Trump on possible meeting with Kim Jong Un during Asia trip: 'I'm open to it'
President Trump told reporters late Friday that he would "100 percent" be open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his trip to Asia.
"Well, I would if he would contact. The last time I met him, I put it out over the internet that I’m coming to South Korea and if he’d like to meet, I’m open to it. I’d do it. If you want to put out the word, I’m open to it," he told reporters aboard Air Force One enroute to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "They don’t have a lot of telephone service. They have a lot of nuclear weapons but not a lot of telephone service. I’m open to it."
He added later, "He probably knows I’m coming, right? ... Yeah, I’d be open to it, 100 percent. I got along very well with Kim Jong Un."
The two world leaders have often touted their relationship as positive, despite disagreements around nuclear weapons. Trump in February drove home that the U.S. will have relations with North Korea.
The president departed Washington on Friday evening for Malaysia, where he will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. The trip, which also includes stops in Japan and South Korea, is his first to the region since returning to the White House in January.
He is expected to meet with Japan's newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the nation's first female leader. Later next week, he will also speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump, who congratulated Takaichi after her win, said Friday that he looks forward to meeting with the Japanese leader.
"I hear great things about her. I think she’s going to be great. She’s a great friend of Mr. Abe, who was a great man," he told reporters. "Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe was a great friend of mine as you know, who is just a fantastic person. He liked her a lot. She liked him a lot. So that’s a good sign."
Asked about his upcoming high stakes meeting with Xi, Trump said the two had "a lot of things" to discuss.
"We have a lot of things to discuss, including our farmers. Various trade deals that have been made in the past — some broken, some not broken. We have many. many things." he replied. "I think it’s going to turn out to be a good meeting."
He also acknowledged that both nations would likely have to make concessions as the trade war casts a shadow over the summit.
"Sure, they’ll have to make concessions. I guess we will too. We’re at 157 percent tariff for them. I don’t think that’s sustainable for them," the president said, per the pool. "They want to get that down, and we want certain things from them."
Trump brushed off concerns that the Japanese prime minister could also pressure the U.S. to negotiate on the current trade agreement.
"She might," he replied. "Look, I’m open to whatever they ... we have a great relationship with Japan, and we’re going to have a fantastic relationship with her."
When asked about a potential deal with South Korea, he said it is "close" to being finalized.
The president also touted his administration's role in facilitating ceasefire talks between Thailand and Cambodia earlier this year, after Trump threatened to withhold trade deals from the nations if conflict in the region persisted. He told reporters on Friday that Malaysia was heavily involved in the talks.
"I told the leader of Malaysia who’s a very good man, I said, ‘I think I owe you a trip,’ and that’s why we’re stopping in Malaysia for that reason," he said. "Malaysia was very much involved."
Trump's overseas trip also comes amid the government shutdown, which hit 25 days on Saturday.