he added: "An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations." |
Democrats have launched a flurry of inquiries into the Trump administration since they took over the US House of Representatives last month. | Democrats have launched a flurry of inquiries into the Trump administration since they took over the US House of Representatives last month. |
A special prosecutor is still investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which the president and Moscow deny. | A special prosecutor is still investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which the president and Moscow deny. |
As Mr Trump delivered his nationally televised speech on Tuesday, his chief congressional antagonist was sitting at the rostrum over his shoulder. | As Mr Trump delivered his nationally televised speech on Tuesday, his chief congressional antagonist was sitting at the rostrum over his shoulder. |
The Democratic leader of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, tweeted afterwards: "It will take days to fact-check all the misrepresentations that the president made tonight." | |
A message to his base | |
Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News | |
It was a speech that was billed as bipartisan, but beneath the flowery language were the same sharp divides and disagreements. | |
Mr Trump has never really acknowledged his party's ballot-box defeat in the mid-term elections last November. | |
By instigating the recently concluded government shutdown, he acted like he still had the political upper hand - even when it was clear to almost everyone that this was not the case. | |
So this State of the Union address presented a quandary. How can a president reconcile himself to divided government while still asserting that everything is going great for him? | |
For this president, the answer was to effectively shrug at the setbacks. To focus his message, where it counted, towards his political base. | |
And to stick with the message that won him the presidency in 2016 and, he appears to believe, will keep him in the White House for another term next year. | |
How did Democrats respond? | How did Democrats respond? |
Stacey Abrams, who lost her race last year to be governor of Georgia, delivered the Democrats' response to Trump. | Stacey Abrams, who lost her race last year to be governor of Georgia, delivered the Democrats' response to Trump. |
She was the first African-American woman to give the party's rebuttal. | |
Ms Abrams said: "The shutdown was a stunt engineered by the president of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people - but our values." | Ms Abrams said: "The shutdown was a stunt engineered by the president of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people - but our values." |
She also said that while she is "disappointed" with Mr Trump, "I still don't want him to fail." | |
Democratic female lawmakers who attended Mr Trump's speech wore white to celebrate the 100th anniversary of American women gaining the right to vote. | Democratic female lawmakers who attended Mr Trump's speech wore white to celebrate the 100th anniversary of American women gaining the right to vote. |
They sat stony-faced as their Republican counterparts rose for the applause lines. | |
But Democrats surprised Mr Trump with a standing ovation when he said there were more women in the workforce and in Congress than ever before. | |
"That's great!" said the president, delighted by their reaction. "Really great." | |
What did he say about foreign wars? | What did he say about foreign wars? |
Mr Trump said his administration was holding "constructive talks" with the Taliban to find a solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. | Mr Trump said his administration was holding "constructive talks" with the Taliban to find a solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. |
"The hour has come to at least try for peace," he added. | "The hour has come to at least try for peace," he added. |
The president also said "virtually all" of the territory once occupied in Syria and Iraq by the Islamic State group had been liberated from "these bloodthirsty monsters". | The president also said "virtually all" of the territory once occupied in Syria and Iraq by the Islamic State group had been liberated from "these bloodthirsty monsters". |
"It is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home," he told the chamber. | "It is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home," he told the chamber. |
He said 7,000 US troops had died and more than $7tn (£5.4tn) had been spent by America on nearly two decades of war in the Middle East. | He said 7,000 US troops had died and more than $7tn (£5.4tn) had been spent by America on nearly two decades of war in the Middle East. |
"Great nations do not fight endless wars," said the president, who campaigned on an 'America First' platform. | "Great nations do not fight endless wars," said the president, who campaigned on an 'America First' platform. |
What did Trump say on border security? | What did Trump say on border security? |
The president devoted much of his speech to border security, vowing once again to build a US-Mexico barrier and calling illegal immigration "an urgent national crisis". | |
But he refrained from declaring a national emergency that would allow him to bypass Congress for wall funding. | |
With another government shutdown deadline impending on 15 February, the president has few options to deliver his signature campaign promise. | |
Mr Trump told his audience that working-class Americans pay the price for illegal immigration. | |
The mood in the chamber | |
At the scene - By Tara McKelvey, BBC News | |
Despite the president's call for unity, the reception from Democrats was frosty for most of the evening. | |
Meanwhile, Republicans shouted their approval - especially when Mr Trump talked about the wall along the southern border. | |
When the president said: "The state of our union is strong", members of his party stood and chanted: "USA!" | |
The Democrats stayed seated. But then the mood changed. | |
As the president noted the record number of women in Congress, Democrats gave a standing ovation - and they began shouting: "USA!" | |
Republicans joined in - they all chanted together. | |
Bitter adversaries experienced a rare, happy moment of togetherness. And the president was right in the middle of it. |