Fact Check: Did Trump say he wants Americans to treat him like North Koreans treat Kim Jong Un?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the criticism and pressure against President Donald Trump’s administration due to renewed conflicts with Iran, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that Trump wants Americans to treat him like North Koreans treat Kim Jong Un, sparking mockery and concerns.
Let us fact-check the viral claim.
Claim: Donald Trump wants Americans to treat him like North Koreans treat Kim Jong Un
According to the viral claim, Trump said, “I wish Americans treat me like North Koreans treat Kim Jong Un."
"He speaks, and his people sit up at attention,” the president allegedly said.
The alleged quote has sparked renewed scrutiny and debate about Trump’s past comments regarding authoritarian leaders, suggesting that many believe the quote to be authentic, while few others dismissed it as fake, and some questioned its authenticity.
The claim has been amplified by various accounts on X and Instagram, garnering tens of thousands of views.
Fact Check: Donald Trump did say it after 2018 meeting with Kim Jong Un
The claim, however, is true, as Trump did say that he wants “his people” to listen to him as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s people listen to him.
“He’s the head of a country. And I mean, he is the strong head,” Trump said in June 2018.
”Don’t let anyone think anything different. He speaks, and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same,” Trump said.
However, when pressed on what he meant when he said that he wanted his “people” to listen to him like the North Koreans listen to Kim, he said, “I was kidding. You don’t understand sarcasm.”
Donald Trump praises Kim Jong Un after Singapore summit
Trump’s statement came after he met with Kim at a summit in Singapore three days ago. “We get along very well; we had good chemistry,” Trump said.
During the first meeting between a US president and a North Korean leader, the two signed a brief document committing the Korean Peninsula to denuclearization in exchange for unspecified security guarantees from the US.
Trump’s comments praising Kim drew criticism from some lawmakers, as the North Korean government has a notorious human rights record and a history of cruel treatment of prisoners, including Americans.
