In a candid exchange with reporters on Monday, President Donald Trump hinted at potential future engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying he would “probably do something at some point” with the reclusive dictator. Trump leaned on memories of what he called a “very good relationship” with Kim during his first term, a bond that once made headlines but has since faded from the spotlight.
The president also let slip that “there is communication” between the United States and North Korea, a claim that caught attention since Pyongyang has stayed silent on any such contact. North Korea’s tightly controlled state media has offered no clues to back up Trump’s assertion, leaving observers to wonder about the nature of this behind-the-scenes dialogue.
Trump took a moment to rewind the clock, painting a picture of how his relationship with Kim evolved. “It started off very rough, very nasty, little rocket man. The whole thing was a nasty deal,” he said, nodding to the early days of fiery rhetoric and missile tests. “And then one day we got a call that they’d like to meet. We met.”
That shift led to a series of historic encounters, including the moment Trump became the first U.S. president to set foot in North Korea. “(I) got to know him very well. I remember I put my foot across the line, and then I walked across the line,” he recalled, referencing their 2019 meeting at Panmunjom Village on the Korean border.
But the goodwill didn’t last. Talks between the two leaders hit a wall in 2019 in Hanoi, Vietnam, when Trump walked away, accusing North Korean negotiators of demanding sanctions relief without budging on their illegal nuclear weapons program—a stance he deemed a non-starter. Since then, the diplomatic trail has gone cold.
On Monday, Trump didn’t shy away from praising Kim, calling him a “very smart guy” and describing North Korea as a “big nuclear nation.” That label has sparked criticism before, given the illicit nature of Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, but Trump seemed unfazed.
He didn’t spell out what “something” he might pursue with Kim, though speculation points to renewed talks aimed at tackling North Korea’s nuclear program and the heavy sanctions it faces. These comments mark some of the most notable remarks on North Korea since Trump took office in January, a period when the White House has largely turned its focus elsewhere.
Across the border, North Korea’s state-run outlets like the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and Rodong Sinmun have stayed mum on Trump’s overture. Instead, they’ve churned out their usual fare of communist cheerleading. “A new era of socialist cultural efflorescence welcomed by all the people is ushering in the country,” KCNA crowed over the weekend, crediting “the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un” with driving a “sacred revolution” for the nation’s progress. No mention of the U.S. or Trump—just business as usual.
Pyongyang’s attention has instead zeroed in on its tightening bond with Russia. On Tuesday, a Russian Communist Party delegation rolled into town, paying homage to Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, in a ritual display of reverence. That visit followed a late-March meeting with Sergei Shoigu, a key figure in Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, building on a mutual defense pact inked during Putin’s June trip to North Korea.
The Russia-North Korea axis has raised eyebrows globally, especially as evidence mounts—courtesy of South Korea and Ukraine—that Pyongyang has sent up to 15,000 troops to back Russia’s war in Ukraine since late 2024. Neither Kim nor Putin has owned up to it, though Putin recently floated the idea of looping North Korea into Ukraine “peace” talks.
Trump, for his part, said last week that his recent chat with Putin didn’t touch on North Korea’s role in the conflict. And Kim? He’s given no sign he’s eager to pick up the phone with Trump again.
February, he delivered a fiery speech pinning “the world’s big and small disputes and tragedies of bloodshed” on America, vowing “sustained countermeasures” to keep the region’s military scales tipped in his favor. Days later, he ordered his forces into “full preparedness” for nuclear war—hardly a warm invitation.
Still, there’s a flicker of past warmth. After Trump survived an assassination attempt in July, Kim sent a rare personal note wishing him well. “He sincerely hoped that they would be recovered as soon as possible. He hoped they will surely overcome it,” the message reportedly read.
KCNA later clarified that while Kim and Trump once shared “special personal relations,” it didn’t mean Kim was rooting for Trump’s campaign or that their rapport fixed the rocky U.S.-North Korea dynamic. “It is true that Trump, when he was president, tried to reflect the special personal relations between the heads of states in the relations between states,” the agency admitted, “but he did not bring about any substantial positive change.”
For now, Trump’s latest musings on Kim hang in the air—vague, nostalgic, and unanswered by Pyongyang. Whether they signal a fresh chapter or just a trip down memory lane remains anyone’s guess.
The Fairview Gazette will keep you posted on any news regarding the United States and North Korea.
