Trump Announces Plans for Direct Diplomacy with North Korea Amidst Denial from Pyongyang
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President Donald Trump said Wednesday he expects to meet with dictator Kim Jong Un "later this year," signaling ongoing direct diplomacy with Pyongyang despite a direct denial by North Korea.
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NBC NewsPresident Donald Trump confirmed to reporters that he plans to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un this year, a highly unusual move for an American president.
Washington TimesSEOUL, South Korea — Days after he ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, President Trump said Wednesday he would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year.
Washington ExaminerPresident Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday that he will meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un by the end of the year, marking what would be their fourth face-to-face sit-down since Trump’s first term.
USA TodayWASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, and said the Asian nation held 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons.
ReutersTrump says he plans to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong Un - Reuters Trump says he plans to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong Un Reuters
The Daily Wire“Yeah, I will be,” Trump replied before turning and walking away. A report published Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal indicated that Trump has been pushing for a meeting with the North Korean leader, possibly in November, in conjunction with an already-planned trip to Asia. The report suggested that Trump’s goal was to encourage the dictator to abandon his country’s nuclear weapons program altogether.
The HillTrump claims he will meet with Kim Jong Un, North Korea has 57 nukes Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story  Trump claims he will meet with Kim Jong Un, North Korea has 57 nukes President Trump told reporters that he would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year as he warned the isolated…
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When asked on Wednesday if he expected to meet Kim later this year, Trump responded: "Yeah, I will be."
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NBC NewsAsked whether he was expecting to meet with Kim this year, Trump responded, “Yeah, I will be.”
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North Korea rejected Trump's reference to talks. "The relationship between the two leaders remains excellent," Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the North Korean leader, wrote in a statement, according to state media KCNA. "However, the U.S.’s hostile policies toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea haven’t changed."
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USA TodayNorth Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's latest remarks, but they came just after Kim's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, said she was unaware of any recent communications between the two countries' leaders.
Washington TimesKim Yo Jong, Mr. Kim’s powerful sister, said in a statement carried by North Korean state media that while both men have an “excellent” relationship, Washington’s “hostile” policy toward Pyongyang remains a hurdle.
NBC NewsThey previously met in 2018 in Singapore. North Korea’s official news agency said that Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, was not aware of any recent communication between her brother and Trump.
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"The fact that I get along with him — that's a good thing, not a bad thing. He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons," Trump said. "They should have never allowed it. If I were president, I wouldn't have allowed it. But he's got them."
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NBC News“And you know what?” Trump continued. “The fact that I get along with him, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons.”
The Daily Wire“He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. They should have never allowed it to happen. They should’ve never allowed it,” Trump continued. “If I were president [then] I wouldn’t have allowed it, but he’s got them.”
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Trump declined to say whether he had exchanged letters with Kim, telling a reporter, "Can’t tell you that."
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NBC NewsTrump, who has previously exchanged letters with Kim, declined to tell reporters whether the two leaders were writing letters to each other again. Asked whether he was exchanging letters, Trump said, “I can’t tell you that,” adding that he got along with the leader.
Washington ExaminerTrump and Kim exchanged dozens of handwritten letters during the president’s first term, but he declined to say Wednesday whether the two leaders had continued communications.
The Daily WireThe reporter began by asking whether or not Trump had been exchanging letters with Kim, and while the president refused to answer that question, he asserted that it was a good thing to have a working relationship with a leader who has nuclear weapons.
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Trump did not provide a date or location for the potential meeting. This is a breaking story, check back here for updates.
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Washington TimesMr. Trump did not provide a date or location for the expected meeting with Mr. Kim.
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The president repeatedly pointed to his personal relationship with the North Korean leader as an asset, calling Kim a "very powerful player" and saying their ability to get along was "a good thing, not a bad thing."
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The Daily WireTrump said again that he got along well with Kim — and that he knew the North Korean leader “very well.”
6 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 USA Today Kim Yo Jong also said that while the relationship between the leaders of the United States and North Korea was "truly great," Washington was still carrying out the drills with Seoul and threatening the national security of Pyongyang.
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02 NBC News The president also suggested South Korea’s refusal to assist the United States in its war with Iran factored into his decision to reduce joint military drills.
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03 Washington Examiner “Yeah, I will be,” Trump said during an impromptu press conference on the White House grounds after reporters asked whether the White House was setting up a meeting with Pyongyang government officials.
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04 Washington Times “I know Kim Jong-un very well. He’s going to be fine, as long as we have a smart president,” he said. “If we have a dumb president, then he’s probably not going to be so fine.”
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05 Fox News "I get along with him very well," Trump told reporters during an impromptu White House construction walkthrough, adding, "I expected to meet with him later this year. Yeah, I will be."
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06 The Daily Wire Trump made the comments during an impromptu meeting with reporters while touring a new White House helipad, where he was asked whether the two leaders would meet again.
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Sources (8)
- dailywire
- foxnews
- thehill
- usatoday
- nbc
- washexaminer
- washtimes
- reuters