Trump says he may see North Korea’s Kim Jong-un during Asia trip
by Tom Howell Jr. · The Washington TimesPresident Trump said Monday he might meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un when he flies to Asia in November for major international summits.
“I may. I may. That will be exciting, won’t it?” Mr. Trump told White House reporters. “But I get along with him.”
Mr. Trump recently appeared at events in Texas with former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who serves as a liaison between the U.S. and North Korea because of Mr. Kim’s love of pro basketball.
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The U.S. and North Korean leaders developed an unlikely friendship during Mr. Trump’s first term.
Mr. Trump met with Mr. Kim, the leader of the world’s most reclusive country, three times during his first term in an unsuccessful pursuit of a denuclearization deal.
The pair met in Singapore, Vietnam and at the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. They were unable to strike a bargain that would roll back sanctions on North Korea in exchange for the aggressive country scrapping its nuclear weapons.
Mr. Trump might get another chance to meet Mr. Kim when he attends the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Manila, Philippines, on Nov. 16 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Shenzen, China, from Nov. 17 to 19.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim traded insults in the early days of Mr. Trump’s first term before the pair developed an unlikely camaraderie.
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The president appealed to Mr. Kim’s business sense, pushing the North Korean leader to open his country to business and tourism.
Mr. Kim has acted relatively warmly toward Mr. Trump, but he’s maintained a grip on his country and continues to test missiles.
North Korea reportedly fired off multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Tuesday in a show of force.
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Tom Howell Jr.
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