Trump flaunts personal ties with Kim, signals apparent desire for NK diplomacy

Former U.S. President and 2024 Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump holds up a fist onstage during the 2024 Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis., Thursday (local time). AFP-Yonhap

• Published Jul 19, 2024 3:33 PM KST
• Updated Jul 20, 2024 2:04 PM KST

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has boasted about his personal ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, anticipating that the recalcitrant leader might like to see him return to office and "misses" him.

Trump made the remarks in an apparent sign of his desire to resume dialogue with Pyongyang, as he delivered a speech to accept the official GOP nomination for the Nov. 5 presidential election during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Thursday, the fourth and last day of the event.

"I got along with him, and we stopped the missile launches from North Korea. Now, North Korea is acting up again, but when we get back, I get along with him," he said.

"He'd like to see me back too. I think he misses me," he added, arousing laughter from the audience.

Noting the press' criticism of his ties with Kim, Trump said, "It's nice to get along with somebody who has a lot of nuclear weapons."

His remarks came amid a flurry of speculation over whether he would resume direct diplomacy with Kim, if reelected.

During his first term, his leader-to-leader engagement approach led to three high-profile meetings with Kim, including their first summit in Singapore in 2018, though denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled since their no-deal summit in Hanoi in February 2019.

Castigating security and foreign policies of his rival, President Joe Biden, Trump took note of the deteriorating security conditions on the Korean Peninsula.

"The war is now raging in Europe and the Middle East. A growing specter of conflict hangs over Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines and all of Asia, and our planet is teetering on the edge of World War III," he said.

Highlighting his "America first" policy credo, Trump suggested he could bring about a shift in Washington's approach to alliances if reelected.

"We have long been taken advantage of by other countries. And think of it. Oftentimes, these other countries are considered so-called allies," he said.

"They've taken advantage of us for years. We lose jobs, we lose revenue, and they gain everything and wipe out our businesses. ... I stopped it for years. ... We are really ready to make changes like nobody has seen before."

As expected, he redoubled his attack on Biden, calling his rival's leadership "failed" and "incompetent."

"Under the current administration, we are indeed a nation in decline. We have an inflation crisis," he said.

"We also have an illegal immigration crisis, and it's taking place right now as we sit here in this beautiful arena, some massive invasion at our southern border that has spread misery, crime, poverty, disease and destruction to communities all across our land."

Portraying his speech as a message of "confidence," "strength" and "hope," Trump made an emphatic call for national unity. He wore a bandage on his ear in a telling reminder of the recent assassination attempt.

Trump's robust tone appeared to reflect his confidence in the trajectory of his campaign amid unceasing calls for Biden to bow out following a poor debate performance last month.

"The discord and division in our society must be healed. We must heal it quickly. As Americans, we are bound together by a single fate and a shared destiny," Trump said, vowing to launch a new era for "citizens of every race, religion, color and creed."

"We rise together or we fall apart. I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America," he added.

His message of "strength" came as Biden has been self-isolating due to a COVID-19 infection under mounting appeals from within his own party to reconsider the viability of his campaign.

Trump also gave a detailed account of how he was shot in the ear by the deceased, would-be assassin during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday as his supporters cast him as a "resilient" leader who survived the life-threatening incident.

"I am not supposed to be here tonight. I'll tell you I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of the Almighty God," he said.

Despite the attack, Trump said that he is "more determined than ever."

"No matter what obstacle comes our way, we will not break. We will not bend. We will not back down, and I will never stop fighting for you, your family and our magnificent country." (Yonhap)