Trump says he and Kim Jong Un 'in love'

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US President Donald Trump took his enthusiasm for his detente with the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un to new heights on Saturday, declaring at a rally with supporters that "we fell in love" after exchanging letters.

"I was really being tough, and so was he. And we would go back and forth," Trump told a rally in West Virginia in support of local candidates for his Republican Party.

"And then we fell in love, okay? No, really, he wrote me beautiful letters, and they're great letters," he said.

US President Donald Trump speaks to supporters at his rally inside the WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia, Sept. 29, 2018. /VCG Photo

On Monday at the United Nations General Assembly Trump lauded Kim as "terrific," one year after Trump eviscerated Kim from the same platform.

Trump followed those comments by saying Wednesday he had received an "extraordinary letter" from Kim, and sounded optimistic about prospects for a second summit between the two leaders "fairly quickly."

Trump used his debut address at the UN General Assembly 12 months ago to threaten to "totally destroy" the DPRK and belittle its leader as "rocket man," prompting Kim to respond by calling the president a "mentally deranged US dotard."

His supporters laughed and applauded. Trump grumbled that commentators would cast him as "unpresidential" for describing Kim in such glowing terms.

The Trump administration is preparing for a second summit with Kim to talk about denuclearization. The time and location have not yet been announced.

Three senior US officials involved in DPRK policy said this week that no progress has been made in moving toward serious negotiations.

DPRK's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho on Saturday told the UN there was "no way" that his country would disarm first as long as the US continues to push for tough enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang.

(Top image: DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (R) walks with US President Donald Trump (L) during a break in talks at their historic summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore, June 12, 2018. /VCG Photo)

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters