Trump says Kim will be 'fine' with 'smart' US president

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he knows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "very well" and suggested Kim would be "fine" as long as the United States has a "smart president," while declining to confirm whether the two leaders have exchanged recent correspondence.

Nuclear arsenal

Asked whether he has been exchanging letters with Kim, Trump declined to answer directly but said the two leaders maintain a good relationship. "I get along with him very well," Trump said, adding that North Korea possesses "57 very powerful nuclear weapons." The former president argued that Pyongyang should never have been permitted to acquire such arms, stating: "Should have never allowed it to happen."

'Smart president' remark

Trump emphasized his personal familiarity with the North Korean leader, stating: "I know Kim Jong Un very well, and he's going to be fine." He added: "As long as we have a smart president, he's going to be fine. If we have a dumb president, then he's probably not going to be so fine." When asked whether he expects to meet Kim later this year, Trump replied: "Yeah, I will be."

Denuclearization and drills

Trump was later asked if his goal in North Korea is still "denuclearization," to which he responded: "I don't want to talk about that, but I do have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un." He criticized ongoing military exercises involving regional allies, stating: "I didn't like the fact that we're doing these massive military exercises really against North Korea when I'm friendly with him." The former president also criticized South Korea for declining to assist with security in the Strait of Hormuz despite relying on the waterway for energy supplies, saying: "I was not happy when South Korea said 'No', they're not interested in helping us with the Hormuz Strait, and yet they get 60% of the oil from the Hormuz Strait."