After being selected as the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump held his first campaign rally and mentioned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
At a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday, Trump stated, “I get along with him,” referring to Kim Jong Un.
He emphasized, “I got along with them great. You were never in danger with me as your president. It’s a good thing to get along, not a bad thing.”
Trump recalled telling Kim, “I used to tell them, why don’t you do something else? All he wants to do is buy nuclear weapons and make them. I said ‘Just relax. Chill. You got enough. You’ve got so much nuclear weapons, so much.”
“I said, ‘Just relax, go to a nice – let’s go to a baseball game.’ I’ll show you what a baseball [game is]. We’ll go watch the Yankees or we’ll come watch Michigan at its home opener,” he added.
However, Trump did not specify when these conversations with Kim Jong Un occurred.
Previously, after his third meeting with Kim at the DMZ in September 2019, Trump told reporters that he would visit Pyongyang at some point. He also hinted at the possibility of both his visit to Pyongyang and Kim’s visit to the U.S., suggesting that Kim would likely be very interested in coming to the U.S. depending on future developments.
During his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination last Thursday, Trump reiterated his positive relationship with Kim, signaling a willingness to resume top-down diplomacy if he returns to office.
He stated that getting along with someone with many nuclear weapons is beneficial, and he plans to foster a good relationship when he returns to the White House. Trump also expressed that Kim would likely hope for his return and might miss him.