President Donald Trump is facing criticism for new praise of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un on Tuesday, and even downplaying that nation’s nuclear threat.
One reporter asked Trump why he’s trying to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, but not North Korea.
“You know why? Because you had a different president and they could have stopped him. He happens to be a friend of mine,” Trump said. “Kim Jong Un, he’s a friend of mine. He likes Trump. Doesn’t like a lot of other people. I’m about the only person in the entire world that he likes.”
Trump said he likes Kim as well.
“I get a lot of heat when I say that,” Trump said. “People say, ‘That’s terrible.’”
Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
Trump said North Korea has a “pretty large nuclear capacity” and blamed past presidents for allowing it to happen ― but insisted it’s not an issue because he and Kim are friends.
“As long as I’m around, he’s going to be fine,” Trump said. “You know why? Because he respects me and he likes me.”
Trump and Kim weren’t always so fond of each other.
Early in Trump’s previous term, he mocked Kim as “Little Rocket Man.” Kim, in turn, mocked Trump as a “mentally deranged dotard.”
The two soon warmed to each other, with Trump saying “we fell in love.” He later told author Bob Woodward that he had “chemistry” with Kim. The two met three times ― including a trip to the Demilitarized Zone in which Trump briefly crossed over into North Korea.
However, critics point out that despite the meetings ― and his claims of “love” ― Trump extracted exactly zero meaningful concessions out of North Korea, which continues its attempts to create a nuclear arsenal capable of reaching the United States.