Paul Brandus

Opinion columnist

I get it. When your guy does it, it’s bold, it’s brave, it’s leadership. But when the other guy does it, it’s a horrible sign of weakness and capitulation.

How else to explain Republicans praising President Donald Trump for setting foot in North Korea, a brutal dictatorship and longtime enemy of the United States, while ripping President Barack Obama for having a brief phone call with the leader of Iran in 2013 and visiting Cuba in 2016? And how to explain Democrats praising Obama then but ripping Trump now?

Ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote a letter to Adolf Hitler in 1938 appealing for peace in Europe (fact check: It didn’t work), presidents have reached out to America’s enemies. At its essence, there’s nothing wrong with keeping the lines of communication open. History, after all, shows that onetime foes can one day be friends. We bombed Germany, Japan and (North) Vietnam to hell — we nuked Japan, for God’s sake — and yet now we’re friends, even allies.

Dial back tensions but uphold US honor

So who’s to say, as improbable as it sounds, that Iran, Cuba and North Korea cannot one day be our friend? Iran and Cuba used to be American allies, by the way.We can’t do anything about yesterday, as Lyndon Johnson used to say. But tomorrow is always ours to shape.

That is why I thought it was OK for Obama to visit Cuba in 2016 and for Trump to step over the line now in the Demilitarized Zone. Yes, Kim Jong Un is a ruthless dictator, but so were the Castros, and so are the mullahs in Tehran. But if we can dial back tensions in a way that is consistent with our security needs while maintaining America’s reputation, then we should do so.

Unfortunately, the border between North Korea and South Korea wasn’t the only line Trump crossed Sunday. As usual, he humiliated himself and degraded the great office he holds, with his weekend of desperate sucking up to not only Kim but also Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.

Why the love for such dictators? With his “joking” about serving beyond eight years in office, watering down parts of the Constitution that displease him and more, the only answer is that Trump is an aspiring dictator himself.

Trump mocks America by praising dictators

Trump always says it’s a great “honor” to meet these killers; he calls them his friends. Does he know they’re laughing behind his back? Russia’s state-run TV, for example — run by Putin — constantly makes fun of Trump, and not in a good way. Trump is a “clown” whose foreign policy has “failures at every turn,” says one of Putin’s favorite commentators.

Last week, Russian TV made fun of Trump again for being seen sucking on a breath mint while Putin kept him waiting ahead of their meeting in Osaka, Japan. The president, wanting to make a good impression on the once-and-forever KGB dictator whose regime has invaded two neighbors, been accused of shooting down a civil airliner and murdering journalists, wanted his breath to smell good.

Cocked and loaded:A wobbly Donald Trump decided not to strike Iran. We should be glad.

Putin’s a “great guy,” he gushed to a Russian reporter. A “terrific person.” Aww, isn't that nice? And wasn’t it nice how he once again tossed U.S. intelligence agencies under the bus like he did last year in Helsinki, Finland, repeating his belief in Putin’s denial about rigging the election? The two also shared a laugh about getting rid of journalists — on, no less, the first anniversary of the massacre at a Maryland newspaper that took five lives. Trump supporters: Are you actually proud of this behavior?

Trump antics are not making America great

But the 73-year old president, with the insecurity of a pimply faced teenager, was just getting started.

To Salman, who recently had a young man (bound for studies at Western Michigan University) beheaded for the “crime” of participating in a pro-democracy rally? ”You have done a spectacular job,” Trump raved to the butcher of Riyadh, calling him “a friend of mine.” China’s Xi? He’s “brilliant.”

Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan? “It's my honor to be with a friend,” Trump said.

On and on and on. These men continue to play him like a fiddle.

A delicate balance:Would we have survived the Cuban missile crisis if Donald Trump had been president in 1962?

Does any of this help make America great? Not according to a Pew Research survey, which says nearly seven in 10 Americans — 68% — say we’re not as respected today as we once were, though in fairness to Trump, it’s fair to note that a majority of Americans has felt this way since 2004, right after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

A separate Pew survey shows thatthe rest of the world doesn’t think much of us, either. Thus for Trump to say, as he often does, that America has never been more respected than it is today, well, that, sadly, is “fake news.”

Paul Brandus, founder and White House bureau chief of West Wing Reports, is the author of "Under This Roof: The White House and the Presidency" and is a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors. Follow him on Twitter: @WestWingReport