Ok, so the leftist talking point is legitimizing Kim
What does that mean?
And what would you have done differently to avoid it?
One of the things that Bill Richardson warned about was against appearing too friendly with Un, because Un would use it as positive propaganda at home. And, Richardson should know, because he's been there 6 times as a negotiator to get back hostages.
Trump was friendlier with Un than he was with the G6, and it showed. Now, Un can point to his meeting with Trump and tell his people that he is now a recognized world leader because Trump endorses him (which is what he did when he got back, even to the point that N. Korean media brought back the pink lady from retirement to announce the news.)