Presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump joined Tim Pool’s “Timcast” podcast on the sidelines of the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday, where he discussed several aspects of his campaign and his previous term in office, including the one time he likely made Secret Service agents the most nervous.
“I got one big question for you — so part of my family comes from Korea,” Pool said. “And you did what I think is one of the most tremendous things. You crossed the demilitarized zone into North Korea with no security as a sign of goodwill and peace with a hostile nation, and I’ve had people tell me it never happened. So, uh, I think people need to know about it. I’m wondering if you can just tell me how, how did that happen? How did it come to be?”
“And it hasn’t happened since,” Trump said. “And we were, when I met with, you know, the hand-off, you sort of meet with the previous president for a period of time. The meeting lasted for quite a while with President Obama. You sit in an Oval Office, and you talk, and the press is outside, and you talk for a little while. He said that the single greatest threat we have is North Korea. And I said, ‘Have you called them? Have you tried to talk to them?’ You know, little things like that. And, uh, didn’t matter what the answer was. He felt that that was the single biggest threat in the world, was North Korea.”
“And as you know, there was certainly hostility when I first started, and all of a sudden, it boiled down to something that was very beautiful, the way it happened,” the former president continued. “And I got along with him very well. And I will say that if Hillary won that race, you would have had a nuclear war and millions of people would have been killed. And you weren’t even close to that. It never happened; it never was going to happen. I got along great with him, and it just never was going to happen.”
On June 30, 2019, Trump shook hands with Kim Jong Un after crossing 20 steps into North Korea from South Korea at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Special Agent in Charge Anthony Ornato accompanied Trump during this historic moment, according to The Associated Press (AP). Following the meeting, Trump and Kim Jong Un held a joint press conference, where Trump remarked to the Pool that “everybody was pretty radically thrown out” at the end.
“Were you ever at all scared in any way when you crossed into an enemy country?” Pool asked. “Well, I wouldn’t say the Secret Service was thrilled,” Trump responded.
“I felt very safe. I felt my relationship with him, as you know, was very hostile. Little Rocket Man, and all,” Trump said, repeating his nickname for the North Korean dictator. “But then all of a sudden, it morphed. He respected me, I respected him. And we ended up, once we got to know each other, we ended up very good. Very smart guy, very strong guy. He’s the absolute leader of that country, you know, for those that think he’s not, they’re wrong.”
“If we have the right president, if we have somebody that knows what he’s doing, you’re not gonna have World War III. If, on the other hand, we don’t, you’re gonna end up in World War III, and it’s gonna be a war like no other because of the power of weaponry,” Trump said.
Pool told Trump that “many are actually saying we’re already in” World War III, referencing an article by The Hill claiming President Joe Biden is “losing it.” Trump agreed, arguing that foreign leaders “can’t believe” the current state of Biden as president of the United States.
“He can’t fix anything. He can’t fix himself,” Trump said of Biden. “Just so you know, I know all the leaders. They’re at the top of their game. They’re sharp, they’re tough, they’re smart. They’re, they love their country, or they do whatever they have to for their country at a minimum. And when they see this guy come in, they think they — they can’t believe it. I know they can’t believe it. It’s not the right person.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.