CNN anchor Erin Burnett commented President Donald Trump would go down as a "great president" if he managed to solve the generational North Korean nuclear crisis, adding "there's no way around that."
The White House stunned the world Thursday night with the announcement that Trump had accepted an invitation from Kim Jong Un, the young dictator of North Korea who has repeatedly threatened the United States with destruction.
If the summit takes place—the South Koreans have said the meeting will take place by May—it would be the first face-to-face meeting between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader.
It was the main topic on cable news Thursday night, and Burnett made the comment after moderating a panel on the significance and pitfalls of such a meeting.
"Just an extraordinary evening, and of course opening the door to the big question. If President Trump can truly solve this problem, that would be going down as a great president," Burnett said. "And there's no way around that. That is the reality here."
Erin Burnett on CNN: If Trump solves the North Korea problem he "would be going down as a great president, and there's no getting around that." pic.twitter.com/cATtTfaFFh
— Eric Hartmane (@erichartmane) March 9, 2018
While South Korean President Moon Jae-In has praised the potential meeting as "historic," others have cautioned this will be a propaganda victory for the brutal Kim regime.
Kim has reportedly pledged to cease nuclear and missile testing in the meantime, practices which had been carried out in defiance of the international community.
Trump and Kim have traded insults and threats for the past year, with Trump nicknaming him "Rocket Man" and declaring he would be met with "fire and fury" if the North Koreans made good on their threats toward the United States.
The Trump administration has called for an end to the "strategic patience" initiatives of past administrations and focused on tightening sanctions and rallying China to put pressure on North Korea.