Trump praises 'chemistry' with Kim Jong Un at RNC: 'He misses me'

Trump reminisces about his 'beautiful' bond with North Korean leader and hints at renewed outreach if re-elected.

During his nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday, Donald Trump expressed his admiration for his relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. 

The former president, who had multiple meetings with Kim during his previous term, fondly described their interactions as having a special “chemistry.” 

“The press hated when I said that. How could you get along with him? Well, you know, it’s nice to get along with somebody who has a lot of nuclear weapons,” Trump told the crowd in Milwaukee, eliciting both laughter and applause. 

Trump, who has oscillated between criticism and praise for Kim, indicated that he would maintain efforts to engage with the North Korean leader should he return to the White House. 

“He’d like to see me back, too. I think he misses me, if you want to know the truth,” he said.

The GOP nominee also touched on his desire to emulate strong leadership styles, referencing his previous comments about Kim's influence. 

"I want people to sit up at attention like they do for Kim in his country,” Trump remarked.

In addition to his comments about Kim, Trump made notable mentions of other global figures in his speech. 

He claimed Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar addressed him as “your excellently” and described Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as “very tough.”