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"Maniac," "madman," "a sick puppy" — these are just some of the ways President Donald Trump has previously described North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Still, President Trump and Kim have decided to put their differences aside and come face-to-face in what will be a hugely historic meeting. But will Trump's quotes about Kim affect negotiations? The president hasn't always had nice things to say about the North Korean leader.
President Trump announced Wednesday that a meeting between him and Kim had officially been set. "Good meeting with Kim Jong Un," Trump tweeted. "Date & Place set." If the meeting does take place, it would be the first time a sitting U.S. president has met with a North Korean leader. While Trump seems fairly pleased about the meeting, he also has warned against viewing the summit in an overly optimistic light, stressing that "everything could be scuttled."
"A lot of good things could happen, a lot of bad things can happen," Trump said Wednesday, according to CNN. "I believe that both sides want to negotiate a deal. I believe we have a really good shot at it being successful."
For Trump's sake, we hope Kim isn't one to hold a grudge. There are quite a few not-so-nice things Trump has said about the North Korean leader that he could potentially have to answer for in their meeting.
North Korea Is "Run By Some Very Bad People"
Trump once described North Korea as a country "run by some very bad people" during some Chamber of Commerce events held in Minnesota while the then-real estate mogul toured with his presidential exploratory campaign, according to the New York Times.
North Korea Is The "Last Place On Earth I Want To Go To"
"Crazy Dennis Rodman is saying I wanted to go to North Korea with him," Trump tweeted on May 8, 2014. "Never discussed, no interest, last place on Earth I want to go to."
Kim Is A "Maniac"
"Nobody ever mentions North Korea where you have this maniac sitting there and he actually has nuclear weapons and somebody better start thinking about North Korea and perhaps a couple of other places," Trump said during a Republican presidential primary debate in September 2015.
That Time He Said Assassinating Kim Wasn't The Worst Idea
"I would get China to make that guy [Kim Jong Un] disappear in one form or another very quickly," Trump said in a February 2016 interview on CBS This Morning. Trump was then asked to clarify if he was suggesting that he could have Kim assassinated. "Well, you know, I've heard of worse things, frankly. I mean this guy's a bad dude — and don't underestimate him."
"Any young guy that can take over from his father with all those generals and everybody else that probably wants the position, this is not somebody to be underestimated," Trump went on to say.
Get A Life!
"North Korea has just launched another missile," Trump tweeted after the hermit kingdom carried out a missile test in July 2017. "Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?"
"Fire And Fury"
"North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States," Trump told reporters in August 2017. "They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."
Trump Gives Kim His Very Own Insulting Nickname
"I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night," Trump tweeted on Sept. 27, 2017. "Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!"
"Rocket Man Is On A Suicide Mission"
In a speech before the UN General Assembly, Trump warned the U.S. would "totally destroy North Korea" if the country was forced to defend itself or its allies against the communist country. "Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself," the president said.
Kim Is "Obviously A Madman"
"Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!" Trump tweeted on Sept. 22, 2017, after Kim called him a hard-of-hearing "dotard."
"I Would Never Call Him 'Short And Fat'"
"Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me 'old,' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat?'" Trump pondered on Twitter in November. "Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!"
Kim Is A "Sick Puppy"
While speaking about taxes in November, Trump took a minor detour to call Kim Jong Un "a sick puppy."
The Battle Over The Nuclear Button
"North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,'" Trump tweeted in January. "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"
Note that Trump isn't the only one to have slung an insult or two. Kim has also been known to publicly take shots at Trump. The North Korean leader famously referred to the president as a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard" in an address read on North Korean state television in September 2017. The word may be archaic, but "dotard" still packs a punch. Merriam-Webster defines "dotard" as something in "a state or period of senile decay marked by [a] decline of mental poise and alertness." Kim also compared Trump to "a frightened dog." The exact date and location of their meeting has yet to be announced.
