President Trump in an interview aired late Sunday doubled down on his praise for Kim Jong Un and claim that he “fell in love” with the dictator, indicating he’s willing to overlook the North Korean leader’s human rights record in order to accomplish his goals on the Korean peninsula.
Lesley Stahl of “60 Minutes” rattled off the human rights violations Kim is accused of, including that he has starved his own people, and overseen gulags, public executions and the assassination of his half-brother.
“I know all these things. I mean, I’m not a baby,” Trump responded.
{mosads}”Look … I get along with him, OK?” Trump added.
The president went on to suggest his statement at a rally last month that he “loves” Kim was “just a figure of speech,” but did not walk it back or refute it when pressed by Stahl.
“Let it be whatever it is to get the job done,” Trump said.
“I get along with him really well,” the president continued. “I have a good energy with him. I have a good chemistry with him. Look at the horrible threats that were made. No more threats. No more threats.”
Trump’s rhetoric toward Kim has transformed over the last year as the two countries negotiate the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The president spent months mocking Kim as “little Rocket Man” and exchanging threats with the North Korea leader.
The president’s rhetoric softened ahead of a June summit between the two men, and in the aftermath of their meeting in Singapore, Trump has been effusive in his praise of the dictator.
Despite Kim’s human rights record and past comments, Trump has praised the North Korean leader’s talent and courage, and insisted he “loves his people.”
At a West Virginia rally last month, Trump recounted the shift in relations between the two men.
“I was really being tough and so was he,” the president said. “And we would go back and forth. And then we fell in love. No really. He wrote me beautiful letters.”