Trump to Reach Out To Kim Jong Un

US President Donald Trump announced that he plans to reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un upon his return to the White House.

During an interview on Thursday, Trump was asked about his intentions concerning Kim and whether he would “reach out” to him. “I will, yeah. He liked me,” Trump responded.

Throughout his first term in office, Trump enjoyed an unusually strong rapport with Kim, despite the long-standing tensions between their nations since the Korean War, which began approximately 70 years ago. Trump has previously characterized their relationship as “very, very good” and has referred to Kim as a “smart guy” in media discussions.

Trump and Kim met three times between 2018 and 2019, and in 2019, Trump made history as the first sitting US president to visit North Korea since the 1953 armistice, which effectively ended the Korean War.

Following Trump’s re-election in November, his team indicated that they were considering reopening “direct talks” with Kim. However, Trump’s close relationship with Kim has, in the past, caused tensions with South Korea— a US treaty ally— and potentially created disagreements within his cabinet as he begins his second term in office.

Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, described Kim as a “dictator” during his Senate confirmation hearing and called for a “serious examination of broader North Korean policies.”