Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Trump Says Kim Jong Un Likes Him, Opposes Large Drills
Donald Trump says he and Kim Jong Un have a friendly relationship.
He says this relationship helps keep the Korean Peninsula and nearby countries safer.
Trump said Kim did not get along with Joe Biden or Barack Obama.
He also said he does not want large military exercises with South Korea while he is friendly with Kim.
Trump believes those exercises could seem insulting to North Korea.
He expects to meet Kim again later this year.
Trump said North Korea has 57 nuclear weapons, although this was his claim.
Earlier meetings between the two leaders led to talks about better relations and removing nuclear weapons, but those talks later stopped.
Donald Trump said he has a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump said Kim disliked Joe Biden and Barack Obama but gets along well with him.
He opposed large-scale military exercises with South Korea, calling them costly and inappropriate.
Trump said he expects to meet Kim again later this year and predicted no major developments for two and a half years.
Trump said Kim has 57 powerful nuclear weapons, while US-North Korea denuclearization talks remain stalled.
- Who
- United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are the central figures; South Korea and the United States are also involved.
- What
- Trump discussed his relationship with Kim, opposition to large military exercises with South Korea, and a possible meeting with Kim later this year.
- When
- Trump made the remarks on Wednesday and said another meeting could occur later this year; earlier summits took place from 2018 to 2019.
- Where
- The remarks concerned the Korean Peninsula, South Korea, North Korea, and the Strait of Hormuz.
- Why
- Trump said his relationship with Kim contributes to regional safety and that large exercises are inappropriate while he maintains friendly ties with North Korea.
- Expected meeting
- Trump said he expects to meet Kim Jong Un later this year.
- Military exercises
- Trump instructed Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce joint exercises with South Korea, describing them as costly and inappropriate.
- Nuclear weapons claim
- Trump said Kim has 57 powerful nuclear weapons.
- Earlier meetings
- Trump and Kim held meetings in Singapore in June 2018, Hanoi in February 2019, and at the Korean Demilitarized Zone in June 2019.
- Negotiations
- Talks on bilateral relations and denuclearization later stalled over sanctions relief and the scope of nuclear dismantlement.
- South Korean oil supplies
- Trump said South Korea receives 60% of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz.