Otto Warmbier’s Parents Speak Out Against Kim Jong Un After Trump Praises North Korean Dictator

President Donald Trump, while at the summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, was asked about the circumstances leading to the death of Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old American who was imprisoned in North Korea for 17 months before dying shortly after being returned to the U.S. Trump said he took Kim at his word when the dictator said he didn’t know about the mistreatment of Warmbier. “Some really bad things happened to Otto — some really, really bad things. But he tells me that he didn’t know about it, and I will take him at his word,” Trump said, referring to Kim.

Now, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, the parents of Otto, have spoken out against Kim Jong Un. “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,” Warmbier said in a statement.

Trump’s words come in direct contrast to his 2018 State of the Union address, in which he pledged to honor Otto’s memory and reiterated how much of threat North Korea is to the world. “Tonight, we pledge to honor Otto’s memory with American resolve,” said Trump. “We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to America and our allies.”

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Trump’s critics say this shows his tendency to trust the words of dictators over that the opinion of U.S. intelligence agencies. When the U.S. intelligence community confirmed that Russia had meddled in the 2016 election, Trump said believed in Vladimir Putin‘s vehement denial. Also when the CIA said it believed that Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Trump said he believed in the crown prince.

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