Trump agrees: meeting with Kim gave North Korean leader 'credibility'

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June 15, 2018 4:18 PM

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that his historic meeting with Kim Jong Un gave credibility to the North Korean leader whom critics call a brutal dictator. The president also called Kim “the strong head” of North Korea, adding: “He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.”

Asked to clarify his comments about people sitting up, Trump later said he was kidding.

The president has heaped praise on Kim since their summit meeting Tuesday in Singapore, where the two leaders discussed denuclearizing North Korea.

U.S. lawmakers and nuclear experts have been skeptical about concessions made by Trump during the meeting, which North Korean state media described as a success for Kim.

Kim is considered one of the greatest human rights violators in the world. Under his leadership, North Korea has jailed citizens for political dissidence and executed at least 340 people since he took over as head of the communist country in 2011.

In an interview on the White House lawn with “Fox and Friends” on Friday, Trump reaffirmed that U.S. sanctions against North Korea would remain until it was clear “there are no more nuclear.” He also said that hosting Kim at the White House “is something that could happen” as one result of the summit in Singapore.

“I went there; I gave him credibility. I think it’s great to give him credibility,” Trump said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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