Washington – Trump Says Would Meet North Korean Leader Under Right Circumstances

Washington – President Donald Trump says he’d be open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, under the right circumstances.

Trump tells Bloomberg News in an interview Monday, “If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would, absolutely, I would be honored to do it.”

Tensions with North Korea have escalated dramatically in recent weeks as American and other intelligence agencies have suggested the country was readying for a possible nuclear test.

The Trump administration has said all options, including a military strike, are on the table.

Trump says that “most political people would never say” they’d be willing to meet with Kim. But he adds: “I’m telling you, under the right circumstances, I would meet with him. We have breaking news.”

On Saturday, a North Korean mid-range ballistic missile broke up a few minutes after launch, the third test-fire flop this month. The program’s repeated failures over the past few years have given rise to suspicions of U.S. sabotage.

In the CBS interview, the president was asked why the North’s rockets keep blowing up.

“I’d rather not discuss it,” he said. “But perhaps they’re just not very good missiles. But eventually, he’ll have good missiles.”

He added: “And if that happens, we can’t allow it to happen.”

Trump also called North Korea’s leader “a pretty smart cookie” for being able to hold onto power after taking over at a young age. “People are saying, ‘Is he sane?’ I have no idea,” the president said.

North Korean ballistic missile tests are banned by the United Nations because they are seen as part of the North’s push for a nuclear-tipped weapon that can hit the U.S. mainland.