President Donald Trump on Saturday praised his relations with nuclear-armed nations, particularly North Korea, saying he gets along “great” with Kim Jong Un.
Speaking at a midterm election campaign rally in Ohio, Trump said it was important to maintain relations with major nuclear powers. “When people have 112 nuclear missiles, it’s nice to get along,” he said, without explaining the figure.
Trump previously said in August that Kim had 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons, a figure similar to independent estimates. SIPRI estimated earlier this year that North Korea had around 60 nuclear warheads, up from roughly 50 in its 2024 and 2025 assessments. It also estimated Pyongyang had enough fissile material as of January to potentially produce at least 90 warheads.
The State Department said on Saturday that Trump does not view talks with North Korea as a “concession” and will engage diplomatically if it serves the national interest, while remaining committed to the “complete” denuclearisation of the DPRK.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui last month dismissed a joint appeal from Washington, Seoul and Tokyo to abandon its nuclear weapons, saying Pyongyang’s commitment to retaining its arsenal “forever” remains unchanged.