Trump says his 'friend' Kim Jong Un could turn North Korea into the next Vietnam

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ahead of his summit in Hanoi with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Trump tweeted on Tuesday night that his "friend" just needs to agree to denuclearize, and his country could prosper.

"Vietnam is thriving like few places on earth," he said. "North Korea would be the same, and very quickly, if it would denuclearize. The potential is AWESOME, a great opportunity, like almost none other in history, for my friend Kim Jong Un. We will know fairly soon — Very Interesting!"

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.