A potentially explosive day ahead at the White Housepublished at 16:23 British Summer Time
16:23 BST
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House
Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News
I’m currently at the White House, where much of this morning’s focus was – at least originally – expected to be on two domestic executive orders President Trump will be signing shortly.
Now, much of the world’s media focus is on the upcoming meeting between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung later today, after Trump’s suggestion that a “purge” or “revolution” is taking place.
The comment may make for an extremely tense meeting – a once nearly unthinkable occurrence that already has precedent during this Trump administration.
I was here at the White House for both previous Oval Office dust-ups, starting with the now-infamous shouting match between Trump. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February.
Several months later, in May, it was South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s turn to draw Trump’s ire.
In that meeting, Trump’s team ambushed the visiting delegation with claims that white farmers in his nation were being killed and “persecuted” – a largely discredited claim. Trump showed a video of several crosses lining a road, claiming they were burial sites for murdered white farmers.
No doubt, the South Korean delegation will be hoping to avoid a similar incident and is working behind the scenes to bring tensions down before they arrive.