President Donald Trump said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was able to develop a substantial nuclear arsenal because previous U.S. presidents failed to stop him, drawing a distinction between Washington’s approach toward North Korea and his insistence that Iran cannot be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons.
Asked by reporters why North Korea is allowed to possess nuclear weapons while he has repeatedly declared that Iran cannot, Trump responded, “Oh, that’s interesting. You know why? Because he had a different president and they could have stopped him.”
Trump then spoke about his personal relationship with the North Korean leader, again describing Kim as a friend. “He happens to be a friend of mine, Kim Jong Un. He’s a friend of mine. He likes Trump, doesn’t like a lot of other people,” Trump said, adding that he receives criticism for speaking positively about Kim.
The president acknowledged that North Korea possesses a significant nuclear capability, although he emphasized that its arsenal is far smaller than that of the United States. “He does have a nuclear capacity, a large nuclear, pretty large nuclear, not like us, but he has a nuclear capacity,” Trump said.
Trump argued that the difference between North Korea and Iran is rooted in decisions made by previous U.S. administrations, saying earlier presidents had opportunities to prevent Pyongyang from reaching its current nuclear status. “And you know why? Because they had presidents that didn’t do what I did,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly maintained that Iran will not be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon, while his relationship with Kim has long been one of the most unusual elements of his foreign policy. During his first term, Trump met Kim three times, including their historic 2019 meeting at the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
