Trump really believed he had a deal with North Korea because they signed a contract, shook hands.

[shockey80]

Holy shit, this is proof of how Trumps brain works, badly. It wasn't a contract. Shaking hands means nothing.

[bettyellen]

1. I don't think he believes much of what he says. He knows people will make all sorts of excuses

before they ever call him a liar. If he knows anything, it’s basic contract law. He doesn’t care whether he’s ever telling he truth.

[marylandblue]

12. He does not know contract law either

At a videotaped deposition, he admitted he didn't read a contract, and then, over his lawyer's objections he flubbed an important basic point of contract law about fair dealing (of course). He essentially claimed you only have a duty of fair dealing if it's written in the contract.

[bettyellen]

13. I don't either, but anyone can see the non-commital and vague language in that thing they signed

doesn’t obligate anyone to specifically do anything.
I think he knows better, or if he cares he could easily check with someone. He literally does not care what the truth is, he’s managing perceptions

[marylandblue]

14. Narcissism in action means he can't really see it

He can't admit he's been snookered, so he will continue to come up with reasons why he did a great job. He can't even admit it to himself, because that would mean he would feel the shame of being an ordinary human, let alone a bumbling idiot.

[bettyellen]

16. I think it's more like he's convinced himself that these agreements are bullshit and his is as good

As ones worked in for moths with all sorts of details. I also don’t think he cares about the LT consequences, he sees an opening to be favored to pioneer capalist development in NK by being kind to them, he doesn’t care that he’s squandering away America’s standing or any political capital. His eyes are on his business. He doesn’t care as long as he can trick people into cheering him on.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Trump doesn't know how to do anything but real estate deals.

And evidently he wasn't even that good at those, having several bankruptcies under his belt. He doesn't get that the "deals" involved in foreign relations are complex, usually involve multiple countries with their own interests, are not necessarily financial, and aren't the sort of thing you can just walk away from if you decide you don't like the deal after all. There was no enforceable contract with Kim - just an agreement to continue discussions. And Spanky paid no attention to the experts who warned him that NK historically violated agreements; that's just how they roll. But he already had cleared a space on the wall for his Nobel Peace Prize, so.

[NCTraveler]

3. Yeah, but he gave you the Trump hand shake.

Sucks to be on the opposite side of yourself, doesn't it.

[Doodley]

4. It means a lot...........................................................................to a moron!

[lpbk2713]

5. He got Trumped.

Maybe he ought to consider himself lucky. He could
have been blown away with an anti-aircraft gun.

[dalton99a]

6. Trump's Lawyer: We Met With Him In Pairs To Avoid Lies

https://www.buzzfeed.com/kendalltaggart/trumps-lawyer-we-met-with-him-in-pairs-to-avoid-lies
Trump's Lawyer: We Met With Him In Pairs To Avoid Lies
"Donald says certain things and then has a lack of memory."
Posted on October 6, 2016, at 5:22 p.m.

[Leghorn21]

7. Actual document they both signed:

[gratuitous]

8. It's impossible to know what Trump actually believes

Certainly he makes a lot of grandiose statements intended to make himself look good, but as for what he actually thinks or believes, that's a very deep rabbit hole. I think he makes those statements so that his partisans will gobble it down like so much filet mignon; savvier observers of the scene know it's just a stream of bullshit. The disturbing thing is that so many reporters and media outlets are in the camp of gullibles, who pass on Trump's every utterance as truth. Some of them are showing doubts sooner and sooner, but it's still dismaying to see the initial uncritical reporting of Trump's nonsense.

[unblock]

10. While we can't know what he actually believes, we can tell he doesn't care about facts

What he believes is in painting images of himself and of others and of events and feels no need to ground any of these images in fact.

Personally, I don't think he even stops to evaluate whether something is objectively true or not. He really just doesn't care. If it serves the image he's trying to project, he'll use it; otherwise, he won't.

Arguably that *is* he's notion of "fact". In other words, he has a different epistemology than the rest of us.

A con man's epistemology.

[Thomas Hurt]

9. Maybe the Pig thinks they are kindred despots and just knew that Un respected him as an equal...

what happened to all this rough and tough, threaten, rattle the saber, move military units in, etc. anyway.

The Pig sold the cultists on how that was the only way to handle it and only he was man enough to do it.

[Nitram]

11. Tump has the egomaniacal narcissist's belief that he can read people like a book,

and that his "charm" can work on anyone. He is an ignorant, inexperienced, and supremely over-confident of his own abilities.

[Adrahil]

15. He is used to bulling people and getting his way.

He doesn't know what to do when faced with a situation where people call his bullshit. He can't just pay a financial settlement.