D. Trump also stated that North Korea has 57 nuclear weapons, providing a rare and unusually precise estimate of Kim Jong Un’s nuclear arsenal.
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“Yes, I will meet,” Trump replied to journalists invited to inspect the new helicopter landing pad he is building near the White House, when asked if he plans to meet with Kim Jong Un later in 2026.
This would be their first meeting since the beginning of Trump’s second term.
Trump did not provide further details, but The Wall Street Journal reported that he is considering meeting with the North Korean leader when he travels to China in November to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit.
Trump defended his plans to meet with Kim Jong Un while continuing the war with Iran, which he has justified as an effort to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. That should never have been allowed (…) If I were president, I would not have allowed that,” Trump said to journalists at the White House, referring to the North Korean leader.
“But he has them. I get along very well with him. I cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons. Also, I know Kim Jong Un very well and everything will be fine with him,” he added.
The US president had previously hinted at contact with the North Korean leader, but the influential sister of Kim Jong Un stated she knows nothing about any communication between her brother and Trump.
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“Regarding recent news from Washington about communication between the leaders of North Korea and the United States, I know absolutely nothing about it, and this is probably the only issue related to our top leadership’s foreign policy that I do not know about,” Kim Yo Jong said earlier on Wednesday.
She also downplayed the significance of US President Trump’s decision to limit joint military exercises with South Korea.
Kim Yo Jong’s statement came hours after Washington and Seoul announced that their annual exercises would end about a week earlier than planned. Trump had earlier given the corresponding order, hinting that he had communicated with the North Korean leader.
“Regarding the unexpected announcement by the US president a few days ago about reducing US and South Korean joint military exercises, we do not think it is worth commenting on, and we are completely uninterested,” Kim Yo Jong said, adding that the relationship between the two leaders is “excellent.”
Trump met with Kim Jong Un three times during his first term, and he said at the time that they “fell in love” after exchanging “nice letters.”
In recent days, Trump has increasingly hinted at communication with Kim Jong Un, although on Wednesday he did not confirm that they are exchanging letters.
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