President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that he plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his upcoming trip to Asia, while offering an unusually specific assessment of Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities and delivering a sharp warning to Iran.
Speaking with reporters in the White House courtyard during a tour of the new helicopter landing pad construction site, Trump was asked whether he intended to meet with Kim. "Yes, I will meet," he responded directly. The president then defended maintaining the relationship, stating: "The fact that I get along with him is a good thing, because he has 57 very powerful nuclear bombs."
Trump criticized previous administrations for allowing North Korea to develop such capabilities. "They should never have allowed this. If I had been president, I wouldn't have allowed it, but now he has them," he said.
The president elaborated on the relationship, emphasizing that prudent American leadership is essential to managing the situation. "I know Kim Jong Un very well, and he'll be fine as long as we have a smart president," Trump said, adding: "He'll be okay. If we have a stupid president, then he probably won't be so funny anymore."
Alongside his remarks about North Korea, Trump issued a forceful warning to Iran. Referring to the recently expired memorandum of understanding, the president laid out his uncompromising position: "Look, it's very simple. They need to get rid of it completely. They need to get rid of it — no nuclear weapons. Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. You know why? Because they would use it, and we're not going to let them use it. So Iran cannot have nuclear weapons, and it won't have them."
Trump's statements come as his administration has recently scaled back joint military exercises with South Korea, highlighting the White House's approach that combines willingness for direct diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang while maintaining a zero-tolerance policy toward Iranian nuclear development.
