Trump says he will use his "touch" and "feel" to know if Kim Jong Un is serious
President Trump said it won't take long for him to tell if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is serious about denuclearization. He spoke about his upcoming summit with the leader on Saturday before his planned departure from Canada for Singapore.
"I think within the first minute, I'll know," Mr. Trump told reporters as he prepared to leave the G-7 summit early.
But how? A reporter asked.
"I just, my touch, my feel, that's what, that's what I do," the president said. "How long will it take to figure out whether or not they're serious? I said, maybe in the first minute. You know the way they say that, you know if you're going to like somebody in the first five seconds? You ever hear that one? Well I think that very quickly I'll know whether or not something good is going to happen. I also think I'll know whether or not it will happen fast. May not. But I think I'll know pretty quickly whether or not, in my opinion, something positive will happen."
Mr. Trump said he isn't concerned about critics' suggestions that giving Kim a meeting is a win for North Korea.
"No, no, no, no, that's only the fake news says that," the president said, dismissing another reporter's question. "Look, we just got three hostages back. We paid nothing. They came back, they're happily ensconced in their homes with their families, they're the happiest people in the world right now. We have gotten, you know, we haven't done anything. Everyone says, the haters, they say "Oh, you're giving him a meeting, you're — Give me a break."
Mr. Trump described the summit as a "one-time shot" for Kim, although he also says he expects the conversation with North Korea to last for more than just one meeting. The Trump administration officially insists that complete, verifiable denuclearization is the only acceptable outcome for the Korean Peninsula.
Mr. Trump declined to say exactly what his objective for the meeting is, although he did say: "I have a clear objective." He added that any such meeting will always be "spur of the moment."
Mr. Trump was scheduled to depart Quebec for Singapore just before noon on Saturday.
