Yeah, I think we should expect a little better of our president than to be taking dictators at their word, especially with regard to their treatment of American citizens imprisoned on trumped up charges.
If It's petty to even bring this up, and I don't believe it is, well, then many Republicans are being petty about the very same thing. I mean, it is not exactly an example of putting "America First", and it's part of an obvious pattern on Trump's part. A pattern of supporting dictators, and a pattern of ignoring human rights abuses. OK, so under Trump, human rights abuses are going to always take a back seat. So that's his idea of what used to be called "real politic". It should still be expected that many will obviously see that as trashing American values. That really cannot be helped, nor is it petty.
And Republicans are just as "outraged" that he would flip on this. In his 2018 State of the Union, he had Warmbier's parents as guests. So of course it's jarring to see him flip on it, and, really, he did not have to, it was an unforced error on his part.
Why in God's name would being outraged that he would take Kim's word on this be described as "petty"? Seeing our own good values trashed is petty?
Sure an argument could easily be made that we have been hypocrites where human rights are concerned, so maybe it's naive to think we're the "good guys". But many of us still believe that, that we are the "good guys", the guys in the "white hats", so Trump's pattern of praising and supporting dictators is bound to be jarring, not petty.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/432134-gop-senators-fuming-over-trump-comments-on-warmbier
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...g-un-cover-for-the-murder-of-american-student
--Trump tells the president of the Philippines that he is doing a "great job" cracking down on drug use. Even though that includes extrajudicial murders. By the thousands. Trump as a puppy dog, wagging his tail at a brutal dictator.
--At Helsinki, Trump tells the world that he believes Putin, not his own intelligence community. Puppy dog Trump, wagging his tail at the feet of Putin.
--Trump tells the world that maybe the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia is innocent of murdering an American resident journalist. Trump as puppy dog.
--Trump tells the world that he takes Kim's "word for it". Putting "North Korea and Kim first".
Tell the Republicans that they're being petty about this, because they seem to be leading the "outrage".