Trump says he wants to hold next Kim summit after midterms

President Trump told reporters Tuesday that he aims to hold his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after the November midterms.

“I just can’t leave now,” said Trump, who has stepped up his campaigning for Republicans as Election Day approaches.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Kim earlier Sunday and had a conversation that Pompeo described as “good, productive” toward Pyongyang giving up its nuclear capabilities.

“As President Trump said, there are many steps along the way and we took one of them today,” Pompeo said of the meeting. “It was another step forward.”

{mosads}After he left the meeting, Pompeo told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that Kim is ready to meet with Trump “as soon as possible,” according to Moon’s office.

The president touted the countries’ improving ties after his first summit with Kim earlier this year, but has reportedly become frustrated with the lack of forward momentum toward denuclearization.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho warned late last month that the country will not relinquish its nuclear capabilities until it has “trust in the U.S.”