Donald Trump just dropped a major update about meeting Kim Jong Un, but North Korea doesn’t appear to be exactly on the same page. The US president teased a potential summit “later this year” while Pyongyang fired back with a pointed response about American foreign policy.
Donald Trump drops meeting update with Kim Jong Un
Donald Trump shared an update on his diplomatic plans with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday. The US president told reporters he anticipates a face-to-face meeting with Kim “later this year,” Fox News reports. “I get along with him very well,” Trump stated during an impromptu White House construction walkthrough.
Pyongyang, however, responded with a mixed message regarding the potential summit. Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister, released a statement through state media KCNA. She confirmed the leaders’ bond “remains excellent” but took aim at American foreign policy. “The U.S.’s hostile policies toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea haven’t changed,” she wrote.
She also said that she knows “absolutely nothing about” reports circulating that there has been communication recently between Trump and Kim Jong Un (via Inquirer).
When asked about recent correspondence with Kim, Trump offered a cryptic response. “Can’t tell you that,” he told the reporter who raised the question. He also gave no details about a potential date or venue for the proposed meeting.
Throughout the walkthrough, Trump leaned heavily into his personal connection with the North Korean leader. He described Kim as a “very powerful player” and portrayed their dynamic as beneficial. “I know Kim Jong Un very well, and he’s going to be fine as long as we have a smart president,” he remarked. He then added a warning about weaker leadership at the helm.
The two leaders held historic meetings during Trump’s first term in Singapore and at the Korean demilitarized zone. Trump became the first sitting US President to step onto North Korean soil during their 2019 encounter. He recalled the Singapore summit as going “better than anybody could imagine.”
Trump also weighed in on North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal during his remarks. “He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons,” Trump said, blaming prior administrations for allowing their development. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated in June that Pyongyang has likely assembled around 60 warheads with fissile material for at least 30 more.
