Presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump reflected on his historic visit to North Korea in an interview with Tim Pool released Monday evening.
Trump joined the “Timcast” host Saturday evening at the Libertarian National Convention for an approximately 17-minute-long discussion spanning various topics, including global conflict and foreign leaders.
“I got one big question for you, so part of my family comes from Korea,” Pool said. “And you did what I think is one of the most tremendous things. You crossed the demilitarized zone into North Korea with no security as a sign of goodwill and peace with a hostile nation, and I’ve had people tell me it never happened. So, uh, I think people need to know about it. I’m wondering if you can just tell me how, how did that happen? How did it come to be?”
“And it hasn’t happened since,” Trump said. “And we were, when I met with, you know, the hand-off, you sort of meet with the previous president for a period of time. The meeting lasted for quite a while with President Obama. You sit in an Oval Office, and you talk, and the press is outside, and you talk for a little while. He said that the single greatest threat we have is North Korea. And I said, ‘Have you called them? Have you tried to talk to them?’ You know, little things like that. And, uh, didn’t matter what the answer was. He felt that that was the single biggest threat in the world, was North Korea.” (RELATED: ‘Let’s Make Some News Tonight!’: Trump Drops Hints To Reporter About His Running Mate)
“And as you know, there was certainly hostility when I first started, and all of a sudden, it boiled down to something that was very beautiful, the way it happened,” the former president continued. “And I got along with him very well. And I will say that if Hillary won that race, you would have had a nuclear war and millions of people would have been killed. And you weren’t even close to that. It never happened; it never was going to happen. I got along great with him, and it just never was going to happen.”
Trump shook hands with Kim Jong Un on June 30, 2019 after crossing 20 steps into North Korea from South Korea at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Special Agent in Charge Anthony Ornato accompanied Trump as he walked into North Korea, according to The Associated Press (AP). Trump and Kim Jong Un held a joint press conference following the historic meeting, and Trump told Pool that “everybody was pretty radically thrown out” at the end.
“Were you ever at all scared in any way when you crossed into an enemy country?” Pool asked.
“Well, I wouldn’t say the Secret Service was thrilled,” Trump remarked.
“I felt very safe. I felt my relationship with him, as you know, was very hostile. Little Rocket Man, and all,” Trump said, repeating his nickname for the North Korean dictator. “But then all of a sudden, it morphed. He respected me, I respected him. And we ended up, once we got to know each other, we ended up very good. Very smart guy, very strong guy. He’s the absolute leader of that country, you know, for those that think he’s not, they’re wrong.”
“If we have the right president, if we have somebody that knows what he’s doing, you’re not gonna have World War III. If, on the other hand, we don’t, you’re gonna end up in World War III, and it’s gonna be a war like no other because of the power of weaponry,” the former president noted.
Pool told Trump that “many are actually saying we’re already in” World War III, citing an article published by The Hill that claims President Joe Biden is “losing it.” The Republican candidate agreed, arguing that foreign leaders “can’t believe” the condition of Biden as President of the United States.
“He can’t fix anything. He can’t fix himself,” Trump said of Biden. “Just so you know, I know all the leaders. They’re at the top of their game. They’re sharp, they’re tough, they’re smart. They’re, they love their country, or they do whatever they have to for their country at a minimum. And when they see this guy come in, they think they — they can’t believe it. I know they can’t believe it. It’s not the right person.”
