WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump said he plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later in 2026, signaling a possible revival of the personal diplomacy that defined relations between the two leaders during Trump’s first term.
“Yeah, I will be,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday when asked whether he expected to see Kim ‘later this year.'”I get along with him very well,” he added. “The fact that I get along with him is a good thing, not a bad thing.
FILE – A handout photo provided by Dong-A Ilbo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a meeting on the south side of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the South and North Korea on June 30, 2019 in Panmunjom, South Korea. (Handout photo by Dong-A Ilbo via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Trump didn’t share details about exactly when or where a meeting would take place. He also didn’t elaborate when a reporter asked him if he’s been “exchanging written letters” with Kim.
“I can’t tell you that,” Trump said.
Kim Yo Jong, who is Kim’s sister, denied that there are any communications between Trump and Kim.
Kim Yo Jong’s statement came hours after the South Korean and U.S. militaries confirmed they were scaling back their 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises. Trump earlier ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the exercises.
Trump and Kim met three times during Trump’s first term, including summits in Singapore and Vietnam, as well as a 2019 meeting at the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Despite the unprecedented meetings, negotiations ultimately failed to produce an agreement requiring North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal.
Pyongyang has since continued developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles while maintaining strained relations with Washington and Seoul, which Trump blamed on previous administrations.
“He has 57 — very powerful — nuclear weapons. [They] should have never allowed it to happen. They should have never allowed it. If I were president, I wouldn’t have allowed it, but he’s got them.”
Trump has often spoken positively about his relationship with Kim and has suggested that direct engagement could help address tensions surrounding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
He has expressed interest in reopening communication with Kim since returning to the White House for his second term, arguing that his personal relationship with the North Korean leader could help prevent conflict.
“As long as we have a smart president, he’s going to be fine,” Trump told reporters. “If we have a dumb president, then he’s probably not going to be so fine.”
Trump on Saturday took to Truth Social to share a photo of himself standing with Kim during the meeting at the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
“Despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture, there are many where we’re smiling, Kim Jong Un and I get along GREAT!” Trump wrote.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.