President Trump made two surprising confessions Thursday in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
First, Trump stated with baffling uncertainty that he has great rapport with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. "I probably have a very good relationship with [Kim]," Trump said, following weeks of escalating tensions between the White House and Pyongyang. Trump additionally seemed to revel in the ambiguity of his statement, declining to clarify to the Journal whether he had in fact communicated with Kim. "I don't want to comment on it," Trump said. "I'm not saying I have or haven't. I just don't want to comment."
Elsewhere in the conversation, the president lamented the "betrayal" of former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, after Bannon was quoted offering some unkind evaluations of the administration in Michael Wolff's new book, Fire and Fury. While musing about whether his relationship with Bannon is forever damaged, Trump reportedly said, "I don't know what the word permanent means."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Read the entire interview at The Wall Street Journal.
-
Political cartoons for October 27Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include improving national monuments, the NBA gambling scandal, and the AI energy vampire
-
Donald Trump’s week in Asia: can he shift power away from China?Today's Big Question US president’s whirlwind week of diplomacy aims to bolster economic ties and de-escalate trade war with China
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
