Trump touts "strong" relationship with Kim Jong Un during South Korean president's visit
President Trump continues to tout his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un despite the summit that abruptly ended without a deal earlier this year. During an Oval Office meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Mr. Trump said the two leaders would be discussing "potential future meetings" with North Korea.
"I do believe over a period of time a lot of tremendous things will happen. I believe North Korea has tremendous potential," Mr. Trump said.
Moon, for his part, said he does not view the Hanoi summit as a failure, but part of a longer "process" towards denuclearization. Mr. Trump described his relationship with Kim as "very strong."
But Mr. Trump took questions on other topics unrelated to the South Korean-U.S. relationship Thursday,
President Trump said he agrees with Attorney General William Barr's assessment before Congress Wednesday that spying "did occur" on the Trump campaign.
The U.S. commander-in-chief has continued to praise Kim, despite Kim's refusal to comply with U.S. demands and connections to human rights atrocities.
"He likes me. I like him," the president said of Kim in a recent interview with Fox News personality Sean Hannity. "Some people say, 'Oh, you shouldn't like him.' I said, 'Why shouldn't I like him?'"
The president also appeared to deny that Kim had any involvement in the death of American student Otto Warmbier, prompting intense criticism and a pained response from Warmbier's parents.
The White House has offered few details on what the two presidents will discuss Thursday afternoon, but North Korea and U.S., South Korea come to agreement on trade deal are almost guaranteed to take up a sizable chunk of their discussions. Moon already met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, it's immigration that is taking up much of the president's time and rhetoric. He has threatened to shut down the U.S.-Mexico border if Mexico or Congress can't stop record-high levels of border crossings. Meanwhile, numerous top Department of Homeland Security officials, including DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, have departed the administration in the last few days.
