Resurfaced Fox News Interview Reveal Trump Wanted America To Be Like North Korea: "I Want My..."
In a resurfaced interview from 2018, President-elect Donald Trump said he wanted the American people to "sit up at attention" like North Koreans do to Kim Jong-Un. Though Trump isn't new to making controversial statements, this particular clip has gained renewed traction in the wake of Trump's historic win in the 2024 elections because he has long praised the dictator.
Trump says the parents of American soldiers who were killed in the Korean War are begging him for the remains of the soldiers’ bodies — but is that true? https://t.co/L9VDyjhlPx by @realchriswilson pic.twitter.com/cUOpHwMQXi
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) June 16, 2018
The ex-president praised Kim Jong-Un during an impromptu interview with Fox & Friends on the White House's North Lawn, saying, "He's the head of a country and I mean he is the strong head. Don't let anyone think anything different. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same." When a reporter asked him to elaborate on his comment, he said he was only "kidding," giving further clarification, "You don't understand sarcasm, as per Politico.
The now-78-year-old's statement came after he agreed to meet the North Korean leader in Singapore as part of an effort to reach a denuclearization deal with Pyongyang. Although it wasn't clear whom Trump was referring to as "my people," his staff, or the Americans in general, it caused a stir among his critics. More so because Trump had previously been critical of him by calling him names like "little rocket man" and a "sick puppy."
But, since his meeting, he's warmed up to Kim Jong-Un. This led to the American media being curious to know the reason behind his changed opinions. So when the reporters asked him why his perspective changed, he said, "I don't want to see a nuclear weapon destroy you and your family," insisting that he "want to have a good relationship with North Korea" like he wants to have with other countries as well.
Just landed - a long trip, but everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea. Meeting with Kim Jong Un was an interesting and very positive experience. North Korea has great potential for the future!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2018
Regardless of what Trump says in his defense, he's received a strong backlash for his apparent affinity to dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, Kim Jong-Un, and the like. To add to his reputation, he's used the same inflamed rhetorics as these dictators when criticizing his so-called enemies during public speeches.
His staff from the first-term administration said that they see all the attributes of an authoritarian leader in Trump. For instance, Trump's former Secretary of Homeland Security and Chief of Staff John Kelly made a scathing remark about him, saying he lacks empathy and called him out for his disdain for the military service. Furthermore, he said that Trump has also praised Hitler.
As reported by Mediaite, Kelly opined, "He commented more than once that Hitler did some good things, too. But if you know what Hitler was all about, it would be pretty hard to make an argument that he did anything good." Kelly also argued that whoever knows even a little bit of history, would agree that Hitler's immoral actions were rooted in fascism and racism.
